Syafiq Faliq Alfan, also known as SEFA, is a theatre and performance studies scholar, performing artist, educator, and cultural researcher specialising in cultural change and memory in Asian traditional performing arts. He is particularly interested in how traditional forms transform across time, media, and space, and how these shifts relate to cultural memory, philosophy of history, and lived experience. He earned his Doctoral Degree from the Faculty of Integrated Arts and Science at Hiroshima University, Japan, in 2022, through research on the methodological construction of analysis towards the traditional dances of Mak Yong and Noh using motion capture technology. As an outsider-artist, SEFA has been a member of the Ipoh artist-collective Projek Rabak since 2011, where he currently serves as director. Since 2007, he has actively participated in numerous local and international performances, focusing on the intersection between Corporeal Mime by Étienne Decroux and the improvisational techniques of Malay traditional performing arts. His performance research centres on the body as subject and its entanglement with elements within its environment, including space, audience, and technology, often drawing on Practice-as-Research as a core method. SEFA is also a creative writer, with works such as Melankolia Bisu (2014) and Novel Eksperimental (2013), among others. Currently, his research interests revolve around memory studies and the philosophy of history to understand Mak Yong history and its multiple trajectories across regions and narratives. He believes that enriching the discourse on Malaysian traditional performing arts, through both theory and practice, will deepen our understanding of their role in shaping local identities and collective memory. He is also interested in engaging Digital Humanities at the intersection of aesthetics, ecology, local wisdom, identity formation, and arts biomechanics. Through media and technology, particularly motion capture, he explores how different experiences and cultures can be understood in greater nuance, especially in relation to various modes of cultural change in performing arts. His work sits at the crossroads of performance theory, cultural and memory studies, media studies, and philosophical inquiry. As a scholar of performance and theatre studies, he believes the role of the performing arts extends beyond the discourse of performance and performativity, and should also engage critically with issues of sustainability, environmental impact, socio-economics, education, architecture, and technology. Potential postgraduate students should be prepared for an integrated and interdisciplinary approach, and be willing to develop practical and high-impact research that benefits society while remaining sensitive to culture, history, and the evolving realities of performance.

Dr. Asbah Razali is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya. Her academic specialization is in Developmental Psychology and Sociology with a particular focus on psychosocial issues, gender and substance abuse. Her research interests focus on social support, particularly within family system, high risk behaviour, rehabilitation and addiction recovery among individuals involved in drug abuse. Her work integrates psychological perspectives and sociological to understand how the social environment, family systems and emotional regulation influence high risk behaviour, relapse prevention and psychosocial well being.

Mohammad Tawfik bin Yaakub is a senior lecturer in the department of Political Science, Public Administration, and Development Studies, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Malaya. He obtained his Degree in Social Sciences (Political Science) in 2010, his Master of Social Sciences (Political Science) in 2012, both from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Political Studies in 2018 from the University of Malaya (UM), Kuala Lumpur. Prior to joining UM, he worked as a tutor in the School of History, Politics, and Strategy at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) from 2010 to 2012, and as Assistant Secretary at the Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) from 2012 to 2013. He subsequently served as a Research Assistant at the Centre for the Study of Malay Excellence, Academy of Malay Studies (UM) from 2013 to 2015. During his tenure at the Faculty of Business and Economics, Mohammad Tawfik bin Yaakub was also appointed to hold several positions at the faculty and university level, including Research Fellow at the University of Malaya Centre for Democracy and Elections (UMcedel) from 2021 to 2022, committee member of the University of Malaya Sports Program from 2021 to 2024, and Department Representative for the Postgraduate Committee from 2020 to 2021. Mohammad Tawfik bin Yaakub has extensive knowledge in the field of Political Science, with specialisation in Malaysian politics, federalism, Malay politics, comparative politics, and ethnic politics. He was also named Chief Researcher, in charge of two national studies: The Re-Empowerment of Parliament Institutions in Malaysia After 14 General Elections and Its Impact Towards Democracy from 2019 to 2021, and The Socioeconomic Influence of Voters on the Results of the 14th General Election in Selangor from 2019 to 2022. Other co-researcher projects include: “Re-introduction Of Local Elections in Malaysia: Assessment of Its Possibility and Impact On The Social Structure from 2018 to 2020”; “Addressing The Future Of Work: Policy And Stakeholders Response On Graduate Employability Since The Pandemic from 2022 to 2024”; and “Border Security Along Kudat And Sandakan Sabah's Eastern Coastal Areas: The Impact Of Social-Business On Sustainable Livelihoods from 2018 to 2020”.  He is also active in publishing articles on Malaysian politics in journals, books, book chapters, and mainstream newspapers. Since 2021, Mohammad Tawfik b Yaakub has published one Scopus-indexed article, 14 articles in internationally and locally indexed journals, a book titled “Dua Era Kerjasama Politik UMNO-PAS: Bermula Cita-Cita, Berakhir di Putrajaya” in 2020, and seven chapters in books. In addition, from 2018 to the present, he has written 200 articles about Malaysian politics for mainstream print and online media outlets such as Berita Harian, Utusan Malaysia, Sinar Harian, Kosmo, Harakah, and Awani Online. Mohammad Tawfik b Yaakub is frequently invited to appear as a political analyst for Malaysian mainstream media outlets such as TV1, TV3, Astro Awani, Al-Hijrah TV, Sinar Harian, Bernama TV, Sarawak TV, and the country's main radio channels such as Buletin FM, Era FM, Sinar FM, Nasional FM, KL FM, and Bernama Radio. He was a panellist on Sinar Harian, Bernama, RTM, and Astro Awani during the 15th Malaysian General Election. Apart from that, from 2021 to 2022, he is frequently invited by government institutions such as The Royal Malaysian Police College (PDRM), the Islamic Training Institute of Malaysia (ILIM), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Teacher Training Institute, Ministry of Education and Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UNISZA) to conduct courses and provide briefings on political developments in the country. In addition, he was invited by the Public Service Department (JPA) to serve on the interview panel for the Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan (HLP).