Che Zarrina Sa’ari, who graduated from the University of Malaya (Bachelor's and Master's degrees) and Edinburgh University (PhD), is currently the Professor at the Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya, Malaysia, working in the Department of Aqidah and Islamic Thought. She served several times as the Head of the Department of Aqidah and Islamic Thought and as the Deputy Director (Development and Research) at the same Academy, and currently she is the Deputy Director (Research) until December 2024. She was also a visiting scholar at Leiden University (2004) and Edinburgh University (2010). Dr. Che Zarrina’s broad academic and research interests involve Sufism, Islamic Psychospiritual, Islamic Psychotherapy, and Islamic Ethics. She has produced over 300 publications, including books, chapters in books, articles in journals, short articles in mass media, and conference proceedings that were presented nationally and internationally. Dr. Che Zarrina has been invited many times by national as well as international universities to deliver lectures or talks on Islamic Psychospiritual and Psychotherapy. She has also been invited to be a keynote speaker, plenary speaker, or invited speaker in seminars, conferences, and workshops nationally and internationally in her area of expertise. She has presented papers in seminars and conferences and delivered motivational talks as well as religious talks to the public from time to time, and written short articles in magazines and newspapers. Dr. Che Zarrina has produced about 50 master's students and 53 doctorate students in her field. The graduates, national and international, became her successors in the dissemination and enhancement of their expertise and have contributed to the academic world, government, and community, especially in spiritual and mental well-being. In research, she has been awarded about 105 internal and external research grants, for instance, ERGS, FRGS, MAIS Fatwa Research Grant, IIRG, MRUN, JAKIM Fatwa Research Grant, RACE, USM, JAIS Fatwa Research Grant, GP LPPKN, UMRG Project, and UMRG Programme. The outputs of the research could be seen through the graduation of graduate research assistants, publications, curriculum designs, and reviews for new courses or module improvements. In addition, those outputs have also been utilized to assist government institutions. For example, in developing modules, manuals, guidelines, policies, and fatwas. Furthermore, many of the outputs of Islamic Psychospiritual and Psychotherapy have been applied and carried out publicly by the community and non-governmental associations (NGO). To impart this knowledge to the relevant communities, Dr. Che Zarrina has been invited to facilitate the training of the trainers (ToT) workshops and intervention sessions that are usually organized by the government, such as JAKIM, Malaysian Ministry of Health, Jabatan Perpaduan Negara dan Intergrasi Nasional, state religious councils and departments, non-governmental organizations, and the public. In the professional field, based on her expertise and involvement with the stakeholders, she has gained their trust and has been appointed to one of JAKIM’s prestigious committees as an Expert Panel for Aqidah (PPA) with terms of reference to respond to current issues of `aqidah and school of thought in society and give an initial view on the issuance of a fatwa for Muzakarah Jawatankuasa Fatwa, Majlis Kebangsaan Bagi Hal Ehwal Ugama Islam Malaysia (MKI). She has been involved in various committees and has been appointed as an expert panel, among others in Expert Panel for Programme Standards: Islamic Studies by Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA), Expert Panel of the Field of Aqidah and Sufism, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Top Management Committee for KSKCare Centre JAKIM, and Dini Curriculum Development for Ministry of Education Malaysia. In academic linkage, Dr. Che Zarrina has been involved as an academic advisor for several local universities, journals editor-in-Chief, advisory board member, member of journal editorial boards, postgraduate external examiner, and member of the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES). She is the Editor in Chief for AFKAR: Journal of Aqidah & Islamic Thought, indexed in WoS-ESCI and SCOPUS. She has also been appointed Editor in Chief for Qalbu: International Journal of Sufism published by PERTAMA, the advisory board for the Journal of Islamic Theology Pakistan and the Journal of Islamic Research Turkey, and has become a reviewer for WoS and SCOPUS journals. She also contributes to society through her involvement with several national and international non-government organizations (NGO) such as the Islamic Psychospiritual Association Malaysia (IPSA) as Deputy President, Majlis Dakwah Negara, Persatuan Kaunseling Syarie Malaysia, and the International Association of Islamic Psychology. She has obtained several certificates as a certified practitioner, such as Psychological First Aid, Mental Health Coach, and Crisis Intervention and Trauma Counseling. Among her significant contributions to the country is her involvement from the beginning in setting up the KSKCare Centre@MTMZA JAKIM which is a community referral center that provides professional and free services to the community. Since then, she, who leads the Islamic Psychospiritual Team, has always performed training of the trainers (ToT) managed by JAKIM and others for related persons.
