Dr. Evelyn S. Devadason is a Professor at the Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Malaya, and currently serves as Vice President of the Malaysian Economic Association (MEA). She has held several academic leadership roles, including Head of the Centre for Latin American Studies (CLAS) from July 2013 to December 2014, and Deputy Dean (Research and Development) at the former Faculty of Economics and Administration (now the Faculty of Business and Economics) from September 2012 to July 2013. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Malaya (2006) and a Master of Social Sciences in Economics from the National University of Singapore (1992). Her research expertise lies in international trade and regional integration, with a strong focus on policy relevance and cross-regional comparative analysis. In recognition of her scholarly and policy contributions, she received four prestigious appointments, three in 2023 and one in 2025: Expert Member, Special Committee on Economics and Finance, Malaysian Parliament; Member to the Board of Directors, East Asian Economic Association (EAEA); Malaysian Representative, International Steering Committee of the Pacific Trade and Development (PAFTAD) Forum; and Member to the Board of Directors, Medical Device Authority (MDA), Malaysia. She currently serves as Associate Editor to the International Journal of Social Economics (Emerald) and Asian Economic Journal (Wiley) and member to the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Contemporary Asia (Taylor & Francis) and the International Journal of Rural Management (SAGE). Her research has been widely published in high-impact international journals indexed in SSCI and AHCI, including World Development, The World Economy, The China Review, India Review, The Pacific Review,  Journal of Contemporary Asia, Journal of Contemporary China, Journal of International Development, Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Asian Economic Journal, Global Economic Review, Singapore Economic Review, Asia Pacific Education Review, Social Indicators Research, Technological and Economic Development of Economy, Total Quality Management and Business Excellence and Environment Science and Pollution Research. She has contributed to and led research projects in partnership with key national agencies, including the Malaysian Competition Commission (MyCC), the Medical Device Authority (MDA), and Institute for Democracy and International Affairs (IDEAS), providing research insights to support regulatory development and industry policy. At the regional and international levels, she has collaborated with prominent organizations, such as the: International Confederation of Free Trade Unions-Asian and Pacific Regional Organization (ICFTU-APRO), Singapore; Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), Japan; Asian Development Bank (ADB), Manila; World Bank (WB), Washington DC; Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia - United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (ERIA-UNCTAD), Jakarta; Open Economy and Trade Research Centre, Shanghai Lixin University of Commerce, China; Food Industry Asia (FIA), Singapore; United Nations Environment Programme – Denmark Technical University (UNEP-DTU); and European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Framework Programme through the Competing Regional Integration in Southeast Asia (CRISEA) project. More importantly, she has extended the reach of her academic work beyond scholarly circles, ensuring that her research on trade policy—particularly non-tariff measures (NTMs)—translates into tangible benefits for policy, industry, and society. As part of her knowledge transfer efforts, she has conducted capacity-building workshops and training sessions for a range of Malaysian government agencies and regulatory bodies. These include the Malaysian Timber Council (MTC), Department of Standards Malaysia, Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC), Ministry of Health (MOH), and Ministry of Works (KKR). Through these engagements, she has equipped policymakers with evidence-based insights to better navigate and respond to the growing complexity of international trade rules. In addition to working directly with institutional stakeholders, she is committed to public-facing scholarship. She has actively engaged with the media, including appearances on BFM 89.9 and TVS (Channel 122), to discuss pressing trade-related issues in a way that is accessible to the general public. To further amplify her voice, she has authored more than 50 short opinion and policy articles published in leading regional and global platforms such as: Business Today Malaysia, ISIS Focus, Biz.Tech Asia, ISPI Newsletter (Italy), ISEAS Perspective (Singapore), Korea on Point, East Asia Forum (Australia), Asia Dialogue, and Asia Research News. 

My research focuses on meteorology (severe weather). I'm also involved with climate and air pollution research. 

Dr. Tahmina Akhter is a Senior Lecturer in Finance at the Faculty of Business and Economics, Universiti Malaya. She holds a PhD in Finance from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Her research spans behavioural finance, sustainable finance, energy economics, fintech, and financial wellbeing. She is currently leading and contributing to projects on financial resilience and retirement planning, clean energy transition and critical mineral dependency, corporate ESG practices, and fintech adoption. Her work applies advanced empirical methods to address contemporary challenges in financial behaviour and sustainability. With over 12 years of academic experience, she is committed to developing future leaders in finance and banking.