Dr. Ezlika M. Ghazali is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She holds an MBA from the University of Malaya and a Ph.D. in Marketing from Warwick University, United Kingdom. Dr. Ghazali’s career is marked by significant contributions to academia through teaching, research, and administration, as well as active engagement in social causes. Academic and Professional Background Dr. Ghazali’s academic journey is underpinned by rigorous training and extensive experience. She served as the Head of the Management Department at her institution, demonstrating strong leadership and administrative capabilities. In addition, she is a member of several professional bodies, including the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Academy of Marketing, reflecting her commitment to ongoing professional development. Research Contributions With an output of over 130 scholarly publications, Dr. Ghazali’s research interests span consumer behaviour, sustainability, and cultural influences in marketing. Her work has been published in high-impact international journals such as the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Electronic Markets, Internet Research, Industrial Management & Data Systems, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, International Journal of Hospitality Management, and the International Journal of Consumer Studies, among others. She has investigated diverse topics ranging from digital consumer engagement to pro-environmental consumption patterns in different cultural contexts. Several of Dr. Ghazali’s publications are highly cited in the field. For example, her study on consumers’ values in purchasing organic personal care products (published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services) has been cited over 430 times, reflecting its significant impact. Another notable paper, exploring pro-environmental behaviours through the lens of Value-Belief-Norm theory (in Sustainability), has garnered over 250 citations, underscoring her influence in sustainability research. Additionally, her work on mobile commerce adoption in Malaysia (in the Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics) has accumulated over 200 citations, highlighting her contributions to understanding technology adoption in emerging markets. Teaching and Mentorship Dr. Ghazali is dedicated to education and mentorship, having developed and taught numerous marketing courses such as Strategic Marketing, Marketing Research Methods, Marketing Data Analysis, and Consumer Behaviour. She has supervised multiple Ph.D. candidates and over 30 Master’s theses, contributing significantly to the academic growth of her students and the next generation of scholars. Internationalisation and Global Impact A hallmark of Dr. Ghazali’s career is her extensive international collaboration and global engagement. She has co-authored journal articles and conference papers with scholars from more than ten countries – including the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Indonesia, Oman, and Australia – reflecting a truly global research network. She has also co-edited academic volumes with international collaborators and contributed chapters through leading publishers such as Springer, Elsevier, and Emerald, showing the global reach of her scholarly work. Dr. Ghazali actively contributes to international conferences: notably, she was on the organizing committee for the IBA-UM International Marketing Conference 2016, and she presented her research at global forums such as the Academy for Global Business Advancement (AGBA) World Congress and the Association for Consumer Research (ACR Europe) conference. Her professional affiliations further highlight her global outlook, as she holds memberships in worldwide networks like APA, the Academy of Marketing, and ServCollab, and she serves on the editorial boards of international journals as well as on global research and grant review committees. Through internationally funded research projects – including a collaborative initiative on innovative insect-based protein sources and various sustainability-focused studies – Dr. Ghazali works with cross-border teams to address pressing marketing and consumer challenges around the world. Awards and Recognitions Dr. Ghazali’s work has been acknowledged through numerous awards, including a Best Paper Award and two Wiley “Top Cited Article” honors. As of 2025, her scholarly output has achieved an h-index of 25 and an i10-index of 38 on Google Scholar (along with an h-index of 17 on Scopus), reflecting the influence and reach of her research contributions. Social and Community Engagement Dr. Ghazali is deeply committed to social causes, particularly the well-being of children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). She has contributed to translating autism-related literature from Malay to English, enhancing accessibility to critical resources for families and practitioners. Her community engagement efforts demonstrate a dedication to leveraging her expertise for social good. Dr. Ezlika M. Ghazali’s impactful research, innovative teaching, and dedicated societal engagement exemplify her significant contributions to the field of marketing and academia. She continues to explore the intricate intersections between technology, culture, and sustainability in marketing, ensuring her ongoing influence and leadership in her field.

