Dr Madiha Baharuddin is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Applied Science with Islamic Studies Programme, Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya (UM). She graduated with first class honours in her first degree of Applied Science with Islamic Studies, University of Malaya, majoring in Information Technology. It is not only the first, but one and only bachelor’s degree in Malaysia that offers a double major programme between Islamic Studies and Science. During her PhD studies, she was appointed as a visiting fellow of University of Paris, France under the mentoring and supervision of one distinguished Emeritus Professor Dr Roshi Rashed. She started her academic career in UM after the completion of her PhD from UM in 2015. Her academic interest is primarily to understand the relationship between the development of science/technology and Islam, particularly within the context of its historical backgrounds, Islamic science, and what science and technology may contribute to the Muslim society. She teaches and supervises both undergraduate and postgraduate courses/students that relate Islam, science and technology. She also has been actively engaging with university’s aim and administration since her appointment. She was appointed by the Vice Chancellor of UM as the Coordinator of Applied Science with Islamic Studies Programme for six (6) years. Throughout those years, she has been actively engaging herself in research as Principle Investigator for one of UM Research Grants entited Applied Science With Islamic Studies Programme: A Research On Its Curriculum Design. Her research also includes proposing a better curriculum in order to integrate Islam and science in higher degree institutions.

VGR Chandran is Professor of Industrial Development at the Department of Development Studies, Faculty of Business and Economics at University of Malaya. He has also worked as Principal Analyst of Economic and Policy Studies with Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), Prime Minister’s Department, Malaysia. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and his research interests are mainly on innovation, technology development, trade and globalization that relate to industrial development. His field research covers sectors such as electrical and electronics, automotive, food, chemical, oil palm, machinery, iron and steel, ICT, and the newly emerging sector - renewable energy. He had extensive fieldwork covering the Asian region that includes countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, India, China, Thailand, and Malaysia. In recent years, his research interest expanded into investigating newly emerging enterprises within the context of social innovation and social enterprises, as well as open innovation. His interest has also expanded in studying the issues of NTMs, mainly regulatory and procedural requirements that serve as a barrier for firms to integrate into the Global Value Chain. He has also worked as a consultant for international organizations such as UNCTAD, UNIDO, UNESCO, UNEP, ERIA, OECD as well as governmental organizations in Malaysia. He has published articles in international journals - Economics of New Technology and Innovation, Policy Modelling, as well as book chapters and books on industrial development and innovation. He is the recipient of various national and international grants – to name a few - European Union Horizon 2020 and IDR, Canada, among others. His work is widely quoted in government policy documents contributing to numerous policy changes. He has contributed to the Malaysian regulatory reform efforts, STI and Industrial policy development at national as well as state level. His work via Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Economic Planning Unit, Academic of Sciences, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, MIGHT, Prime Minister’s Department, Malaysian Productivity Corporation and Institute Darul Ridzuan (state level) was instrumental in making the policy changes. His engagement with the industry are mainly in the form of undertaking studies and providing expert opinions. He has received various awards, e.g., excellence in teaching award and outstanding paper award from Emerald and Elsevier. Details of his current projects as follows: (1) Catching-up along the GVC: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/214786/factsheet/en (2) Regional Economic Corridors: http://www.crisea.eu/researchers/chandran-vgr

Dr. Santheraleka Ramanathan is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Universiti Malaya since 2025. She earned her Ph.D. in Nanobiotechnology Engineering in 2020 and gained research experience as a postdoctoral fellow at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia from 2021 to 2023. Dr. Santheraleka's research focuses on biosensors, nanomaterials, and nanodiagnostics, with an emphasis on molecular imprinting for environmental sustainability and biomedical applications. She specializes in synthesizing nanomaterials from environmental waste and integrating them into diagnostic platforms for detecting non-communicable disease biomarkers. Her expertise includes electrode fabrication, sensing platform surface chemistry, and analytical techniques. She actively develops molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based sensors for environmental monitoring, targeting pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals. As a passionate educator, Dr. Santheraleka is dedicated to inspiring lifelong learning by fostering a positive classroom environment and empowering the next generation of learners with wisdom toward knowledge and innovation.