Dr. Mohammed H. Alaqad is an Assistant Professor of Translation & Interpreting Studies at the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya. He has more than 15 years of academic and research experience. His main areas of research interest include translation studies and conference interpreting, forensic linguistics, artificial intelligence (AI), and socio-ideological aspects of the Arabic language. He is also the founder and CEO of the Asian Federation of Translators and Interpreters, Malaysia, where he contributes to advancing professional standards and fostering regional collaboration in the language services industry. Previously, he served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Hashim Sani Centre for Palestine Studies, University of Malaya. From February 2019 to January 2024, Dr. Alaqad was an Assistant Professor at Management & Science University (MSU), where he led both the diploma and bachelor programs in translation and interpreting. During his tenure, he made significant contributions to establishing and shaping the university’s translation programs. He also served as an Associate Professor of translation and interpreting in the English Language Department at the Faculty of Humanities, Israa University, Gaza, Palestine, from 20 September 2023 to 31 December 2023. Dr. Alaqad has held several academic appointments at the University of Malaya, including: Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Hashim Sani Centre for Palestine Studies (July 2024 - August 2025) Universiti Malaya Elite Fellow, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics (December 2024 – December 2025) Visiting Lecturer, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics (February 2023 – February 2024) Lecturer (English & Arabic subjects), Center for Continuing Education (July 2017 – July 2018) Research Assistant, Asia-Europe Institute / The Centre for ASEAN Regionalism Universiti Malaya (CARUM)/ Humanities Research Cluster, IPPP (February 2013 – July 2017) He has been invited as a keynote/guest speaker at more than 40 international conferences and academic events, contributing to global discussions on language, translation, education, and artificial intelligence (AI). He is also a seasoned conference interpreter, having participated in over 150 conferences and events; this experience informs his academic work and deepens his understanding of the practical challenges and complex scenarios in interpretation and communication. His scholarly contributions include numerous peer-reviewed research articles, books, and book chapters. In addition to his research, Dr. Alaqad is the managing editor of The International Journal of Palestine Studies, UM. He also serves on the editorial boards of Cambridge Scholars of Language & Linguistics (UK), the International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (IJALT) (USA), and the Journal of Intercultural Communication Research (a Scopus-indexed Routledge journal) from 2022 to 2025. He is also an editorial board member of The Southeastern Philippines Journal of Research and Development (a Scopus-indexed Q2 journal) in the Philippines from 2022 to 2027.   

Dr. Nikmatul Adha is currently the Director of the Corporate Performance Centre at Universiti Malaya. She holds both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). In 2011, she was awarded a doctoral degree from USM, specializing in social and physical planning. Dr. Nikmatul Adha began her career as a Research Officer at USM, later serving as a Research Executive at a private consultancy firm before transitioning into academia. Since 2004, she has been a faculty member at Universiti Malaya, where she teaches Urban Management, Community Development Planning, and various planning studio courses. She is also a Graduate Member of the Malaysian Institute of Planners (MIP). Her research interests include participatory urban planning, tourism planning, and community development planning. Dr. Nikmatul Adha has authored several books and academic articles related to her areas of expertise. She is frequently invited as a speaker and forum panellist at national conferences and has served as a visiting lecturer at Nanjing University Jinling College.

Shalini Nadaswaran holds a PhD in English specializing in African Women's Literature from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia (UNSW). Her PhD was supervised by eminent postcolonial expert, Professor Bill Ashcroft, exploring Igbo women writers and contemporary Nigeria. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in English and Master of Arts in English at the English Department, University of Malaya. Her research interest considers the constant evolving representations of women in local and global spaces. She is currently a Senior Lecturer with the English Department, University of Malaya and has worked on a research project which examines cultural formations. She has published in the field of African literature and women’s literature in journals such as African Literature Today, Matatu, Wasafiri and Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature. She has also contributed book chapters to various book projects. She serves as a peer reviewer for a number of journals, two of which are ISI and Scopus cited. While her primary focus falls under the remit of African (Women’s) literature, she also has additional interests in research that explores modern day slavery, literature and injustice, and the figure of the ‘child’ in postcolonial literature. She welcomes research students working on any area in women’s literature, African literature and postcolonial women’s literature to contact her.