S.M. Sapuan is a Professor (Grade “A) of composite materials in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, at the Universiti Putra Malaysia. He is also the former Head of the Advanced Engineering Materials and Composites Research Centre (AEMC) at UPM. He attained his BEng in mechanical engineering from the University of Newcastle, in Australia and then went on to receive his MSc in engineering design and PhD in materials engineering, from De Montfort University in the UK. He is a Professional Engineer and a Fellow of many professional societies, including the Society of Automotive Engineers; the Academy of Science Malaysia; the International Society for Development and Sustainability; the World Academy of Sciences; the Plastic and Rubber Institute Malaysia (PRIM); the Malaysian Scientific Association and the Institute of Materials Malaysia. He is an Honorary Member and past Vice President of the Asian Polymer Association and Founding Chairman and Honorary Member of The Society of Sugar Palm Development and Industry, Malaysia. During the course of his career, he has produced over 2500 publications, including 989 journal papers, 68 books and 246 book chapters. Dr. Imran Ahmad is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology (IWWT), Durban University of Technology, South Africa, specialising in algae biotechnology, advanced wastewater treatment, and circular bioeconomy solutions. He holds an MPhil and PhD from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, with expertise in microalgal bioremediation, biological wastewater treatment, photobioreactor engineering, nutrient recovery, and resource valorization. Previously he served as a Bioprocess Engineer and Scientific Consultant at PhyEcoSyS, translating laboratory research into industrial applications. He contributed to international initiatives, including the Indo-European Horizon 2020 PAVITR project and Liquid Trees, advancing algal cultivation, wastewater treatment, and bioenergy systems. His scholarly portfolio includes publications in high-impact journals, edited books, and a utility innovation and a patent for the design of a Grease Trap & Airlift photobioreactor. His combined academic and industrial experience provides a unique perspective for developing innovative, scalable, and practical solutions to complex environmental and water sustainability challenges.N. M. Nurazzi is a senior lecturer at the School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia. Before joining the Universiti Sains Malaysia he was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Centre for Defence Foundation Studies, National Defence University of Malaysia, under a Newton Research Grant to study the “Role of Intermolecular Interaction in Conductive Polymer Wrapped MWCNT as Organophosphate Sensing Material Structure. He obtained BSc. and MSc. in Polymer Technology from the Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) in 2011 and 2014, respectively. In 2018, he was awarded a PhD from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) in Materials Engineering under the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia scholarship. His main research interests are polymer composites and natural fibre composites. To date, he has authored and co-authored over 200 publications, including 100 journal papers, 4 books and 50 book chapters.
