SEASSR Special Issue (July 2021)

Aizat Khairi, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer and currently the Head of Department of Student Development, at the Universiti Kuala Lumpur-Malaysian Institute of Marine Engineering Technology (UniKL MIMET), Lumut, Perak. He is a member of the Malaysian Social Science Association (PSSM) and the Malaysian Historical Society (MHS), Perak Branch. He has been appointed as a Research Fellow at the Research and Education for Peace, Universiti Sains Malaysia (REPUSM). His focus research areas include migration and refugee studies, conflict and peace research, human security and ethnic relations. Email: aizat@unikl.edu.my.

Andika Wahab, PhD, is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Malaysian & International Studies (IKMAS), UKM. His fields of research include regionalism, labour migration, and corporate anthropology, the latter focusing on corporate disclosure, compliance and the politics of sustainability. He is currently a member of the Global Business and Human Rights Scholars Association (GBHRSA), and Technical Advisor, Supply Chain Innovation at the Washington’s Fair Labor Association (FLA). He is the alumnus of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights Asia Human Rights Research Initiative in 2019. Email: andikawahab@ukm.edu.my.

Andrew Kam Jia Yi, PhD, is an Economist and Associate Professor at the Institute of Malaysian & International Studies (IKMAS), UKM. He is currently the Head of the Centre for Latin America (iKAL), IKMAS, UKM. His fields of research include international trade, non-tariff measures, production sharing / production fragmentation, productivity studies, industrialization and technology transfers. He has served as a consultant to various national and international organizations such as the Malaysian Productivity Corporation (MPC), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNet). He is a member of the Malaysian Social Science Association (PSSM). Email: andrew@ukm.edu.my.

Azizi Alias, MA, is currently a PhD student at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). He was involved in the production of the Sub-Education Policy Review Report on Sector-wide Policy and Plan, and the Sub-Regional Webinar on COVID-19 Education Response Policy for UNESCO, Jakarta Office, Indonesia. His fields of research include the effects of standardized testing and washback on teaching and learning and contentions on high-stakes testing. Email: P96134@siswa.ukm.edu.my.

Chan Mee Yeang, MA, is currently a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Her fields of research include formal and informal education related to climate change and the current issues in education. Her paper (with other authors) titled “Predicting Energy-Saving Behaviour Based on Environmental Values: An Analysis of School Children’s Perspectives” has recently been published by a high impact journal (Sustainability) in 2021. Email: P97110@siswa.ukm.edu.my.

Erlinda Joseph (Lindu), MA, is an expert on international migration. She earned her master’s degree in Inter-Asia NGO Studies from Sungkonghoe University (SKHU), Seoul, South Korea. Her fields of research include labour migration, women migrants, gender, and international development. She has worked with several international organizations and workers’ unions to promote safe migration and effective remedies for workers, particularly migrant workers. Currently, she serves as an expert consultant with the International Domestic Workers Federation to support the development of an online course platform for domestic workers on issues pertaining to violence and harassment. Email: linduworkers2017@gmail.com.

Fang Yi Xue, MSc, is a PhD candidate in community development at the Department of Social and Development Sciences, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). She is a lecturer at INTI International University. She has also worked as a research assistant on a number of significant projects, including political studies and community development, which were funded by various government agencies. Email: yixue.fang@newinti.edu.my.

Fatin Ahza Rosli, BS, is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Advanced Materials at the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). She currently works in the Department of Human Resources in a global airport hospitality services company. She has been actively involved in multiple projects such as the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in continuous improvement (CI) framework; improvement of remote working policy; and employee recognition transformation using digital platform for better employee engagement with self-sustaining positive forces and deep insights. In 2018, she received her Bachelor of Science in Food Biotechnology from the Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). Email: fatinahza@gmail.com.

