I am an anthropologist by training and I am involved in research on community development and engagement. All of my work with the communities have been supporting and creating a structure for them to participate in circular economy by empowering them with skills and knowledge that are relevant for them to establish community-based enterprise or to enhance their knowledge on being an Indigenous entrepreneurs at the rural regions. For this purpose, I adopt participatory community-based action research and ethnographic study, particularly when I conduct social impact assessment before conducting the research and after the implementations of the projects. My primary research focusing on community-driven development project that includes the applications of Indigenous knowledgeas tools for the community livelihood development in the circular economy on community-based cultural and knowledge conservation by engaging the makers, artisans and women to actively participate in the projects. The most successful research and sustainable community engagement has been the development of the Indigenous knowledge of the traditional textile, the Iban pua kumbu that has led to a series of educational polysensory exhibition, the “Textile Tales of the Pua Kumbu since 2015. I am also an art curator, curating cultural exhibitions and based on the HIR (2013-2016), I created a community-based enterprise that promotes the traditional Iban Pua Kumbu internationally.

I am a Professor and Deputy Dean of Research at the Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya. I am a registered Professional Engineer (PEng) with the Board of Engineers Malaysia and an ASEAN Chartered Professional Engineer (ACPE). I previously served as the President of the Malaysian Thermoelectric Society and held administrative positions including Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering (2016-2019). I also serve as a program examiner for the Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC), Malaysia, contributing to the quality assurance of engineering education in the country. My research focuses on energy materials, electronics packaging (solder alloys) and MEMS. I have published over 200 ISI-indexed journal articles, 2 books, and 10 book chapters. My work has garnered over 4,600 citations with an h-index of 35. I hold 7 patents related to my research areas. I have been invited to deliver 7 keynote talks at international conferences and 15 invited talks at local and international conferences. I have secured research grants totaling RM13.6 million and led projects worth RM1.6 million. I have served as an examiner for 29 PhD theses (16 international) and 25 Master's theses (1 international). My expertise is also recognized through my appointment as a reviewer for more than 35 journals and my role as an evaluator for national and international research funding applications. I have supervised more than 30 postgraduate students (specifically 19 PhD, 15 Master's completed, and 10 ongoing). 

Dr. Mahidzal Dahari is currently Associate Professor in Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, UM. He is an established academician and a practicing engineer. He has to-date published more than 200 articles in journals and conference proceedings both locally and internationally. His research interest includes instrumentation, automation, robotics and control strategy especially related to manufacturing technology, industrial robots and oil & gas applications. He has supervised more than 50 totals PhD and Masters Students. Dr. Mahidzal is actively involved in many consultancy projects, especially in the field of fluid flow, natural gas and also hydrogen technology. Dr. Mahidzal is a Member of BEM & IEM, Malaysia, and also a Member of IEEE, USA and Chartered Engineer from IET, UK.