Rizal was part of the very first batch of Sport Science students that graduated from University of Malaya in 1999. In year 2000, he went on to pursue an MSc (Human Movement) at the University of Western Australia, graduated the following year and started to teach in UM in 2001. He formally completed his Phd from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Malaya in 2012; investigating the critical parameters of the ten-pin bowling delivery. Rizal’s primary focus is in on technical performance enhancement of various sport skills. More recent research include studying the reliability of the taekwondo scoring system, designing an apparatus to help the visually impaired exercise and; looking at the effects of leg length discrepancies on gait. He has also done work related in anthropometry and talent identification. Moreover, Rizal has a particularly keen interest in investigating and finding solutions for applied problems in an array of different fields. He was the Deputy Director of Undergraduate Studies & Development at the Centre for Sport & Exercise Sciences, UM from 2016 to 2019. He has also lead the transformation of UM sports facilities, which has seen a near ten fold increase in fixed monthly income in the last two years. At the same time he was instrumental in establishing the UM Sports Science Support Services (UM4S) which is the current commercial arm of the sports science labs.  On the sporting side, Rizal is an accomplished floorball and hockey player that played at all age group levels for KL hockey up to national junior’s team. Now an active coach, recently winning the 2018 National U14 gold with the KL ladies hockey team. The highlight of his coaching career thus far is being the assistant coach for the national mens hockey team in 2008/09. He was also the coach cum player for the Malaysian Floorball Team and won a bronze medal at the 2015, 2019 & 2023 SEA Games, and currently serves as the president of the Malaysian Floorball Association.

I'm a Senior Lecturer at the English Language Department, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics. After more than two decades of working in language, communication and skills development, I joined UM in 2019 to contribute to progressing the field of health(care) discourse in Malaysia and beyond. In my current role, I teach languages and linguistics courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level, while supervising and conducting research. Research Focus - Improving Health & Wellbeing by Applying a Discursive ToolkitI study matters related to language, health(care) and wellbeing, applying qualitative and discursive perspectives to address problems and inform practice in provider-patient interaction, health education and other related topics. I am particularly interested in analysis of real-life interaction, to answer questions on how people "do things" with language in health-related contexts. For example, how do doctors and patients collaboratively make decisions about treatment, manage chronic health conditions, and discuss concerns by interacting with each other in person or online? I'm also interested in communication in healthcare education, interprofessional discourse and patient education, alongside how people express and make meaning of health-related issues via their talk and stories. My current funded  projects include studies on professional socialisation of house officers (FRGS), patient experience of gum disease (IIRG, UM). Expertise -Enhancing Language and Communication in Diverse SettingsBeyond my research and academic duties, I help enhance language and communication in academic and professional settings, applying a diverse knowledge and skillset composed over 25 years of experience. Before joining academia, I was engaged in various positions mostly as a consultant/independent contractor, including as a language/content service provider for over 15 years and as a language/communication skills instructor for over 17 years. In these roles, I provided language consulting services and skills training for corporate and individual clients in Malaysia and internationally. I have a CELTA qualification and am a HRDF certified trainer. My work history is available at https://my.linkedin.com/in/ayeshah-syed-0468293 Professional Activities and LeadershipAt UM, I have been actively involved in advancement of research and academic practices. From 2022-2024, I led the research portfolio at the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics as the Deputy Dean of Research and Innovation, with other appointments including as the Protem-Deputy Head of the Medical Devices Centre of Excellence, UM and Taskforce member for UM's Programme Educational goals. Outside the university, I  am involved in professional associations related to languages and linguistics and social advancement, including Persatuan Bahasa Moden Malaysia (President, 2022-2024, Vice President-2024 - 2026, Exco member since 2013) and the citizens' movement organisation, the Association of Voices of Peace, Conscience and Reason (Exco member - since 2016, Treasurer-2025-present).Research Collaboration and Supervision Opportunities I welcome potential collaborations aligned with my expertise and also enjoy connecting with other researchers to learn about their work, gain insight into new contexts, fields and perspectives and explore how I might contribute to their research activities.  In terms of postgraduate supervision, I supervise projects that apply discursive approaches to address problems in health-related contexts, focusing on interaction. Note to potential supervisees: I have limited availability for 2025-2026 due to a heavy supervision load. 

Dr. Azizah Mainal is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya.  She has been teaching physical chemistry courses at the department since 2007.  Her research interest is on liquid crystals which started with the studies on field-induced liquid crystal director alignment to presently, on the stability of naturally occurring liquid crystals. Her other interest is on science communication, and she was the editor of CONNECT, the first Faculty of Science’s newsletter (2017-2019.) She is currently a member of SEMARAK, a platform formed at the Faculty of Science to inform, excite, and influence the university community and the mass via various science communication activities. She also forms Artify Science which is a gathering of literature and art enthusiasts sharing their readings, creative writings, poetry, songs, paintings and, etc.