Professor Dr. Jeyakantha Ratnasingam obtained his undergraduate degree from the National University of Malaysia and his Masters Degree in Internal Medicine from University of Malaya. He completed his advanced training in endocrinology with the Ministry of Health Malaysia and the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Queensland, Australia. He manages patients with obesity, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, pituitary and thyroid disorders. To further pursue his interest endocrinology, he has also undergone an attachment at the Auckland City Hospital Pituitary Centre in New Zealand, the Cambridge University's Addenbrooke's Hospital in the UK and the Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, USA. He is currently a senior consultant endocrinologist and the Head of Endocrinology at the University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur. He has supervised more than twenty postgraduate students and had been the Programme Director for the HCP Education for Changing Diabetes in Children (CDiC) and University Malaya Advanced Course in Diabetes (UMACiD) that ran during the pandemic period. Dr. Jeya plays an active role in investigator as well as industry initiated clinical trials in the field of obesity, diabetes and osteoporosis.He is currently national leader for the REDFINE 3 and ATTAIN OUTCOMES trial and had played  a key role as principal investigator in multiple landmark trials incluidng the PIONEER 6, SOUL, CANVAS, COMBINE 3 and FIGARO. He has published more than 60 papers in academic journals, including the pivotal Malaysian intervention thresholds for osteoporosis and the use of prednisolone for Ramadan in AI patients. In 2024, he pioneered the establishement of the first Cardio- Renal- Metabolic (CaReMe) clinic in Asia at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre to improve the care of people living with these conditions. He very actively speaks at local and international scientific meetings and is on the editorial board of the Asian Diabetes Journal.  He is currently the President of the Malaysian Osteoporosis Society, Expert Committee Member for Therapeutic Use- Exemptions (TUE), Malaysian Anti- Doping Agency, Youth and Sports Ministry, and the Council Member- Malaysian Endocrine and Metabolic Society. He is also Malaysia's representative for the Global Endocrine Leaders' Coalition and the Asian Federation Of Osteoporosis Societies (AFOS).  

Started his research career in the think tank sector, Dr. Lee Chee Leong (Karl) is attracted to the rise of non-traditional diplomacy in the international order today. Such appeal has taken Dr. Lee into new research horizons that started with his Monash University's doctoral research on the Chinese sub-state diplomacy in China-ASEAN economic cooperation. With constructive supervision by Professor Helen Nesadurai and Associate Professor Kuik Cheng Chwee, Dr. Lee completed his doctoral thesis that unravels how a faraway and least developed sub-state of Guangxi managed to overcome its own hurdles, navigate the complexities within the Chinese state and become the frontline actor in China-ASEAN economic cooperation. Following his doctoral completion, Dr. Lee's research on non-traditional diplomacy has expanded into Taiwan’s quasi-state diplomacy in Southeast Asia. Such quest has led him spending at great length in comprehending the concept of soft power, a concept that finds its relevance to Taiwan, which has no official diplomatic with Southeast Asia but is heavily connected to the region and has to rely on soft power in its engagements with these Southeast Asian nations. Taking Malaysia as the first case study of Taiwan's soft power in the region, Dr. Lee is developing the third intervening variable correlating both Taiwanese soft power resources and outcomes, in his course of providing a dynamical explanation for such phenomenon. For the coming years, his research focus and publications will be on the different areas featuring Taiwan-Malaysia and Taiwan-Southeast Asia cooperation such as digital social innovation (DSI) for climate change, industry-based education/training programmes, smart cities, tourism, digital democracy, agriculture, public health and medicine, ornamental aquaculture and aquascape. To date, Dr. Lee was the recipient of several scholarships and fellowships in Malaysia and overseas: University of Malaya’s Graduate Fellowship (2010-2011); Monash University’s Merit Scholarship (2016-2019); Chinese Government Scholarship (2018-2019); and Taiwan Fellowship (2020). Prior to his appointment as Senior Lecturer at the Institute of China Studies (ICS), he was the Visiting Scholar at Guangxi University for Nationalities (GXUN) (2018-10992019), Taiwan Fellow at National Chengchi University (NCCU) (2020) and Associate Fellow at ICS UM (2016-2019).He welcomes any potential PhD candidate who would like to work on Taiwan-Southeast Asia relations, Taiwan's soft power in Southeast Asia and Taiwan-Malaysia DSI cooperation for climate change. He is also willing to discuss with potential doctoral candidates on proposals related to the Chinese sub-state (provincial) diplomacy toward ASEAN, China's soft power in ASEAN, Southeast Asian sub-state diplomacy, comparative cases of sub-state diplomacy around the world and conceptual innovation of sub-state diplomacy as well as soft power. 

Dr. Sr Zuraini Md Ali started her career in the Built Environment as an Assistant Architect at Akitek Jururancang (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Kuala Lumpur.  Her passion in teaching started in 1992 when she joined the School of Architecture and Quantity Surveying, Federal Institute of Technology, Kuala Lumpur. She continued her study in 1994 before joining MARA Institute of Technology, Shah Alam, Selangor in 1996 and was one of the pioneering staff to establish the Department of Building Surveying, Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, UiTM. She then joined University Malaya in 1998, also as one of the pioneering staff in the Department of Building Surveying, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya. Zuraini was also involved in conservation works throughout her career since 1998 including Restoration of Istana Balai Besar, Alor Star, Kedah (1999-2001), Restoration of Dewan Tunku Canselor, University Malaya (2002-2004) and Restoration of Taman Sejarah Kusta Negara (Fasa1) Sg Buloh (2012-2014). She also received several recognition and awards in her research and consultancy works including Honorable Mention in National Heritage Awards 2004: Conservation with Adaptive Re-Use of Bargas Zakariah, Badan Warisan Malaysia in 2005. Professionally, Zuraini is a full member of the Royal Institution of Surveyors, Malaysia (MRISM), member of ICOMOS Malaysia  & International, Member of Malaysia Heritage Trust, Malaysia Historical Society, Malaysian Branch of Royal Asiatic Society and a Registered Conservator of Department of National Heritage, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Malaysia. Currently, she is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Building Surveying, UM, teaching and coordinating a Building Measurement and Analysis class as well as Conservation Studies.  She was a Course Coordinator (since 2013-2016) and Programme Coordinator (2017)  for UM-LJMU Exchange Programme with Liverpool John Moores University students studying Building Conservation of UNESCO World Heritage cities in Malaysia annually for a month. She was also appointed as Resource Person in the ASEAN Youth Volunteerism Programme (AYVP 2014: The Development of ASEAN Youth Heritage Leaders: Through Volunteerism and Community Engagement) jointly organized by UKM, UM, MoEM, MoTCM,  ASEAN, UNESCO, Melaka & George Town World Heritage Site and the USAID.  She was appointed as Faculty Coordinator for Teaching of Undergraduates Studies, Faculty of Built Environment (1 August 2014-August 2018).  She has graduated several Ph.D. and Master students as well as supervising undergraduate students from aspects of conservation and built environment especially in heritage, history, and practice.  She also published articles in journals and conference proceedings locally and internationally.  Her book title Mubin Sheppard: Pioneering Works in Architectural Conservation in Malaysia won University of Malaya Excellent Award in 2017, The National Book Award 2020-2021(Scholarly Writing Category:Built Environment) and The 14th National Academic Award (Book Publication) in 2022.