Azeem Fazwan Ahmad Farouk obtained a B.A. in political science from DePaul University in 1998 and completed his M.A. and PhD in political science at the University of Malaya. He is an associate professor and director at the Center for Policy Research and International Studies (CenPRIS) Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

He was a visiting scholar at the Institute for Asian and African Studies, Humboldt University, Berlin, the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, Northern Illinois University, and the Department of Social Sciences, the University of Fribourg Switzerland. His scholarly works have been published by leading academic journal in the such as Kajian Malaysia (Journal of Malaysian Studies), Akademika, and Pertanika. He writes regularly for CenPRIS’ column that appears in the New Sunday Times.

Sazlina Salleh is a Senior Lecturer with the Centre for Policy Research and International Studies. She owns a solid teaching portfolio and  research background in marine ecology, biodiversity and primary productivity.  Her day-to-day workload in the research field involves understanding the impact of climate change on marine photosynthetic organisms mainly microalgae, coral and seagrasses   Over the course of 16 years working in Universiti Sains Malaysia, she conducted various research focusing on marine ecology, marine policy, biodiversity and conservation. While being associated with Centre for Policy Research and International Studies, she has established a keen interest in bridging science and policy, whereby my current research involves the implication of gazetting marine parks in high dense fisheries zone and selected developed coastal areas to local small-scale fishermen.

Mohammad Reevany Bustami completed his PhD from The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in the field of Organizational Sociology and Globalization. He is a faculty member and researcher at the Centre for Policy Research and International Studies (CenPRIS), USM, Penang.

He is the founding advisor for both Malaysia-Indonesia (MALINDO) Nusantara Research Centre for Migration, Muslim Communities and Peace Studies, at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) in Jogyakarta as well as for MALINDO Nusantara Research Center for Leadership, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Communication, in Jakarta. He has led numerous projects ranging from inter-religious, multicultural, heritage, ethnic integration, migration and future studies to CSR, research strategies and cross-border research, seminars and conferences. He is also the present editor-in-chief for the International Journal for Multicultural and Multi-religious Understanding (www.ijmmu.com) based in Germany. He has also carried out research projects for the United Nation Development Program (UNDP), Swedish International Development Agencies (SIDA), Singapore’s Nanyang Technology University, NTU MAS Research Grant as well as Malaysia’s Long-term Research Grant Scheme (LRGS).

Chor Foon TANG is currently an Associate Professor of Economics at the Centre for Policy Research and International Studies (CenPRIS), Universiti Sains Malaysia. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Economics from the University of Malaya (UM). Before joining academia, he had worked in various commercial industries ranging from financial services to manufacturing for more than 5 years. He has been actively participating in academic research activities since 2006 with his seminal research outcomes appearing in several reputable academic journals in 2007. His research mainly revolves around argumentation pertaining to development economics, macroeconomics and growth catalysts in areas such as tourism, energy, savings, etc. utilising both time series and panel data econometric approaches. Dr. Tang has published more than 100 research articles in major international and local peer-reviewed journals, chapters in research books, proceedings, and discussion papers. Scopus / Blogspot / Publication

Dr Goh Soo Khoon received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Melbourne, Australia and has years of teaching experience in Economics in several local universities prior to her attachment at CenPRIS, USM. Her main teaching and research interest lie in international Economics and applied time series analysis. She has published her articles in international and national journals. Dr. Goh was one of the recipients of the Erasmus Mundus Research Scholarship 2008 and Fulbright Scholar Program 2012-2013.

Dayang Haszelinna Abang Ali is a lecturer in Economics and obtained her PhD in Economics from Swansea University, United Kingdom. Her expertise is in Development Economics and Labour Economics. For teaching experiences, Dr Dayang has served as a tutor/lecturer at UNIMAS since 2007 teaching Econometrics, Macroeconomics, Statistics for Economics and Business and Business Mathematics.

Dr Dayang has supervised more than 50 undergraduate students with various research backgrounds and actively working on her research and publications. Dr Dayang had been awarded Best Paper Award in The Asia Pacific Marketing & Management Conference (APMMC) which were organized by UNIMAS in 2016. Moreover, Dr Dayang is a reviewer and editorial board member for various international and local journals.

Illisriyani Ismail is a Lecturer at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) at Universiti Sains Malaysia, specialising in Agricultural Economics and Policy. With a PhD in Economics from the University of Portsmouth, and earlier qualifications in Natural Resource Development Policy and Biology from Universiti Putra Malaysia, her academic background has equipped her to tackle complex issues in sustainable agriculture and food systems. She is recognised for her contributions in fisheries economics, system dynamics modelling, and behavioural insights, particularly within the Malaysian context. Her work involves close collaboration with local communities, government bodies, and international organisations such as the World Bank Group, WWF, and the WorldFish Centre, where she focuses on developing effective policies for Malaysia’s agrofood sector, enhancing resilience in agriculture, and addressing the challenges of climate change.

In addition to her research, she serves as a main committee member for Malaysia’s National Plan of Action II for Sharks and Rays under the Department of Fisheries. She plays a key role in teaching and supervising undergraduate and postgraduate students and consulting for organisations such as the Malaysia Productivity Corporation. A strong advocate for the application of behavioural insights in policymaking and public awareness, particularly around digital transformation and sustainable production, she is also committed to advancing academic publications. As an editor for the Davao Research Journal in the Philippines, she contributes to shaping the quality of research in agriculture and socioeconomics. Her work, which integrates research, policy, and community engagement, positions her as a dedicated professional advancing sustainable development and resource management in Malaysia.