Dr. Sharifah Muhairah Shahabudin is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Public Administration and Development Studies at the Faculty of Business & Economics, University of Malaya. She earned her PhD from the same university’s Faculty of Economics and Administration in 2014, following a Master of Science in Administration from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UITM) and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Canterbury University, New Zealand. Her research focuses on socioeconomics, social stratification, gender, youth development, and entrepreneurship, with numerous publications in both local and international journals, as well as media contributions in these areas. She is also an active member of the Gender Budget Group, an initiative led by Engender Consultancy and Women’s Aid Organisation to advance gender-responsive budgeting in national policy. Before joining academia, Dr. Sharifah spent a decade in various professional roles, including as a Research Assistant with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Malaysia, where her work on the *Empowering Women Through Entrepreneurship* project sparked her interest in research, ultimately leading to her doctoral studies. Her commitment to development issues continues to drive her research and publications today.