PROFESSOR DATO' DR. APRIL CAMILLA ROSLANI

Professor Dr. April Roslani is a Professor of Colorectal Surgery, and was Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya from 2020 - 2024. She graduated from the University of Wales College of Medicine in 1995, and was awarded Universiti Malaya’s Master of Surgery in 2003. In 2007, she established University Malaya Medical Centre’s (UMMC) Colorectal Surgery Unit, which is now the largest in the country, and a key stakeholder in colorectal training and services nationally and regionally.   Her areas of expertise include surgery for colorectal cancer, proctology, surgical training and professionalism. She established the first Malaysian Cytoreductive Surgery (CRS) and Hyperthermic Intra-Peritoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) service in UMMC, which is delivered by a multi-disciplinary team.   Prof. April is an influential driver of postgraduate medical training nationally, regionally and internationally. She has chaired the Conjoint Committee for Postgraduate Medical Degrees, which oversees, aligns and coordinates medical specialist training programmes across all higher education providers in Malaysia. Recognizing the need to standardize training across institutions in order to meet the country’s need for healthcare specialists, she led the development of a new national training curriculum for general surgery under the National Postgraduate Curriculum Project. As chair of the Train-the-Trainers Steering Committee, she led the development of a blended curriculum for train-the-trainers modules, which has been rolled out across all specialties, nationally. She has advocated against toxic workplace environments, generating the evidence base and incorporating training modules in both trainee and trainer curricula.   Her leadership credentials are undisputed. Until recently, she was Regional Ambassador for the Association of Academic Health Centers International, and hosted the ASEAN Medical Deans Summit in 2023. She is a Councillor in the International Surgical Society, which champions outreach educational activities to improve access to surgical services globally, and was part of the team that successfully ran the International Surgical Week 2024 in Malaysia for the first time. She was Chair of the Steering Committee for the National Postgraduate Medical Curriculum Project. From a regulatory perspective, she leads the Malaysian Medical Council’s Specialty Subcommittee (Education) for General Surgery, which set the standards for recognition of training programmes, and she regularly evaluates programmes for accreditation by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency. She is the immediate Past-President for the Malaysian Society of Colorectal Surgeons, the College of Surgeons, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia and the Asia Pacific Federation of Coloproctology.   Through these and other related roles, she works towards advancing surgical standards, and fairness in the workplace. Her work has been recognized by the international surgical fraternity, through numerous Honorary Fellowship awards, including most recently from the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and the American Surgical Association.

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MR. MUHAMMAD AIMAN ASYRAF BIN HANAFI

He is an emerging academic and researcher with a solid foundation in accounting, management, and social sciences. Currently serving as a Lecturer at Pusat Asasi Sains Universiti Malaya (PASUM), he is responsible for delivering courses in Management Accounting, Financial Accounting, Economics, and other core subjects across multiple campuses, including an offshore programme in Xi’an, China. He holds a Master of Philosophy (Management) by Research and a Bachelor of Accounting (Hons) from Multimedia University, Cyberjaya. His academic journey is marked by consistent excellence, having earned 11 Dean’s List Awards and maintained a CGPA of 3.78. His research interests lie in public sector financial reporting, particularly the transition to accrual-based accounting within Malaysian Federal Statutory Bodies. His scholarly work includes publications in Scopus- and ERA-indexed journals, along with contributions to academic book chapters and conferences. In addition to his academic achievements, he has contributed to various consultancy projects funded by government agencies, focusing on the financial and digital well-being of Malaysia's B40 communities post-pandemic. His leadership is evident from his involvement in organizing national-level student programs and volunteer projects, where he demonstrated excellent fundraising and project management skills. He combines academic rigour with a people-oriented teaching philosophy, promoting student engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and continuous improvement in education and research.

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DR. ZULFIRDAUS BIN ZAKARIA

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, who 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 7 scientific articles in high-impact journals as the first author, which including 4 Q1 and 2 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 four-year tenure postdoctoral researcher at the Fuel Cell Institute, UKM, and 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 50 publications in high-impact journals—24 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.  

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RECENT PUBLICATION

LATEST AWARDED GRANT

  • Empowering Change Agents: Building Leadership Capacity for Sustainability Governance in Higher Education


  • Designing a Sustainable E-waste Ecosystem At UM: Circular Economy, Recovery Technologies, and Behavioural Change


  • Lifelong Learning in Humanistic Buddhism: Integrating Tacit Knowledge and Acceptance of Evolution


  • Repurposed End-of-life Electric Vehicle Batteries for Demand Side Management System ? An Assessment On The Environmental and Economic Benefits Analysis


  • Scientific Analysis of Buddhist Meditation and Mantra Energy: An Experimental Study Using Aura Color


  • Smart Recycling On Campus: Investigating Rvm Adoption and Behavioural Determinants


  • Teaching for a Cooler Future: Empowering Pre-service Science Teachers Through Environmental Stem (e-stem) and Climate Change Pedagogical Content Knowledge (cc-pck) Via Campus-based Action


  • Advancing Predictive Modeling and Early Warning System for Microclimate and Air Quality Using An Intelligent Framework in Universiti Malaya