Dr. Lai received his Ph.D. from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Technische Universität Ilmenau under the DAAD Ph.D. Sandwich Programme, and was conferred the prestigious Chancellor Award by the Queen of Johor. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering as well as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of BioSight Sdn Bhd, a spin-off company of Universiti Malaya. Dr. Lai has been instrumental in fostering industry-academic collaborations, leading multiple industrial consultation projects. His contributions to science and technology, particularly in medical engineering, have been significant. His research focuses on the development of innovative biomedical devices, including a portable, non-invasive scoliosis detection system and a point-of-care device for knee osteoarthritis diagnosis using vibroarthrography (VAG). More recently, he has pioneered novel machine learning approaches for automated cartilage pattern recognition in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), reducing the need for extensive human intervention. His work has gained substantial interest from both local and international industries. Recognized for his excellence in research and education, Dr. Lai has received more than 30 prestigious international and national awards. These include multiple Special Awards and Gold Medals, as well as Best of the Best Awards from ITEX, MTE, i-ENVEX, AiNEX, PECIPTA, and BioMalaysia Expo, among others. He has also represented Universiti Malaya in global competitions such as iCREATe in Singapore, Thailand, and Japan. Additionally, he has been honored with accolades such as the Best Presentation Award from Fukuoka University (Japan), the Best Sustainable Prototype Award at Digital Wonderland Singapore Expo 2019, an Honorable Mention Award at NSIEC 2020 (Taiwan), and the First Runner-Up Award at the Brunei Crown Prince CIPTA 2021 competition. In recognition of his achievements, he was elected as a Member of the Young Scientists Network - Academy of Sciences Malaysia (YSN-ASM) in 2021 and as a board member of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Young Affiliates Network (TYAN). Dr. Lai has authored over 140 peer-reviewed publications indexed in ISI/Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus, with an h-index of 22. His work has led to the granting of 17 patents and intellectual property rights. As principal investigator or co-researcher, he has successfully completed 22 funded projects and is currently leading 13 ongoing research initiatives supported by government agencies, industry partners, and international collaborators. As a credentialed engineer, Dr. Lai is a registered Professional Engineer with a Practicing Certificate (PEPC) at the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) and holds several esteemed engineering titles, including Fellow of Engineers Australia (FIEAust), APEC Engineer (IntPE Australia), Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng, NER Australia), Fellow and Council Member of the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM), Senior Member of IEEE (USA), Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Chartered Engineer (CEng, UK), and Professional Technologist at the Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT). Dr. Lai is actively involved in academic and professional service, serving as a Technical Programme Committee (TPC) member and reviewer for over 50 international conferences, workshops, and journals. He has delivered more than 20 keynote and invited talks at international conferences. Additionally, he serves on the editorial boards of several indexed journals, including as Associate Editor of IEEE Access and IET Image Processing, and as Lead Guest Editor for journals such as Multimedia Tools and Applications and Current Medical Imaging. Beyond his academic and research endeavors, Dr. Lai plays a pivotal role in engineering education. He is the key resource person for curriculum development and accreditation reviews (EAC/MQA/QMEC) in his department and serves as an Accreditation Panel member under the Board of Engineers Malaysia. In 2018, he was appointed as a Fellow under the Ministry of Education Malaysia’s CEO@Faculty Programme, working with C-suite executives at PLUS Malaysia Berhad on digital innovation strategies for IR4.0 transformation. He played a key role in developing commercial strategies for the PLUS Video Analytics (VA) Infrastructure, a project with an investment exceeding RM20 million. Dr. Lai’s research excellence has been recognized with numerous awards, including the ACU Fellowship by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (UK) in 2021 for his research on hospital readmission risks among recovered COVID-19 patients. He was also honored with the IEM Young Engineer Award 2021, the IEEE-EMBS Early Career Achievement Award 2021, and the BEM Malaysia Most Prominent Young Engineering Leader Award (Tokoh Muda) 2022, presented by the Prime Minister of Malaysia. In 2024, he received the Anugerah Penyelidik Muda Cemerlang (Bidang Sains) from Universiti Malaya. As the head of the Advanced Analytics Research Group at the Medical Imaging Laboratory, Dr. Lai has supervised 75 postgraduate students (19 PhD, 9 MSc, and 19 MEng completed; 21 PhD and 7 MSc ongoing). His research team has secured over RM5 million in funding for healthcare technology, medical imaging, and bioinstrumentation projects. His innovations have led to the development of clinically impactful diagnostic prototypes, including OsteoKneeKit™ and Scoltech™, both of which are currently undergoing commercialization. The Scoltech™ project has been approved under the UM Deep Tech Accelerator Programme with RM50,000 in seed funding, with Dr. Lai serving as CTO. Additionally, Dr. Lai contributes as an external examiner for PhD and MSc dissertations, both locally and internationally, and serves as a professional mentor for IEM (Malaysia) and Engineers Australia. He is also an external assessor for higher learning accreditation frameworks, an advisor for industry-academic liaison units, and a board member for Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia’s (USIM) new technologist programme. Furthermore, he serves on the Disciplinary Committee Panel of the Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board (ASDB) under the Bar Council Malaysia.  

