KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Professor Dato’ Dr Azizan Abu Samah is a professor in the field of Meteorology. Among the positions he has held is as the Director of the National Antarctic Research Centre and Deputy Director of the Institute of Earth and Ocean Sciences at Universiti Malaya, and the Vice President of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). He was the Malaysian coordinator of an European Union research project SHIVA (Stratospheric ozone: Halogen Impacts in a Varying Atmosphere) and also a steering committee member of Asia Pacific Rim University World Institute Pacific Rim Cities Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies (APRU-CMAS) and is a member of the International Scientific Advisory Committee of Asian Network on Climate Science and Technology (ANCST). He is on the editorial board of the Polar Journal and has been invited to review research proposals for atmospheric sciences and environment for the Inbev-Baillet Latour Antarctica Fellowship and New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute research grant proposals. He is also an evaluator member for the Malaysian Ministry of Education Fundamental Research Grant Scheme and the Sultan Mizan Antarctic Research Foundation research grant and fellowship scheme. Professor Dato’ Dr Azizan Abu Samah is a fellow of the Malaysian Academy of Sciences and the Royal Meteorological Society, UK. 

Dr. Behrang Parhizkar is a renowned Digital Marketing Specialist and Generative AI Consultant with over 12 years of experience in data-driven performance marketing and ROI-based digital strategy. He has helped clients generate more than USD 650 million in revenue through intelligent funnel design, AI-driven automation, and predictive lead-quality optimization.  Dr. Parhizkar’s portfolio includes collaborations with top universities, multinational corporations and government agencies across Malaysia, ASEAN, Australia and the UK. His visionary approach integrates Generative AI and Agentic AI to transform digital ecosystems and enhance decision-making at scale. His leadership at Chamrun Digital Group reflects a commitment to measurable growth, innovation and global digital transformation excellence.

Professor Dr. Syed Farid Alatas is Professor of Sociology at the National University of Singapore and Visiting Professor at the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya. He lectured at UM’s Department of Southeast Asian Studies prior to joining NUS, where he has taught a wide range of courses that cover fields such as sociological theory, interpretive methods, sociology of religion, development studies, and the study of Malay and Muslim civilizations. He was also head of the Department of Malay Studies at NUS from 2007 to 2013. Professor Alatas has authored numerous books and articles, including Ibn Khaldun (Oxford University Press, 2013), Applying Ibn Khaldun: The Recovery of a Lost Tradition in Sociology (Routledge, 2014), and most recently, Decolonial Thought from the Malay World (Duke University Press, 2025). His areas of interest are the sociology of Islam, social theory, religion and reform, intra- and inter-religious dialogue, and the study of Eurocentrism.