Dr. Umar Hakim Mohd Hasri is a Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication Studies at Universiti Malaya. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Media Arts and Technology from Rochester Institute of Technology, New York, USA, and earned both his Master's and PhD in Media and Communication Studies through research at Universiti Malaya, completing his doctoral degree with the notable Graduate-On-Time (GOT) award in 2024. Dr. Umar’s research focuses on transmedia storytelling, with a particular interest in the Malaysian animation industry. His recent work explores how the BoBoiBoy and Ejen Ali franchise utilizes cross-platform storytelling to create immersive and complex narrative universes. He has published in high-impact journals indexed by both WoS and Scopus, including Media International Australia, Atlantic Journal of Communication, Communication and Research Practice, and Malaysian Journal of Communication (Jurnal Komunikasi). He has extensive teaching experience, leading courses in Multimedia Production, Screenwriting, Media and Society, Research Methodology, and Introduction to Social Sciences at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. His teaching philosophy emphasizes creative exploration and critical engagement, inspiring students to produce innovative media projects. In addition to his academic roles, Dr. Umar previously worked at Universiti Malaya Press for nearly four years, serving as a Project Officer. He played a key role in several digital transformation projects, including implementing database asset management systems to handle and secure large media assets, leading digital book conversion and management initiatives, and digitalizing management processes and filings. His expertise extends to event management, media representation, and strategic communication. Dr. Umar’s current research interests center on uncovering effective strategies in communication through immersive technology, transmedia storytelling, and digital transformation. His work focuses on how these approaches can drive economic advantages in local markets and create pathways for expansion into international trade. While grounded in media and communication studies, his research aims to bridge innovative storytelling techniques with strategic digital practices, empowering media organizations to enhance their global competitiveness.

Dr. Lai received his Ph.D. from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Technische Universität Ilmenau under the DAAD Ph.D. Sandwich Programme, and was conferred the prestigious Chancellor Award by the Queen of Johor. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering as well as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of BioSight Sdn Bhd, a spin-off company of Universiti Malaya. Dr. Lai has been instrumental in fostering industry-academic collaborations, leading multiple industrial consultation projects. His contributions to science and technology, particularly in medical engineering, have been significant. His research focuses on the development of innovative biomedical devices, including a portable, non-invasive scoliosis detection system and a point-of-care device for knee osteoarthritis diagnosis using vibroarthrography (VAG). More recently, he has pioneered novel machine learning approaches for automated cartilage pattern recognition in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), reducing the need for extensive human intervention. His work has gained substantial interest from both local and international industries. Recognized for his excellence in research and education, Dr. Lai has received more than 30 prestigious international and national awards. These include multiple Special Awards and Gold Medals, as well as Best of the Best Awards from ITEX, MTE, i-ENVEX, AiNEX, PECIPTA, and BioMalaysia Expo, among others. He has also represented Universiti Malaya in global competitions such as iCREATe in Singapore, Thailand, and Japan. Additionally, he has been honored with accolades such as the Best Presentation Award from Fukuoka University (Japan), the Best Sustainable Prototype Award at Digital Wonderland Singapore Expo 2019, an Honorable Mention Award at NSIEC 2020 (Taiwan), and the First Runner-Up Award at the Brunei Crown Prince CIPTA 2021 competition. In recognition of his achievements, he was elected as a Member of the Young Scientists Network - Academy of Sciences Malaysia (YSN-ASM) in 2021 and as a board member of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Young Affiliates Network (TYAN). Dr. Lai has authored over 140 peer-reviewed publications indexed in ISI/Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus, with an h-index of 22. His work has led to the granting of 17 patents and intellectual property rights. As principal investigator or co-researcher, he has successfully completed 22 funded projects and is currently leading 13 ongoing research initiatives supported by government agencies, industry partners, and international collaborators. As a credentialed engineer, Dr. Lai is a registered Professional Engineer with a Practicing Certificate (PEPC) at the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) and holds several esteemed engineering titles, including Fellow of Engineers Australia (FIEAust), APEC Engineer (IntPE Australia), Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng, NER Australia), Fellow and Council Member of the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM), Senior Member of IEEE (USA), Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Chartered Engineer (CEng, UK), and Professional Technologist at the Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT). Dr. Lai is actively involved in academic and professional service, serving as a Technical Programme Committee (TPC) member and reviewer for over 50 international conferences, workshops, and journals. He has delivered more than 20 keynote and invited talks at international conferences. Additionally, he serves on the editorial boards of several indexed journals, including as Associate Editor of IEEE Access and IET Image Processing, and as Lead Guest Editor for journals such as Multimedia Tools and Applications and Current Medical Imaging. Beyond his academic and research endeavors, Dr. Lai plays a pivotal role