show more »CHIEW Poh Shin (周宝芯, 周寶芯) is a senior lecturer in the Department of Malaysian Languages and Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya. She earned her Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD from Nanjing Normal University, specialising in Chinese language and linguistics. Her primary research interests include phonetics and phonology, language variation, and language acquisition. Currently, she focuses on sociophonetics and prosodic studies, particularly in the varieties of Chinese like Hokkien, Cantonese, and Mandarin. She has a deep passion for human speech and wants to explore how speech sounds connect with cognition, society, and culture. Beyond academic research, she enjoys science communication work, sharing the fascinating world of linguistics with the public. Here is her first experience on a podcast.
show more »Marniza Saad is a Consultant Clinical Oncologist at the Department of Clinical Oncology, University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, since 2006. She also holds the Associate Professor post at the Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya (UM) Kuala Lumpur. She obtained her Medical Degree from University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom in 1997. She completed her general medical training within the South Wales Medical Rotation in 2000. In 2001 she joined UM as a trainee lecturer in Oncology. She pursued her formal training as clinical oncologist at the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff, UK from 2002 to 2006 and was awarded the Fellowship of Royal College of Radiologists (Clinical Oncology) in 2006. She is now the supervisor and internal examiner for the Master of Clinical Oncology programme in UM since May 2006. Working within the department Education Committee, she has deep passion for education and training of future oncologists in Malaysia. She was the Head of Department of Clinical Oncology UMMC from 2013 to 2015. During this time she was overseeing the development of Stereotactic Radiosurgery/Radiotherapy (SRS/SRT) and Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) with the designated expert teams, until successful initiation of the services in UMMC in May and September 2015, respectively. She is currently in the UMMC Intra-Operative Radiotherapy Working Group to introduce the service in UMMC in the near future. She is an Exco Committee member for Malaysia Oncological Society since 2013. She is a member of College of Radiology Academy of Medicine Malaysia and European Society for Medical Oncology. Her areas of special interest include genitourinary cancer, sarcoma, breast and gastrointestinal cancers. She is the principle investigator for several international clinical trials mainly in urological cancers and regularly speaks in the areas of her interest at both local and international conferences.
show more »RECENT PUBLICATION
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Abdullah, Muhammad Fazrin; Jauhari, Iswadi; Sabri, Mohd Faizul Mohd; Ghazali, Nik Nazri Nik (2025). A Novel Vertical Axis Parallel Turbines System for in-pipe Hydropower Generation: Conceptual Design and Preliminary Experiment. Energy Sources Part a-recovery Utilization and Environmental Effects
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Shaharudin, Mohd Rizaimy; Zailani, Suhaiza; Tan, Keah-Choon; Cross, James; Hotrawaisaya, Chattrarat (2025). Fostering Closed-loop Supply Chain Orientation by Leveraging Strategic Green Capabilities for Circular Economy Performance: Empirical Evidence from Malaysian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturing Firms. Environment Development and Sustainability
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Wong, Li Ping; Alias, Haridah; Tan, Sik-Loo; Sia, Thiam Eng; Saw, Aik (2025). An Exploration of Death Anxiety of Family Members of Silent Mentor Body Donation Program. Omega-journal of Death and Dying
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Altarturi, Hamza H. M.; Nor, Adibi Rahiman Md; Jaafar, Noor Ismawati; Anuar, Nor Badrul (2025). A Bibliometric and Content Analysis of Technological Advancement Applications in Agricultural E-commerce. Electronic Commerce Research
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Zhao, Yang; Hamidi, Mashitah; Abd Wahab, Haris (2025). Challenges of Palliative Care in Advanced Cancer Patients in The Chinese Mainland: a Qualitative Study. Omega-journal of Death and Dying
TOTAL PUBLICATIONS AS OF DATE 1976
LATEST AWARDED GRANT
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The Impact of Capital Expenditure On Esg Performance in Asean Firms: The Moderating Role of Sustainability Committees
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A Moderated-mediation Model of Parental Intention to Adopt Child Finance Apps: The Roles of Trust and Digital Financial Literacy
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The Rise of The Gig Economy- Perspectives from a Developing Economy (book Project)
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Exploring Biodiversity, Climate Risk and Financial Market Integration: Evidence Across Developed and Emerging Economies
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Rural Youth Perception and Intention to Engage in Agri-entrepreneurshi
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Feasibility Assessment of Direct Air Capture (dac) for Aviation Decarbonization At Kuala Lumpur International Airport (klia) and Any Potential Airports in Malaysia
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Military Brand Identity and Institutional Branding: a Comparison Between The UK and Malaysia
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Aligning Leadership, Values and Outcomes: Examining Healthcare Professionals' Workplace Experiences in Malaysia and Australia
