Dr Nishakanthi Gopalan is a Senior Lecturer at the Medical Humanities and Ethics Unit (MedHEU), a newly established unit within the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya (UM). She is a biotechnologist by training with a PhD in research ethics and policy implication particularly looking at stem cell technology. During this time, she published her key findings in several reputable high-impact bioethics journals. Dr Nisha is the Programme Coordinator of the Master of Health Research Ethics (MOHRE), a programme developed incollaboration with the Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Besides teaching in MOHRE, she also provides ethics lectures in other programmes in the faculty. Dr Nisha also contributes as a member of the Universiti Malaya Research Ethics Committee (UMREC) as well as an external member of the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) Medical Research Ethics Committee. She is one of the instructors for the Introduction to Health Research Ethics, an online course in FutureLearn. She also facilitates the APRU Health Research Ethics course. Additionally, Dr. Nisha is an editorial board member of the Asian Bioethics Review. Dr Nisha’s research interest includes different aspects of ethics such as bioethics, research and clinical ethics on diverse topics ranging from emerging technologies (such as regenerative medicine, stem cells, and genetic testing), health research, and aesthetic medicine. She is an expert in qualitative research methods such as in depth interviews, focus group discussion (FGD), inductive and deductive analysis, thematic analysis,grounded theory, as well as narrative and scoping reviews. Currently, Dr Nisha is working on a bioethics training grant (Fogarty International Centre, NIH US) with Johns Hopkins University (JHU),  the ethics of genetic testing among Parkinson’s patients (USMC Care Fund), ethics and governance in AI in healthcare and understanding the ethics committee deliberarion process. She is constantly on the look out for collaborations with local/regional/international projects on various topics involving ethics. 

Dr. Cindy Teh Shuan Ju is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine and a leading researcher in antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Dr. Teh has secured substantial research funding of more than RM10 million and has authored over 130 peer-reviewed publications. She has received research grants awarded by Malaysian Government and International agencies as well as Industry partners. Dr. Cindy Teh adopts a multipronged approach in addressing the challenge of multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens. Her research integrates molecular microbiology to uncover the mechanisms underlying resistance, virulence, and transmission dynamics of hospital-acquired pathogens. In addition to investigating the pathogens themselves, she also examines the impact of antibiotics on patients’ microbiomes and studies the carriage of multidrug-resistant organisms among hospitalized patients. Recognising the importance of behavioural factors, Dr. Teh explores the psychosocial aspects influencing healthcare workers’ compliance with hand hygiene practices. Beyond the laboratory and clinical settings, Dr. Teh is also deeply committed to community outreach. She actively engages with schoolchildren through educational initiatives aimed at increasing awareness of AMR. These programmes are designed to empower the younger generation with knowledge, encouraging them to play a proactive role in combating AMR from an early age. Dedicated to bridging science and society, she authored “AMR Diary” to raise public awareness in 2023. Beyond her research contributions, Dr. Teh has been playing several key leadership roles. As Chairperson of the Institutional Biosafety and Biosecurity Committee (IBBC), she has significantly strengthened biosafety governance and oversees all university activities involving infectious agents and toxins. She was appointed as the Quality Manager of the Faculty of Medicine from 2018 to 2022, where she played a pivotal role in enhancing academic quality and institutional standards. She has also been actively involved as the panel assessor for the accreditation of programs in the University since 2022. Dr. Teh also serves as the Coordinator of the Infra Microbiology Unit, where she leads a dedicated team actively engaged by government agencies and industry partners. Under her leadership, the unit conducts microbiological studies and delivers customised training programmes aimed at capacity building and strengthening technical competencies across sectors. Professionally, Dr. Teh serves as an Academic Editor for PeerJ. She provides expert consultation to national agencies and industry on ISO 17025 compliance and biosafety systems. She has also contributed as one of the module writers for the national biosafety training programme under the Malaysia One Health University Network (MyOHUN), helping to strengthen the country’s biosafety training framework. Additionally, she plays an active role in national policy development as a member of the National Committee for the Implementation of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), supporting efforts to enhance biosafety and biosecurity governance at the national level. Dr. Teh’s contributions have been nationally and internationally recognised. She is a member of Young Scientists Network-academy of Sciences Malaysia (YSN-ASM) since 2018. She also received the prestigious L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Fellowship in 2021 and the MSIDC-Institut Mérieux Young Researcher Award in 2018. In addition, her innovative work has earned multiple medals at both national and international innovation exhibitions. To date, Dr. Teh has successfully supervised and graduated 8 PhD and 16 Master’s students, reflecting her strong commitment to postgraduate training and research mentorship.

Au Yong Cheong Peng is the Head of Department and Associate Professor in Department of Building Surveying, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya. He holds a PhD degree in Facilities Management from the Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya. His research interest is in facilities management and building maintenance. He has accumulated the research grant amount to approximately RM1 million and published several articles in reputable journals. For instance, his recent publications include “Promoting employee participation in operation and maintenance of green office building by adopting the total productive maintenance (TPM) concept” in Journal of Cleaner Production; “Optimising maintenance cost by prioritising maintenance of facilities services in residential buildings” in Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management; “Occupant Awareness towards the Application of Total Productive Maintenance in Green Office Building” and “Maintenance priority in high-rise housings: practitioners' perspective versus actual practice” in Journal of Engineering Research; “Optimal inspection frequency to mitigate the risk of building system failure” in Structural Engineering and Mechanics; “Influences of key stakeholders’ involvement in maintenance management” in Property Management; “Competency and commitment of facilities managers: keys to safeguard maintenance performance” in Malaysian Construction Research Journal; and “Prioritizing the Maintenance of University Hostels to Improve Students' Satisfaction” in Journal of Construction in Developing Countries. Other full-text articles can be viewed at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cheong_Peng_Au-Yong. Meanwhile, he has been reviewer for several renowned journals and conferences such as Building Research and Information; Habitat International; Building and Environment; Construction Management and Economics; Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management; Journal of Engineering Research; Built Environment Project and Asset Management; Facilities; Journal of Building Engineering; etc. Currently, he is the member of The Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (MRISM) and the editorial board member of Sustainability in Design anf Practice (SDP). Furthermore, he actively involves in the consultation projects such as building condition assessment projects. His substantial contributions in academic and research works were awarded with Excellence Service Award in 2019 as well as Excellence Service Certificate in 2023 and 2025 by Universiti Malaya.