Ts Dr. Vimala Balakrishnan is a Professor affiliated with the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universiti Malaya since 2010. She earned her PhD in Ergonomics from Multimedia University, complementing her academic journey that commenced with Master's and Bachelor's degrees obtained from the University of Science Malaysia. Dr. Balakrishnan's primary research focus lies in the domains of machine learning and deep learning, particularly in data analytics, with a specialized emphasis on social media applications. Her research interests span across diverse sectors, including healthcare and critical social issues like cyberbullying, suicide and misinformation propagation. She has published more than 100 articles in top indexed journals, 60 conference proceedings and eight book chapters, has three patents and sixteen copyrights. She is a Fulbright Research Scholar (2018) and a recipient of the Leadership in Innovation Fellowship (by the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK) award. Others include Malaysia Scopus Excellence Research Award 2024 -Societal Impact, Excellent Service Award 2017 & 2024, Cardiff Incoming Visiting Fellowship Scheme 2017, Best Elsevier Reviewer Award 2018 (Computer in Human Behavior), and awards won both at local and international competitions (three diamonds, 22 golds, 8 silvers and 4 bronze). Dr Balakrishnan is an advocate for women in science, and acts as the founder of HeRDS: Heels and Rouge in Data Science and co-founder of the Community of Practice in Research (Hello@UM). She was also listed as one of the top 2% world scientists by the Stanford University in five consecutive years (2020 - 2024), both in the single year and career categories. Dr Balakrishnan was recently recognized as one of the Successful People in Malaysia in the June 2022 issue as part of the British Media Publishing House publication. She teaches both the undergraduate and post-graduate students at the faculty. She has supervised ten PhD students, three Master by Research and 22 Master by Mixed-mode students to completion. Dr. Balakrishnan is currently supervising five PhD students, and two Master by Research students. She also supervises Master of Data Science students, and has served as the Program Coordinator for four consecutive years (2017 - 2021).  Dr. Balakrishnan serves as the Editor-in-Chief to the Malaysian Journal of Computer Science. She serves as an active reviewer for several International journals, and as an external examiner for PhD thesis (e.g. International University of Malaya-Wales, Kolej Damansara Penang, Maynooth University Ireland, Modi Institute India, etc.). Dr. Balakrishnan also acts as the Program Assessor for HELP University (Master in Data Science and Bachelor in IT Data Analytics), Monash University (Bachelor in Applied Data Science), Multimedia University (Bachelor in Digital Analytics Management) and International Medical University Malaysia (Bachelor in Digital Health). She has given guest lectures at Yale University (2022), University of Georgia (2018), and Georgia Technology of Institute (2018), USA, Cardiff University (2017), UK, Soongsil University (2016), Korea, and as a Keynote Speaker at the Artificial Intelligence and Data Engineering 2019 Conference (India). She has appeared in the local media (BFM Radio Malaysia, TV3), local newspapers and magazine (The Star, Berita Harian, Her World), podcasts, YouTube and served as an expert advisor in a round table session (Communications and Multimedia Content Forum Malaysia) on cyberbullying detection mechanisms.  Currently, she is actively working on innovative solution-based projects related to digital health platforms including developing an integrated VOT enabled app for Tuberculosis management, MyTBCompanion through her Projek Celik TB (funded by the Research and Innovation for Development in ASEAN UK & Fulbright Alumni Engagement Fund 2024) and a chatbot for HIV minority communities with her international collaborators from Yale University (funded by Gilead Inc. amounting to 499,000 USD). Other on-going studies include developing and detecting digital fraud/scam (funded by the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme 2023 (Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia) and SATU Joint-Research Scheme 2023).

Dr Chan is Professor of Medicine, Director of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and Senior Consultant Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at the University of Malaya, the University of Malaya Medical Centre and the University of Malaya Specialist Centre. He graduated with distinction from the University of Malaya in 2005 and obtained the Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom in 2008. He served at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital at the beginning of his career and subsequently returned to his alma mater in 2010 where he completed his fellowship in Gastroenterology and Hepatology and actively contributed to clinical, research and educational work. He served as an Executive Committee Member for the Malaysian Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (MSGH) between 2015 and 2021. He was the Scientific Co-Chair and a core member of the Organizing Committee for the Asian Pacific Digestive Week (APDW) 2021. He is a member of the Academy of Medicine Malaysia, the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL), the European Association for the Study of the Liver, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, and the Hepatology Committee of the World Gastroenterology Organization. He is a member of the Global NASH Council, the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of Liver MAFLD Consortium, the Gut and Obesity in Asia Workgroup, and the CAP Prognosis Study Group. He completed two terms as Associate Editor for the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology between 2018 and 2023, and is a current member of the Editorial Board for Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and Clinical and Molecular Hepatology. He is a regular reviewer for multiple international journals. He has published numerous full papers in peer-reviewed journals and presented in both local and international conferences, including the Annual Scientific Meeting of the MSGH, the Singapore Hepatology Conference, the International Digestive Disease Forum, the Annual Meeting of the APASL, and the APDW. His main area of research interest is metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. As part of his PhD dissertation, he described the two-step approach in non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which has now become the foundation for a simple assessment and referral pathway for the disease in national and international guidelines. He served with distinction as a Clinical Research Fellow in Hepatology at the Storr Liver Centre. He contributed to the section on NAFLD in the 6th Edition of the Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus for Malaysia and was the lead author for the MSGH Consensus Statements on metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). He is actively involved in NASH clinical trials and is in the Global Expert Panel for the ESSENCE study. Besides being an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal and liver diseases, he is passionate about diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures, including endoscopic ultrasonography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. He is involved in the training of fellows in Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy, and teaches undergraduate and postgraduate medical students. He contributed to two chapters in the core undergraduate reference book for clinical examination, Talley & O’Connor’s Clinical Examination 9th edition, Southeast Asia Edition. He is a member of the Department of Medicine Higher Education Committee and is a regular reviewer for postgraduate research and grant proposals.