DR. BALA MURALI A/L SUNDRAM

Dr. Bala Murali Sundram is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Occupational and Environmental Health Unit, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. He completed his Masters (MPH) and Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) from University Malaya. His areas of research interest are in Public Health, mainly in Occupational Health,  Environmental Health ,  Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Disease Surveillance, Predictive analytics in Public Health, Mental health and psycho-social biomarkers at the workplace. He has headed various critical and important posts in the Public Health Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) as a Public Health Medicine Specialist prior to joining University Malaya as a Senior Lecturer. Some of his notable positions in the Ministry of Health were as District Health Officer in Kunak, Sabah, Head of Occupational Health Unit and Biomedical Epidemiology Unit in the Institute for Medical Research (IMR)- National Institute of Health (NIH) and Head of Disease Surveillance and Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC),  Johor State Health Department. He had played a significant role and contributed immensely during the Covid-19 pandemic in disease surveillance, translational and impactful research for the relevant stakeholders, quarantine and isolation strategies, international health regulation and border health policies and state vaccination strategies during his tenure in MOH. Following this he had received recognition and the Exemplary Service Award  (Anugerah Perkhidmatan Awam) from the Johor State Health Department, Ministry of Health Malaysia. He has headed several internal and external research collaborations in the Ministry of Health Malaysia, University Malaya, United Nations University-International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH) and other external research institutes like National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia and Malaysian Meteorological Department.  He had obtained various research grants such as MOH research grants and UNDP research grants as Primary Investigator and was involved as co-investigator in some external research grants like FRGS grants. His research work has been presented in local and international conferences and has been published and cited in some high impact and peer-reviewed ISI journals in the field of public health. His work has also been accepted as a book publication in one of the international publishing groups. He was involved in the Public Health Subgroup in the Technical Working Group for the Vulnerability and Adaptation as well as Research and Systematic Observation for the 3rd National Communication and Biennial Update Report in which Malaysia is a signatory to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). He was a member of the Thematic Working Group 6 for Contingency, Preparedness and Response Plan for Environmental Health Disaster, National Environmental Health Action Plan (NEHAP), Ministry of Health. He was a member of the SCHEMA Working Group for United Nations University-International Institute for Global Health and Institutional Biosafety and Biosecurity Committee (IBBC). His technical skills and knowledge allowed him being chosen as a Medical Coordinator, Lead Evaluator and Controller in various Disease Surveillance and CBNRe (chemical, biological,nuclear, radiological and explosives) field simulation exercises and activities involving MOH, STRIDE-MinDEF, ASEAN Regional Capacity on Disaster Health Management (ARCH) and  WHO. He has also mentored and supervised numerous candidates in the Mentor-Mentee Program for the Public Health Medicine Speciality, MOH Malaysia. He is also attached to professional bodies like Malaysian Medical Association, Malaysian Society of Occupational Health Doctor and a scientific committee member in the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH).

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DR. PARVATHI A/P WAJINDRAM

Dr. Parvathi Wajindram is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Indian Studies, University of Malaya. She holds a PhD in Social Science from the University of Malaya, a Master’s degree in Corporate Communication from Universiti Putra Malaysia, and a Bachelor’s degree in Media Studies and Communication. With a professional background spanning academia, media, and corporate communication, she has served as a Corporate Communication Manager and worked in broadcasting as producer and editor. Her teaching experience includes media studies, design thinking, and courses on sociopolitical and cultural topics, alongside active supervision of master’s and doctoral research. Dr. Parvathi Wajindram research is anchored in Organizational Behavior and Leadership Studies, with a strong focus on how power is structured, negotiated, and enacted in diverse institutional and cultural contexts. She study how organizations and leaders shape experiences of inclusion, exclusion, and empowerment, especially within minority communities and plural societies. By adapting and extending frameworks traditionally applied in corporate settings, she highlight how power and leadership operate in universities, NGOs, cultural and religious organizations, and state-linked institutions. Within this broad field, Dr. Parvathi Wajindram examine how leadership styles, organizational hierarchies, and everyday practices influence opportunities for voice, agency, and resilience. Alongside this primary focus, Dr.Parvathi Wajindram also study authoritarianism as a complementary lens—not only as a political regime type but as a leadership style and cultural practice that appears in workplaces, communities, and digital spaces. This allows her to critically analyze how authoritarian tendencies reinforce structural inequalities, while also exploring strategies of negotiation and resistance among minorities and marginalized groups. Expanding across national and global contexts, her research engages with how power, leadership, and organizational practices are shaped by pluralism, diversity, and digital transformation. Whether examining minority experiences in Malaysia, diasporic communities, or global information systems, her scholarship highlights the intersections of organizational power, leadership, and cultural identity. Ultimately, Dr.Parvathi Wajindram work contributes to understanding how institutions and individuals navigate authority, build resilience, and foster agency in increasingly complex and plural societies.

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PROF. DR. ROHAIDA BINTI MOHD SAAT

Dr Rohaida Mohd. Saat is an honorary professor at the Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Faculty of Education, University of Malaya. She was the former dean at the faculty and before that, she was the Head of Quality Assurance and Accreditation Unit, Quality Management Enhancement Centre (QMEC), University of Malaya.  She received her Bachelor Degree and Master’s degree from Indiana University, USA and PhD degree from Universiti Putra Malaysia. She also holds a certificate in Qualitative Research Methods from The University of Georgia, USA. Her area of specialization and research is in science education, teacher education and qualitative research methodology. She headed several research projects in the area of science education, funded by various agencies. She has authored and co-authored several books, articles and research reports in the area of science education and education in general.  She has also served as Editorial Boards of Eurasia Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, European Journal of STEM Education and Journal of Science and Mathematics in Southeast Asia. She has served the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (MOHE) as a MyRA Auditor and on the panel of evaluators for MOHE research grants. She is a trained ISO auditor and the ASEAN University Network Quality Assurance (AUNQA) lead academic programme assessor.

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