Roy Anthony Rogers is a Senior Lecturer with the Department of Strategic and International Studies, University of Malaya, having joined the department in 2001. Served as the Head of Department from 2012 till September 2020. He has a Master in Strategic and Defence Studies (M.SDS) from the University of Malaya. He has also taught at the Malaysian Armed Forces Staff College (MAFSC) and the Malaysian Defence Armed Forces College (MDAF). In 2012 he obtained Ph.D. from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and his research interest are government and politics of the Central Asian republics and human rights conditions in Xinjiang. His area of specialization includes Political Science, International Relations (Theories of International Relations) and History (China and Central Asia). He has been invited by the Institute of Diplomatic and Foreign Relations (IDFR) Malaysia to lecture at the Diplomatic Training Course for ASEAN Attachment Officers. He is one of the Media Resource Persons for Radio and Television Malaysia (RTM), Sinar Harian and Astro Awani. Received the Excellence Service Award in 2016, 2008 from the University of Malaya, International Visitor (IV) from the US State Department in 2006.

Dr. Nur Kusaira is a dedicated plant biotechnology researcher with a deep passion for unlocking the therapeutic and nutritional potential of plant natural products. Her academic journey began with a Bachelor's degree in Plant Resource Science and Management from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) in 2008, majoring in Plant Systematics. She was awarded the Best Undergraduate Thesis that year. She went on to earn a Master's in Healthcare Biotechnology from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), where she focused on in silico screening of phytocompounds against H5N1 and H1N1 influenza viruses under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Habibah Abd Wahab. In 2012, she undertook a research attachment at UC San Diego, where she conducted molecular dynamics simulations of plant-based inhibitors targeting the NS2B/NS3 protein of Dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2). Her career then led her to Malaysian Institute of Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals (IPharm), where she managed the USM-RIKEN natural product discovery grant, working on the development of a comprehensive library of Malaysian plant extracts intended for diverse bioactivity screenings, laying the groundwork for systematic exploration of Malaysia’s phytochemical biodiversity. Though initially set to pursue her PhD at USM, Dr. Nur Kusaira was awarded an international PhD scholarship by Universiti Malaya and joined the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, under Prof. Dr Henrik Toft Simonsen. Her PhD work made headlines in plant synthetic biology, she pioneered the use of Physcomitrella patens for stable in vivo assembly of biosynthetic gene clusters, achieving the first stable plant-based production of artemisinin, a vital antimalarial drug, marking a breakthrough in sustainable pharmaceutical production. Her research continues at the intersection of plant science, biotechnology, and health. She focuses on: Functional Food Innovation: Developing plant-based bioactives with nutraceutical properties for preventive health and wellness. Drug Discovery: Leveraging computational tools to identify potent, selective plant-based inhibitors targeting cancer, viral and microbial proteins. Plant Synthetic Biology: Exploring plant platforms like moss and medicinal species for scalable biosynthesis of valuable therapeutic molecules. Dr. Nur Kusaira’s work reflects a commitment to sustainability, global health, and innovation paving the way for plant-derived therapeutics that are effective, affordable, and accessible worldwide.

Dr. Sareena Hanim Hamzah is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Science, Universiti Malaya for over 20 years and currently she serves in an administrative role as Deputy Dean of Higher Degree, Research and Innovation. Dr Sareena completed a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Then she studied at University of Glasgow, Scotland where she obtained her Master of Medical Sciences in Human Nutrition and PhD in Sports Nutrition. Dr. Sareena teaches and researches within the area of Sports Nutrition and Biochemistry of Exercise. Her primary interest concerns the association of nutrition with health, fitness and exercise performance. Dr. Sareena’s research is focused on the influence of diet on exercise energy metabolism and sports performance as well as on body weight management. Her research interest also includes the effects of natural products on antioxidant activity and oxidative stress. Dr. Sareena has been invited as keynote and guess speaker at various conferences, congresses and seminars, both locally and internationally. She also serves as an editorial board of international journals and has been appointed as an Executive Committee member of Asian Nutrition Society of Sports and Health (2015 to present).