2 / 2 Yusniza Kamarulzaman is a Professor of Marketing and the Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics, and the Graduate School of Business, Universiti Malaya (UMGSB). Her current pursuits include serving as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Glasgow in the UK and a Visiting Professor at Universitas Indonesia, highlighting her vast knowledge and global recognition in marketing. With an illustrious career spanning over two decades, Professor Yusniza has held several leadership positions at the Universiti Malaya. She served as the Deputy Dean of Postgraduate from 2017 to 2022, the Head of the Marketing Department from 2015 to 2017, and the Director of the UM Centre of Innovation and Commercialisation from 2010 to 2014, among other posts. Having begun her career in 1996, Professor Yusniza has worked at various local and foreign higher education institutions, including serving as a Teaching Associate at Cardiff Business School, UK, from 2003 to 2006. She teaches a wide array of Marketing subjects, such as Marketing Management, Retailing, Branding, Product Development & Innovation, Digital Marketing, Global Marketing, and Marketing Research Methodology, to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Professor Yusniza has supervised and mentored over 50 master's degree graduates and produced a number of Ph.D. graduates. She has made significant contributions to the field of marketing through her numerous publications, books, book chapters, monographs, and course modules. Local higher education institutions have widely adopted her publications, including her books Principles of Marketing, Marketing Management, and Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism, which Oxford University Press published. Her primary research interests include digital marketing, tourism marketing, branding, and retailing. She is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), UK, and a member of the American Marketing Association, the British Academy of Management (BAM), and the Academy of Marketing (AM). She serves on the scientific committees of various prestigious international conferences and contributes as a reviewer for numerous international and local textbooks, journals, and conference papers. Professor Yusniza's contributions to academia have not gone unnoticed, as she has received numerous awards and accolades locally and internationally. In 2017, she was awarded the Excellence Service Service Medal (Pingat Perkhidmatan Cemerlang) by the Ministry of Higher Education and the Excellence Service Award from the University of Malaya in 2016, 2017, and 2020. Western Michigan University also awarded her the Visiting Scholar Collaborative Contributions Award, U.S., in 2015 and the Education Leadership Award at the 4th Asia's Best B-School Awards in 2013. In addition, Professor Yusniza serves as an appointed panel member for the Ministry of Higher Education for Government Grants (FRGS, PRGS, HiCOE), an internal auditor for Malaysia Research Assessment (MyRA), and a member of Malaysia Top Business School Malaysia (MyTBS). She is also an external programme assessor/advisory board of several private and public institutions, including UKM, UiTM, Multimedia University, University Technology Petronas, Lim Kok Wing University, Taylors University, Sunway University, UOW Malaysia KDU, QUES International University, Segi University, Wawasan University, and others.  

Dr. Zulfirdaus Zakaria is a Senior Lecturer at the Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya (UM), specializing in Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer Technologies. He holds a PhD in Fuel Cell Engineering from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), conferred in 2018 under the supervision of Prof. Ir. Dr. Siti Kartom Kamarudin, which is the Director of the Fuel Cell Institute, UKM. His doctoral dissertation, titled “Development of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Based on Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) and Graphene Oxide for Micro Direct Ethanol Fuel Cell Application,” laid the foundation for his pioneering research in polymer-based fuel cell membranes. During his postgraduate tenure, Dr. Zulfirdaus demonstrated exceptional academic rigor by converting his Master's program to a PhD, publishing seven scientific articles in high-impact journals as the first author—including four Q1 and two Q2 WoS indexed journals—and earning the “Graduate on Time” award from the Fuel Cell Institute, UKM. Academic and Research Appointments: Prior to his current role at UM, Dr. Zulfirdaus served as a Senior Lecturer at the School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), for two years. His postdoctoral research experience includes a three-year tenure at the Fuel Cell Institute, UKM, and one year at Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), where he contributed to significant advancements in fuel