Haniwarda Yaakob, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). She graduated with LLB (Hons) from the University of Kent at Canterbury, United Kingdom in 1997. Upon graduation, she proceeded to sit for the Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) course, and continued with her pupilage in a legal firm in Kuala Lumpur. She served as a litigation lawyer in several legal firms in Kuala Lumpur in the area of civil litigation prior to joining UKM in 2005. She earned her PhD from Lancaster University, United Kingdom in 2009. She now specializes in Medical Law and Bioethics. She has been actively involved in academic writing and publication in areas of Bioethics and Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). Email: hani75@ukm.edu.my.

Husyairi Harunarashid, PhD, is a clinical epidemiologist at the Department of Emergency Medicine, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, UKM. He has collaborated with the Institute of Malaysian & International Studies (IKMAS), UKM in various projects on social inclusion and policy studies since 2015. He was also involved in the recently concluded UKM’s IKMAS-UNESCO collaborative project on the promotion of social inclusion in public policy – experimenting three policy analysis instruments known as the Inclusive Policy Lab “The Framework for Inclusive Policy Design: Malaysia”, EquiFrame and EquIPP, on the National Policy on Science, Technology and Innovation (NPSTI). Email: husyairi@ppukm.ukm.edu.my.

Jain Yassin, MA, is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, (UiTM, Sabah). He earned his Bachelor of Degree in Economics of Planning and Development, and a Master’s Degree in Economics specializing in Environmental Economics. His current fields of research include economic planning and development, sustainable development, green economy, and economic modelling. He has presented papers in both national and international conferences with a focus on the growth-pollution nexus in Asian countries. Email: jain@ucsf.edu.my.

Jamal Gabir, BA, is a Research Officer at the Institute Borneo Studies (IBS), University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF), Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science, majoring in International Relations from the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). He has been actively involved in field-research focusing on the ethnography of indigenous communities, and community-based conservation management and maritime community in Sabah. At the UCSF, he has also been involved in organizing and participating in seminars and workshops. Email: jamalgabir@ucsf.edu.my.

Jomo Kwame Sundaram, PhD, is Senior Adviser at the Khazanah Research Institute. He is also Fellow of the Academy of Science, Malaysia and Emeritus Professor at the University of Malaya (UM). He was a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Action Council, UM (1986-2004), independent member of the National Economic Consultative Council (1989-1991), President of the Malaysian Social Science Association (PSSM), Founding Convener of the International Malaysian Studies Conference, Founder-Chair of International Development Economics Associates (IDEAs), UN Assistant Secretary General for Economic Development (2005-2012), Assistant Director General for Economic and Social Development, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (2012-2015) and third Tun Hussein Onn Chair in International Studies at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), Malaysia (2016-2017). He received the 2007 Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. Email: jomoks@yahoo.com.

Junaenah Sulehan, PhD, is a Professor in Sociology of Development, and currently the Director of the Institute Borneo Studies (IBS) and the Director of the Center for Research Innovation & Management (CRIM) at the University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF), Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. She has been actively involved in research concerning development and social transformation in Sabah and Sarawak. Her fields of research include gender, women and development; urbanization and social change; poverty; indigenous culture; and social cohesion of border communities in Borneo. At the IBS (UCSF), she undertakes research concerning communities living within the maritime and terrestrial parks in Sabah, and conservation areas of the Sabah Foundation. She has been affiliated with various academic associations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) – both at the national and international levels. Email: june@ucsf.edu.my.

Lilia Halim, PhD, is a Professor in Science Education in the Centre of STEM Enculturation, Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Her fields of research include understanding science teachers’ thinking, development of teachers’ professional knowledge namely teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and the design of innovative science teaching and learning. She has been appointed as the expert consultant and resource person to various organizations such as the Regional Centre for Science and Mathematics Education (RECSAM), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the Malaysia and International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), Netherlands. She has written practically-oriented books for science and physics teachers, and published academic articles in national and international journals. Email: lilia@ukm.edu.my.