in engineering education. He is the key resource person for curriculum development and accreditation reviews (EAC/MQA/QMEC) in his department and serves as an Accreditation Panel member under the Board of Engineers Malaysia. In 2018, he was appointed as a Fellow under the Ministry of Education Malaysia’s CEO@Faculty Programme, working with C-suite executives at PLUS Malaysia Berhad on digital innovation strategies for IR4.0 transformation. He played a key role in developing commercial strategies for the PLUS Video Analytics (VA) Infrastructure, a project with an investment exceeding RM20 million. Dr. Lai’s research excellence has been recognized with numerous awards, including the ACU Fellowship by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (UK) in 2021 for his research on hospital readmission risks among recovered COVID-19 patients. He was also honored with the IEM Young Engineer Award 2021, the IEEE-EMBS Early Career Achievement Award 2021, and the BEM Malaysia Most Prominent Young Engineering Leader Award (Tokoh Muda) 2022, presented by the Prime Minister of Malaysia. In 2024, he received the Anugerah Penyelidik Muda Cemerlang (Bidang Sains) from Universiti Malaya. As the head of the Advanced Analytics Research Group at the Medical Imaging Laboratory, Dr. Lai has supervised 75 postgraduate students (19 PhD, 9 MSc, and 19 MEng completed; 21 PhD and 7 MSc ongoing). His research team has secured over RM5 million in funding for healthcare technology, medical imaging, and bioinstrumentation projects. His innovations have led to the development of clinically impactful diagnostic prototypes, including OsteoKneeKit™ and Scoltech™, both of which are currently undergoing commercialization. The Scoltech™ project has been approved under the UM Deep Tech Accelerator Programme with RM50,000 in seed funding, with Dr. Lai serving as CTO. Additionally, Dr. Lai contributes as an external examiner for PhD and MSc dissertations, both locally and internationally, and serves as a professional mentor for IEM (Malaysia) and Engineers Australia. He is also an external assessor for higher learning accreditation frameworks, an advisor for industry-academic liaison units, and a board member for Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia’s (USIM) new technologist programme. Furthermore, he serves on the Disciplinary Committee Panel of the Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board (ASDB) under the Bar Council Malaysia.  

Prof. Dr. Esther Daniel Medical Education, Research and Development Unit (MERDU), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya    Areas of Expertise  & Background Science Education (Biology); Environmental Education / Education for Sustainable Development; Science Teacher Education, Medical Education; Integrating Technology in Teaching; Learning and Cognition; Learning Sciences, Metacognition, Pedagogies. Esther is an  educator, formerly with the Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Faculty of Education, Universiti Malaya. With over three decades of experience as a teacher educator, her professional journey began in some of Malaysia’s premier boarding schools—Sekolah Datuk Abdul Razak, Seremban; the Malay College Kuala Kangsar; and Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Ipoh—where she taught science with distinction. Her academic expertise spans science education, environmental education, technology integration in science classrooms, and learning and cognition. She has conducted numerous workshops and seminars on qualitative research methodologies and pedagogical innovations, serving as a Master Trainer for new lecturers in institutions of higher learning. Her research has primarily focused on science, biology and environmental education, and many of her postgraduate students have successfully completed their studies under her supervision. She has conducted numerous workshops for Qualitative Research Methodologies. Esther has collaborated extensively with WWF-Malaysia, contributing to in-depth research and teacher training initiatives that promote sustainable development education. Her scholarly footprint includes published journal articles, conference presentations (local and international), and the authorship of several teaching and research modules—including those on Science pedagogy, Environmental Education, Sustainable Education and Qualitative Research Methods. Among her notable publications are Biology Education in a Changing Planet and Cognition in Science Education. Her contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including: The UNESCO-Hamdan Award (2016) for effective teacher training, The Venus International Women’s Award (2017) for Lifetime Achievement in Science Education (Biology), The Universiti Malaya Excellence Award (2018) for securing the highest international grant. More recently, she has ventured into Medical Education. She currently serves as an Honorary Professor at the Medical Education, Research and Development Unit, Faculty of Medicine, UM. She played a key role in developing and implementing the MOHRE (Master of Health Research Ethics) programme She is an  affiliated member of the UM-WWF-M Living Planet Centre, having recently completed a nationwide Sustainable Development research initiative. Esther led a nationwide study on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) with PPPLS (Pertubuhan Pendidikan Pembangunan Lestari Selangor) from 2022 to 2023. Esther is a senior fellow at the Asia Office of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) in Sunway University. She is also involved in the UNESCO-Chair Project for ESD (2022–2025) in collaboration with Asia Pacific University (APU), and serves as a consultant on Mission 4.7: Transformational Learning through ESD, a global initiative by the (SDSN) at the Jeffrey Sachs Centre, Sunway University (2023–2025). She is also the co-researcher for the UNESCO Action Research project for ESD (2025). She is also attached to the Asia – University (AeU) and the Asia Pacific University (APU) of technology and innovation as an Adjunct Professor. She is also a member of the Jawatankuasa Rakan Strategik Pendidikan untuk Pembangunan Mampan dan Kewarganegaraan Global KPM (2025-2026) and involved actively in preparing an action plan for ESD and Global Citizenship.