Dr. Zubaidah Zanul Abidin is a lecturer in the Department of Restorative Dentistry, University of Malaya. She graduated with DDS from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia in 2007 and obtained her specialist training in Restorative Dentistry in Prosthetics Dentistry from Universiti Malaya, Malaysia in 2014. She has been actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in Restorative Dentistry and Prosthetics Dentistry. Her research interests include dental material, 3D Dentistry, Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry, OHQoL of patients with maxillofacial prostheses, and dental implants.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Patricia Nora Riget is a senior lecturer at the Department of Asian and European Languages, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya. She was formerly the Head of Department of Asian and European Languages, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya (2012-2016) and also the Deputy Director of the International Relations Centre, Universiti Malaya (2019 - 2022). Her achievements include being conferred the Knight of the Order of Academic Palms (Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques) by the Government of France in 2019. The award recognises Dr. Patricia’s contribution to the strengthening of cooperation in the French language and culture between France and Malaysia. Patricia received her Bachelor and Master of Arts (Teaching of French as a Foreign Language) from Université de Franche-Comté, Besançon, France and her Master 2 Research and Doctorate in Language Sciences (Teaching of French as a Foreign Language) from Université de Strasbourg, France. She has to-date published more than 30 papers in respectable journals, books and conference proceedings both locally and internationally. Her research interests are in the areas of didactics of foreign languages, language education and ethnolinguistic. Her secondary interest is in the area of internationalisation of higher education institutions. 

Fumitaka Furuoka is a Japanese economist who has lived in Malaysia since 1987. From 1991 to 1999, he worked as a senior assistant at the Consulate General of Japan in Penang. Fumitaka then moved to academia and has taught economics at three Malaysian public universities, namely, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), and Universiti Malaya (UM) for more than 25 years. His academic expertise is in the field of applied economics, which involves applying economic and econometric theories to address real-world critical financial issues and problems. As an applied economist, he aims to provide insights from his research to inform the development of effective policies that foster sustainable development, reduce regional disparities, and move society toward achieving economic and social justice.  In his research in the field of applied economics, he focuses on economic equity between countries (i.e., the problem of inequality of economic development level in different countries), as well as economic equity within countries (i.e., the problem of inequality of income distribution in a specific country). Regarding economic equity between countries, he has conducted extensive research on diverse and pertinent global economic issues, such as poverty reduction, unemployment, economic growth/development, and renewable energy. In 2006, he published a book on Japanese foreign aid titled New Challenges for Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) Policy. The book examines how Japan’s aid policy can contribute to reducing poverty and enhancing the well-being of developing countries, particularly those in Southeast Asia. As to economic equity within countries, the primary focus of Fumitaka's research is promoting “employment for all” which is closely aligned with Target 8 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He firmly believes that employment for all, including people with disabilities, is the basic foundation for a sustainable and more humane economy (Ekonomi Madani). This belief has led him to write a book on employment for people with disabilities entitled Disability and Employment: Towards a Humanistic Economy. The book was published by Springer in 2024. He also wrote another book, co-authored with Dr Yosuke Uchiyama, on employment for people with disabilities, entitled "Youth and Employment: Creating a Productive and Dynamic Society," which was published by the same publisher in 2025. This research direction has a strong practical orientation, and Fumitaka considers work in this area to be of ultimate importance for achieving economic equity and providing employment opportunities to people with disabilities or young people. In short, his research aims to identify barriers and initiate policies that promote and enable economic inclusion, employment, and justice for all.