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. Nor Fahimah Mohd Razif is an Associate Professor at the Department of Fiqh and Usul, Academy of Islamic Studies, Universiti Malaya (UM). Her extensive professional experience includes serving as a Research Assistant at the International Shari’ah Research Academy for Islamic Finance (ISRA), where she conducted research on hedging mechanisms through option products in Islamic finance. She has also held the position of Executive in the Islamic Capital Market Department at the Securities Commission Malaysia. Currently, Dr. Nor Fahimah serves as a Shariah Committee Member for Affin Islamic Bank Berhad, the National Farmers Fund, and Masryef Advisory. Her scholarly contributions encompass numerous articles and papers in the fields of economics, finance, banking, capital market and wealth management from an Islamic perspective. She has presented her research at both international and local conferences and has published extensively in proceedings, books, and academic journals, particularly on topics related to Islamic banking and finance. Dr. Nor Fahimah specializes in transactional law (Fiqh al-Muamalat), Islamic banking, and Islamic finance, demonstrating her commitment to advancing knowledge and practice in these critical areas.

Dr. Mohammed H. Alaqad is an Assistant Professor of Translation & Interpreting Studies and Applied Linguistics at the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya. He has more than 15 years of academic and research experience. Previously, he served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Hashim Sani Centre for Palestine Studies, University of Malaya. From February 2019 to January 2024, Dr. Alaqad was an Assistant Professor at Management & Science University (MSU), where he led both the diploma and bachelor programs in translation and interpreting. During his tenure, he made significant contributions to establishing and shaping the university’s translation programs. He also served as an Associate Professor of translation and interpreting in the English Language Department at the Faculty of Humanities, Israa University, Gaza, Palestine, from 20 September 2023 to 31 December 2023. Dr. Alaqad has held several academic appointments at the University of Malaya, including: Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Hashim Sani Centre for Palestine Studies (July 2024 - August 2025) Universiti Malaya Elite Fellow, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics (December 2024 – December 2025) Visiting Lecturer, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics (February 2023 – February 2024) Lecturer (English & Arabic subjects), Center for Continuing Education (July 2017 – July 2018) Research Assistant, Asia-Europe Institute / The Centre for ASEAN Regionalism Universiti Malaya (CARUM)/ Humanities Research Cluster, IPPP (February 2013 – July 2017) He has been invited as a keynote/guest speaker at more than 40 international conferences and academic events, contributing to global discussions on language, translation, education, and artificial intelligence (AI). He is also a seasoned conference interpreter, having participated in over 150 conferences and events; this experience informs his academic work and deepens his understanding of the practical challenges and complex scenarios in interpretation and communication. His scholarly contributions include numerous peer-reviewed research articles, books, and book chapters. In addition to his research, Dr. Alaqad is the managing editor of The International Journal of Palestine Studies, UM. He also serves on the editorial boards of Cambridge Scholars of Language & Linguistics (UK), the International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (IJALT) (USA), and the Journal of Intercultural Communication Research (a Scopus-indexed Routledge journal) from 2022 to 2025. He is also an editorial board member of The Southeastern Philippines Journal of Research and Development (a Scopus-indexed Q2 journal) in the Philippines from 2022 to 2027. He is also the founder and CEO of the Asian Federation of Translators and Interpreters, Malaysia, where he contributes to advancing professional standards and fostering regional collaboration in the language services industry. His current research interests span translation and interpreting studies, applied linguistics, artificial intelligence (AI), CDA and Arabic culture, with a strong commitment to advancing knowledge at the intersection of language, culture, and innovation.