Dr. Samsul Farid Samsuddin is a Senior Lecturer at Department of Library & Information Science in the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, University of Malaya. He was a Senior Librarian at Universiti Putra Malaysia Library (2010 - 2018) before joining the University (UM) in 2018. He graduated with Diploma in Building Surveying in 2003 and Bachelor of Science in Information Studies (Library & Information Management) in 2010 both from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM). Dr. Samsul Farid obtained his Master degree in Library & Information Science (MLIS) from Universiti Malaya in 2012 and his doctorate (PhD) in Rural Advancement from Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2017. His research is geared towards Community Development in Behavioral and Information Studies (library services & information management, information literacy, digital literacy, user needs & behaviour, information services for rural advancement, the use of ICT for development and community development). He's an expert in his fields and has published numerous articles in the library literature, systematic literature review papers and presented at various conferences. 

Dr. Mumtaz Aini Alivi is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Media and Communication Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya. She earned her Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) with a double major in (i) Language and Malay Linguistics and (ii) Journalism from Universiti Putra Malaysia. She later obtained her Master of Corporate Communication and Doctor of Philosophy (Mass Communication) from the same university. Her research interests primarily focus on Journalism, Broadcasting, News, Online Media, Political Communication, and Mass Communication. Apart from her academic qualifications, Dr. Mumtaz has extensive experience in journalism, news broadcasting, and media industry management. She was a media practitioner for twenty-two years at Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), a government television station. For almost twenty years, she was attached to the News and Current Affairs Department, where she held multiple roles, including Broadcast Journalist, Newscaster, News Editor, and News Producer. Throughout her career, she was involved in various high-profile assignments, including accompanying the Prime Minister and other national leaders for international news coverage, conducting live news broadcasts from Parliament, and reporting on other significant national events, in addition to daily news coverage. After completing her PhD, Dr. Mumtaz transitioned to a different role at RTM, serving as Assistant Director in the Policy and Research Section. She later assumed the same role in the Strategic Planning Section before being transferred to the Quality Control for Creative Content Unit as an Evaluation Officer. These three divisions operate under the Strategic Development Department, where she contributed for an additional two years before leaving RTM. With over two decades of experience in the media industry—particularly in television news, along with some experience in radio and media management—Dr. Mumtaz has made significant contributions to the field. Her dedication and passion for journalism were recognized when she won the Best Broadcast Journalist Award at the national level in 2001. In addition to her industry experience, Dr. Mumtaz has been appointed by several organizations for various consultancy and evaluation roles. She has served as a panel judge for the prestigious Malaysian Journalism Award, organized by the Malaysia Press Institute (MPI). She was also a panel member for Pitching Evaluation (Private) and a panel member for Screening (Syndicated) for RTM programs. In 2021, Dr. Mumtaz transitioned from media practice to academia, joining the University of Malaya as a Senior Lecturer. She embraced this new career path with a bigger mission—to contribute to nation-building by sharing her knowledge and experience to shape future leaders in journalism and media.