Noorhidawati Abdullah is Professor at the Department of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology (Science and Management Systems, 2000) and a Master's Degree in Information Technology (Information Systems Management, 2003), both from the National University of Malaysia. She earned her PhD from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, in 2008. Since joining Universiti Malaya in 2008, Noorhidawati has excelled in both teaching and leadership roles. She served as Head of the Department of Library and Information Science (2017–2021) and held key positions such as Programme Coordinator for the Master of Information Technology (2008–2010) and the Master of Library and Information Science (2015–2021). She has taught a broad range of courses in information and library science, including databases, digital libraries, bibliometrics, scholarly publishing, research methodology, and data librarianship. Her research interests encompass Informetrics (including bibliometrics, scientometrics, and web analytics), and Digital Libraries (with a focus on tools, technologies, digital content, metadata, and usability) and scholarly communication. She is also an active researcher in Open Science, particularly in areas such as open access, open data, and research data management. As a certified trainer in Data Stewardship for Open Science, she has contributed significantly to capacity building in this field. In addition to her academic roles, Noorhidawati serves as the Chief Editor of the Malaysian Journal of Library and Information Science (MJLIS), which is indexed in Scopus, Web of Science (WoS), and other international indexing platforms. She is also an editorial board member of Public Library Quarterly. She is a member of the International Society for Scientometrics and Informetrics (ISSI) and the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T). Noorhidawati’s expertise has been nationally recognised, and since 2022, she has served as a subject matter expert in MyCite Scientific Journal Evaluation, underscoring her leadership in the evaluation and advancement of scholarly communication in Malaysia.

Dr. Asmak Ab Rahman is a Professor at the Department of Shariah and Economics, Academy of Islamic Studies, Universiti Malaya (UM). She holds a PhD in Islamic Economics, as well as a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Shariah from UM. As an expert in Islamic economics and finance, Dr. Asmak’s research covers various areas, with particular emphasis on Islamic insurance, Islamic finance, Islamic banking, Islamic social finance, and Shariah.Throughout her career, Dr. Asmak has held several prestigious positions. She has served as the Head of the Department of Shariah and Economics at the Academy of Islamic Studies, Universiti Malaya. She currently serves as the Deputy Dean of Research and Innovation, Academy of Islamic Studies, Universiti Malaya, and is also a Committee Member of the Universiti Malaya Zakah Fund. In addition, she contributes her expertise to academic publishing as a Managing Editor and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the faculty journal, Jurnal Syariah.Her expertise is widely recognised within the Islamic finance industry. She currently serves as a Shariah Committee Member for Affin Islamic Bank Berhad, FWD Takaful, and Permodalan Usahawan Nasional Berhad. Previously, she served on the Shariah Committees of Tabung Haji (1 May 2016 – 30 April 2025), Ambank Islamic (1 July 2011 – 30 June 2022), SME Bank (1 April 2011 – 30 June 2022), Hong Leong MSIG Takaful (1 March 2014 – 31 March 2023), BIMB Investment (1 November 2008 – 31 March 2022), and AIA AFG Takaful (1 November 2011 – 1 November 2013).Dr. Asmak is a prolific scholar with numerous publications in books, book chapters, and academic journals. Her most recent book, Higher Education Finance and Islamic Endowments, was published by Routledge. She has a Scopus H-Index of 14 and a Web of Science (WOS) H-Index of 11. She has secured multiple research grants from government and industry sources. Under her supervision, 38 PhD students have successfully completed their studies and are now serving in various institutions locally and internationally.She is a member of the Association of Shariah Advisors in Islamic Finance (ASAS) and the International Council of Islamic Finance Educators (ICIFE). Additionally, she is a registered Shariah Advisor with the Securities Commission Malaysia.

Prof. Dr. Sarinder Kaur is a distinguished academic at the University of Malaya, where she serves as Associate Professor at the Data Science & Bioinformatics Laboratory, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Kings University College, Malaysia. Her academic journey and research career have been driven by a commitment to harnessing data for impactful, real-world solutions, particularly in the domains of AI, data science, bioinformatics, health informatics, and database technology. Dr. Sarinder earned her PhD in Bioinformatics as well as her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from the University of Malaya. Over the years, she has made substantial contributions to biomedical research and digital health, publishing over 145 scientific articles, including 49 indexed in Web of Science. Her work has been cited extensively, earning her an H-index of 13 (WoS) and 16 (Google Scholar). Her research has spanned diverse topics—from AI-driven cancer data ecosystems and bioinformatics meta-analyses of COVID-19 gene expression, to EMR optimization, radiology text mining, and traditional medicine data systems. She has led multi-institutional research collaborations involving the University of Cambridge, University of Saskatchewan, University Malaya Medical Centre, and Homi Bhabha Cancer Institute, among others. One of her key contributions is the development of digital frameworks and health data platforms that support clinical services, research, and policymaking. A passionate educator, Dr. Sarinder has supervised over 30 postgraduate students and teaches extensively at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her courses cover computer networking, big data, advanced database systems, bioinformatics tools, and digital health technologies. Beyond academia, Dr. Sarinder plays an active role as a consultant in the Malaysian public and private sectors. She served as Project Director for Sigma Teguh Sdn Bhd, leading the development of machine learning algorithms to analyze national issues such as inflation and the PerantiSiswa program. She also partnered with the Ministry of Health to develop bioinformatics pipelines for analyzing COVID-19 variants and vaccine responses—demonstrating her ability to bridge science and policy through data-driven insights. She is a respected contributor to national and international academic development. Dr. Sarinder has served on academic accreditation panels for UTAR, IMU, and Multimedia University, and has been invited to speak at high-level forums including Monash University’s Data Science Seminar, MOH’s Digital Health Workshops, and the Health Informatics 2024 webinar. She is currently the Treasurer of the Asia Pacific Bioinformatics Network (APBioNet) and serves on the editorial boards of two prestigious journals: BMC Bioinformatics and BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making. Dr. Sarinder’s accomplishments have been recognized with multiple honors, including the Hind Rattan Award (2014 and 2017), the University of Malaya Excellent Service Award, and medals for innovation at national exhibitions such as INATEX and INNOVATE. In 2020, she was awarded the Khidmat Setia (Loyal Service) Award by the University of Malaya. Her commitment to education extends into the community. She has organized coding and STEM workshops for schoolchildren across Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and Putrajaya, and actively contributes to social initiatives through her leadership roles in the Malaysian Consumer Movement and Pertubuhan Pembangunan Insan Sikh Perak, where she champions women’s development and digital literacy. Through her academic, consultancy, and community service work, Dr. Sarinder Kaur continues to be a trailblazer in advancing data-driven innovation in healthcare and education—both in Malaysia and internationally. Currently, Dr. Sarinder is contributing to the development of a Healthcare Data Safe Haven Infrastructure as part of the AI in Medicine Initiative at the University of Malaya.