Maisarah Saidin, PhD, is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Quranic and Sunnah Studies, Islamic Science University of Malaysia (USIM), Nilai, Negeri Sembilan. She received her Bachelor of Sunnah Studies with Information Management in 2009 from USIM. In 2012, she graduated with a master’s degree in Islamic Studies from Universiti Kebangaan Malaysia (UKM), and later earned a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Hadith Studies in 2019 from the University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan. She has been actively involved in academic conferences and publications at the national and international levels in the fields of hadith criticism and methodology of hadith scholars. Email: maisarah@usim.edu.my.

Rashila Ramli, PhD, is a Professor of Political Science and former Director (2013-2018) at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Visiting Principal Fellow at the UNU- International Institute of Global Health. Her research and academic contributions revolve around sustainable development, human and non-traditional security, women and political development, and foreign policy. As an activist, she holds the position as President of the Malaysian Social Science Association (PSSM) since 2014; Member of the Council of Security Cooperation in Asia Pacific (CSCAP) Malaysia since 2012; former Asst. Secretary-General, the National Council for Women’s Organizations (NCWO) Malaysia from 2010- 2020 and Co-Chair of the Malaysian SDG Academic Network since 2020. Email: rashila@ukm.edu.my.

Sarjit S. Gill, PhD, is a Professor of Social Anthropology at the Department of Social and Development Sciences, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). His research interest and core expertise are primarily in minority studies, specializing in the Sikh community of Malaysia. The other ethnic minority communities he has been researching on are the Orang Asli (indigenous groups), Peranakan Chetti, Baba Nyonya, Siam, India-Muslim, Gurkha and the Portuguese communities in Peninsular Malaysia and selected native groups in Sabah and Sarawak. The main thrust of his expertise is social development of minority communities in Malaysia. Some of his key publications include: Measuring Sustainable Indigenous Tourism Indicators: Sustainable Societal Peace through the Integration of Bioethics Principles and Value-Based Education (Sustainability, 2021); Sikh Women Diaspora in Malaysia: The Reality of Their Role and Status in the Religious Domain (Millennial Asia, 2018); Disaster Communication in Managing Vulnerabilities (Malaysian Journal of Communication, 2018) and; A Case of Mah Meri Ethnic Group in Carey Island, Malaysia (Sustainability, 2017). Email: sarjit@upm.edu.my.

Shahrina Ismail, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Islamic Science University of Malaysia (USIM), Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, under the Financial Mathematics Program. She received her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Education in 2009 from the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Selangor. In 2011, she graduated with a master’s degree in Pure Mathematics from the Institute of Mathematical Research (INSPEM), UPM, and later earned a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Mathematics in 2018 from the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. She has been actively involved in presenting papers at the national and international level conferences and written articles in the fields of pure mathematics, homotopy analysis method, and graph theory. Email: shahrinaismail@usim.edu.my.

Sharifah Fairuz Syed Mohamad, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Islamic Science University of Malaysia (USIM), Nilai, Negeri Sembilan under the Actuarial Science and Risk Management Program. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Actuarial Science in 2009 from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA. In 2011, she graduated with a master’s degree in Islamic Finance, and later her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Islamic finance in 2016, both from the International Center for Education in Islamic Finance, INCEIF, Malaysia. In 2018, she was involved in developing a syllabus for risk management professional certificate under the Malaysian Association of Risk and Insurance (MARIM). She has also presented papers at the national and international level conferences and written articles in the fields of takaful, maqasid al-Shariah, and risk management. Email: sh.fairuz@usim.edu.my.

Sity Daud, PhD, is a Political Scientist and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FSSK), UKM. She specializes in studies on development namely on the role of developmental states, human security and elections. She has written and published books and academic papers on issues concerning human development, as well as peace and human security focusing on the region. She has been actively involved in presenting academic papers in various conferences at national and international levels, and has been appointed as a member of the editorial board of various journals. She is currently the Deputy President of the Malaysian Social Science Association (PSSM). Email: sitydaud@ukm.edu.my.