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. 

Rozie Sarip, originally from Shah Alam, Selangor, completed her BSc in 2004 and MSc in 2007 at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). She earned her PhD in Inorganic Chemistry in 2012 from University College London, working with Dr. Graeme Hogarth FRSC and Prof. Gopinathan Sankar FRSC. Rozie began her career at SIRIM Bhd. as an Associate Researcher in August 2006 before becoming a Research Officer at the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) in Kuala Lumpur. After completing her PhD, she returned to IMR for another year and then joined the University of Malaya (UM) as a lecturer on March 10, 2014. She is a member of both the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Institut Kimia Malaysia. Her research focuses on: - Binuclear and cluster chemistry - Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis - Synthesis of phosphines and diphosphines stabilized clusters - Synthesis of thiazoline derivatives Rozie's group studies the chemistry of transition metals, emphasizing the synthesis of new transition metal complexes using NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. Their research includes designing new ligands and developing nanomaterials, with applications in catalysis and bio-inorganic fields, such as drug delivery systems and anti-cancer treatments. They collaborate widely with various local and international partners. Clusters, which contain three or more metal ions, are central to her research, particularly low-valent compounds that exhibit unique properties when combining different metal ions. Their work aims to leverage these compounds as precursors for metal nanoparticles, with a recent achievement in synthesizing small gold nanoparticles from gold-phosphine clusters. They also study the interface between large clusters and small nanoparticles to gain insights into their properties.

A Senior Lecturer in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Education, Dr. Azmawaty Mohamad Nor registered as a licensed counsellor in 2011. Undergone training with the National Population and Family Development Board (NPFD), Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, her research were mostly on at-risk behaviours among adolescents and family. Heavily involved in drugs related research, she has completed : 1. the acceptance of the community towards the enforcement of the National Anti-Drugs Agency (PI – AADK Grant) and 2. the acceptance of the community towards Community Rehabilitation Program Development (CRPD) among former drug addicts (Co-researcher, AADK Grant). At present, she is currently involved in Developing a prevention model for elementary school children (PI-FRGS Grant). Recently, her team has completed developing a psychological inventory for MRSM students under the MARA Grant, three COVID-19 related research and currently developing a psychometric testing on e-learning among students in Malaysia and a psychometric testing on academic leadership. As an active researcher involving in numerous researches, she aspires to tap in the different area to broaden her horizon and enhance her quality of teaching and learning. She has also been invited to speak on issues on mental health and adjustments during the COVID-19 pandemic.