Professor Dr. Yvonne Lim Ai Lian is the Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) at Universiti Malaya and a Senior Professor in the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine. She is also a member of the University Senate. A Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM), she co-chairs the APRU Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) Programme and serves on the International Advisory Committee of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities. Throughout her distinguished career, she has held several key leadership roles at both university and national levels, including Deputy Dean (Research) at the Faculty of Medicine, Director of the International Relations Office, and Associate Vice-Chancellor of Global Engagement at Universiti Malaya. She has also served as President of the Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine and as a Council Member of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. Her research focuses on deciphering the intricate host-parasite-environment interactions that contribute to disease in indigenous and underserved communities, aiming to develop multi-targeted solutions. Additionally, she investigates the diversity of gut and skin microbiomes across populations spanning various socioeconomic and ecological landscapes, from traditional to industrialized societies. For nearly three decades, she has dedicated her work to studying infectious diseases among the Orang Asli (indigenous) communities of Peninsular Malaysia, collaborating closely with Hospital Orang Asli Gombak. Her contributions to national policy, including the Orang Asli Development Policy (DPOA), reflect her deep commitment to community welfare. Her collaboration with New York University led to a groundbreaking discovery, published in Science (2016), revealing how low levels of helminth (worm) infections promote the growth of probiotic gut microbiota. Her gut microbiome research has since expanded to studies among HIV and cancer patients. More recently, in partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the USA, she has deepened investigations into parasitic infections, gut microbiome dynamics, and the relationship between skin infections and the skin microbiome. Her work is supported by numerous national and international grants, including the prestigious US NIH R01 grants. She was recently awarded another NIH R01 grant as the principal investigator. She has published over 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles, contributed to nine book chapters, and authored three books. As a dedicated mentor, she has supervised more than 40 postgraduate students to completion and hosted researchers through extensive collaborations with institutions in the US, UK, Australia, Germany, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore. She has also held visiting research and academic positions at leading institutions, including the Scottish Parasite Diagnostic and Reference Laboratory in Glasgow, Scotland; the Department of Veterinary Science at the University of Melbourne, Australia; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA; and the Department of Molecular Parasitology and Tropical Diseases at Taipei Medical University, Taiwan. She has earned numerous accolades, including the MSPTM Medal (2008) for outstanding young scientists, the Universiti Malaya Excellent Lecturer Award for Science Disciplines (2015), and the Top Research Scientists of Malaysia Award (2016). In 2017, she was inducted as a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. She has been consistently recognized in Stanford University's list of the top 2% of scientists globally in her field. In 2021, she was awarded the Fulbright Scholar Award (2021/2022) for a fellowship at the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases at NIAID, NIH, USA. Most recently, she received the prestigious Sandosham Gold Medal Award in 2024, the highest honour from the Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to parasitology and tropical medicine. Deeply passionate about her work with the Orang Asli communities, she remains committed to inspiring and empowering her colleagues and students to reach their fullest potential.  

Dr. Azar is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education, University of Malaya (UM), Malaysia. He earned his Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University of Malaya. With over 27 years of experience, he has served as an EFL/ESL senior lecturer, researcher, and curriculum developer in Iran, Turkey, Qatar, and Malaysia. His research interests include academic discourse analysis, genre analysis, corpus linguistics, TESL, educational technology, and English language teaching strategies. He has published widely in prestigious journals such as GEMA Online® Journal of Language Studies, Asian ESP Journal, Asian EFL Journal, Studies in English Language and Education, World Journal of English Language, and Education and Information Technologies (Springer). Dr. Azar is the corresponding author of two recent articles: “Humour Discourse in ESL Classrooms: A Critical Literature Review,” published in the European Journal of Humour Research, and “Exploring AI-Generated Feedback in Second Language Writing: Learner Perceptions, Effectiveness, and Challenges,” both contributing to ongoing discussions in applied linguistics, ESL pedagogy, and AI-assisted language education. He currently serves as the Head of Professional Development, Artificial Intelligence and Technology Outreach at the Malaysian Association of Applied Linguistics (MAAL). Dr. Azar is also the editor of several scholarly volumes published by IGI Global (USA), including Reconceptions of Policies, Strategies, and Challenges in Education 5.0; Innovations in Educational Robotics: Advancing AI for Sustainable Development; and Smart Education and Sustainable Learning Environments in Smart Cities. Additionally, he sits on the editorial boards of several academic journals, including the Asian Journal of University Education (AJUE) – Scopus Q1, Universiti Teknologi MARA; the International Journal of Modern Languages and Applied Linguistics (IJMAL) – Akademi Pengajian Bahasa, UiTM; Education Quarterly Reviews – ERIC-indexed, Asian Institute of Research; and the Journal of Pragmatics and Discourse Research – SINTA 3, PPJBSIP, Indonesia.

Senior Lecturer | Researcher in AI, Big Data, Construction Management and Sustainable Construction Dr. Zafira Nadia Maaz is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Quantity Surveying, Universiti Malaya, specializing in artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics, and digital governance for the built environment. Her research focuses on AI-driven decision intelligence, data driven decision making, data governance, carbon management, and digital transformation in construction. She has played a key role in Construction 4.0 initiatives under the Malaysian Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), contributing to the digitalization and modernization of construction practices through Big data. She has secured multiple government-funded and industry-funded research grants and collaborated with key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Works Malaysia, RISM, CIDB, IEM, and JKR. She actively published in WoS and Scopus journals as well as co-authored several industry report, offering insights into Malaysia’s digitalization and data analytics in construction landscape. In 2023, she was invited to present her research on data analytics and AI at the University of Cambridge, a prestigious engagement funded by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia. She is also the youngest female recipient of the RICS Young Achiever Award in Southeast Asia, distinction that acknowledges her contributions to advancing big data and AI applications in quantity surveying and the built environment. Beyond her academic and research pursuits, she is known for her open-minded and progressive approach to leadership, fostering a collaborative and innovative learning environment for students and professionals alike. She is deeply passionate about translating research into practical solutions that drive the construction industry forward through AI, data-driven governance, and sustainability.