cell and electrolyzer technologies. Research Focus and Contributions: Dr. Zulfirdaus’s primary research interests encompass the development of polymer electrolyte membranes for both fuel cells and electrolyzers, focusing on: Proton Exchange Membranes (PEMs) and Anion Exchange Membranes (AEMs) Utilization of synthetic polymers (e.g., Polyvinyl Alcohol) and biopolymers (e.g., Sodium Alginate and Carrageenan) Applications in renewable energy generation and green hydrogen production He has been actively involved in the research, development, and optimization of various fuel cell and electrolyzer systems, including: Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs) Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells (DEFCs) Alkaline Fuel Cells (AFCs) Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (IT-SOFCs) Alkaline Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) Electrolyzers His work extends to the synthesis of advanced materials, such as: Polymer Modifications for enhanced membrane performance Graphene-based Nanomaterials for conductivity improvements Catalyst Development for both fuel cells and electrolyzers Research Grants and Funding: Dr. Zulfirdaus has led and contributed to numerous high-impact research projects, including: Project Leader: The Effect of Incorporating Epoxidized Natural Rubber on the Performance of Quaternized Polyvinyl Alcohol Membrane in Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells, USM Short-term Grant (RM 39,000; 2023-2025) Researcher: Development of Alkaline AEM Electrolyzer with Novel Nanocomposite Membrane, UKM PAKARUNDING-NanoMalaysia Berhad (RM 539,125; 2022–2023) Postdoctoral Researcher: New Biodegradable Membrane Based on a Hybrid Polymer Carrageenan/Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) for Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells, DANA MODAL INSAN (UKM) (RM 100,000; 2019–2020) Postdoctoral Researcher: Fabrication and Performance Study of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC), 1kW Stack, TNB Seeding Fund (UNITEN) (RM 1,698,100.70; 2018–2020) Intellectual Property and Publications: Dr. Zulfirdaus has registered multiple intellectual properties with MyIPO, including: Carrageenan Biopolymer Membrane for Passive DEFC Applications (LY2022P05229) – First Author Cross-Sectional Properties of 7% MN-Doped ZnO Thin Films (LY2023P00617) – Co-author Strategy on How to Write a Review Paper Module (LY2022E00215) – Co-author He has also authored the book “Membran Hijau Polivinil Alkohol: Aplikasi Sel Fuel Ethanol Langsung” published by Penerbit UKM. With 45 publications in high-impact journals—22 in Q1, 15 in Q2, and 2 in Q3 categories—Dr. Zulfirdaus has established himself as a leading scholar in his field, serving as the first author in 24 of these publications. Awards and Recognition: Top Downloaded Paper (2018-2019) – International Journal of Energy Research (Q1, IF 4.6) Top Downloaded Paper (2022-2023) – Journal of Applied Polymer Science (Q2, IF 2.7) Editorial and Peer Review Activities: Dr. Zulfirdaus actively contributes to the scholarly community as a peer reviewer for prestigious journals such as: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (Q1, IF 16.3) International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (Q1, IF 8.1) Applied Energy (Q1, IF 10.1) To date, he has reviewed over 80 high-impact manuscripts across various leading journals in the field of energy research. Invited Speaker and Outreach: As an expert in academic writing, Dr. Zulfirdaus has been invited to deliver talks on “How to Write a High-Impact Review Paper” at multiple Malaysian higher education institutions, including UiTM, UKM, USM, and UniKL. He is open to academic collaborations and can be contacted at zulfirdaus@um.edu.my.  

Dr. Malarvizhi Sinayah joined academic life as a senior lecturer in Faculty of Languages and Linguistics at the University of Malaya since 2016. She is the Programme Co-ordinator of Tamil Programme at Department of Malaysian Languages and Applied Linguistics since 2017. She completed her Doctoral programme in Discourse Analysis, at University Putra Malaysia; her Masters of Modern Languages Studies and her Bachelor in Languages and Linguistics (Tamil Language) at the University of Malaya, and obtained her teaching certificate (Primary School Education/Tamil Language) from Raja Melewar Teachers Training Collage. Her main research interests are Sociolinguistics and Discourse analysis in general, Tamil linguistics and Teaching Tamil Language and Literature in particular. Areas of particular interest include: Computer mediated Communication, language use in social Media, Codeswitching and Translanguaging, Teaching Language and Literature (Tamil), Language ideological debates relating to Minorities Language (Tamil), Intelligibility issues relating to the spread of Tamil Language, Attitudes towards minority language in higher education contexts around the world.