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 67 postgraduate students (18 PhD, 8 MSc, and 19 MEng completed; 15 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.  

Dr. Mohd Haniff Zainuldin is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Accounting, Faculty of Business & Economics, Universiti Malaya (UM), with over 15 years of experience in academia. He obtained his PhD in Accounting from the University of South Australia (UniSA) in 2015, specialising in financial reporting, Islamic banks, and ethics. He also holds a Master of Accountancy from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia, and a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Corporate Finance from the University of Adelaide, Australia.Dr. Haniff plays a key role in professional accreditation and academic quality assurance. He has served as a Panel Assessor for the accreditation of accounting programs at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak and Northern Kuala Lumpur International College. He is also an External Examiner for ACCA-accredited diploma programs and an External Course Reviewer for advanced diploma programs in accounting. In addition, he was the Liaison Officer for ICAEW-UM and a member of the ICAEW Strategic Credit Papers Committee, contributing to the integration of ICAEW-accredited courses into the Universiti Malaya’s accounting programs.His research focuses on environmental, social and governance (ESG), financial accounting and reporting, corporate governance, Islamic accounting, and Islamic banking and finance. Dr. Haniff has published extensively in high-impact journals such as Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, International Journal of Bank Marketing, and the Pacific-Basin Finance Journal. He has also been an active reviewer for prestigious journals, including Sustainability, Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, and Emerging Markets Review.Dr. Haniff has secured multiple external research grants, including funding from the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) for the development of ESG performance measurement models for banks in Malaysia, as well as grants from Universitas Indonesia and private funding sources, to explore ESG and sustainability issues in financial markets across Asia. His research contributions provide valuable insights into sustainable finance, ethical corporate governance, and the integration of Islamic principles in financial reporting.Beyond academia, Dr. Haniff actively contributes to the accounting profession through his advisory roles in academic accreditation and professional certification programs, ensuring high-quality education and industry relevance in accounting education.

Dr. Hannuun Yaacob currently holds the position of a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Decision Science within the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Malaya. She earned her Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of Sheffield, UK. Her primary research interests encompass Bayesian statistics and biostatistics. In her previous research project, she focused on statistical genetics, where she developed a Bayesian statistical model to identify potential causal genes for breast cancer. Presently, her research revolves around preference-based measures and health-related quality of life, with a keen interest in the application of statistics in social science research. Dr. Hannuun's work effectively bridges the gap between statistical analysis and the human experience, significantly contributing to our understanding of preferences, aspirations, and the tools used for measurement. An enthusiastic user of the R software, she has also served as a guest speaker at the R conference in 2022 and continues to primarily employ R software in both her research and teaching endeavors. Beyond her academic pursuits, Dr. Hannuun finds solace in reading and traveling, embracing a balanced and holistic life. Her unwavering dedication to advancing social science research serves as an inspiration to emerging scholars in the field, leaving an indelible mark on the academic community.