Meet Our Team
Head Consultant
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR ZALINA BINTI ZAKARIA
Currently is the Director of Universiti Malaya Halal Research Centre (UMHRC), Universiti Malaya. At the same time, she is attached to the Department of Shariah and Law, Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya. She received her LLB(Hons) Law degree and Master of Comparative Laws (MCL) from Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws, International Islamic University Malaysia. Later, she obtained her PhD degree from University of Manchester, United Kingdom. Her area of specialization is consumer law and issues in Malaysia. Extended her research in consumer law to the area of halal regulation and policies. She has been teaching at the University of Malaya since 2003 both at postgraduate and undergraduate levels.Awarded a number of governmental research funds. Carried out research in halal for more than 15 years that covered many jurisdictions, such as some EU countries, Australia, New Zealand. Has successfully supervised postgraduate thesis and dissertations relating to consumer law and issues, product safety regulation and halal policies. Appointed as external program advisor to numerous halal programs/curriculum at both local and international level. As her passion is in halal policy and governance, she has been appointed as a speaker in many seminars/conferences. She was also appointed as a consultant committee in the review of MS 2200:She is also an active researcher in Consumer Law Asia project sponsored by City University of Hong Kong where she represented Malaysia in 2017. Among her latest project now is being appointed as member of Academy Science Malaysia (i-Connect Steering Committee). i-Connect is an industry led collaborative network that involves quadruple helix (industry, research community, government & civil society) which aims to create and nurture a conducive innovation ecosystem in Malaysia towards increasing disruptive innovation. Her current project is developing National Halal Policy 2035 as the head consultant since 2024.Consultant
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR SA'ADAN MAN
Associate Professor Dr. Sa'adan Bin Man serves as a lecturer at the University Malaya (UM) since 1993 after completing his Bachelor of Syariah (B. Shariah) First Class at the same university in the same year. He then continues his studies and obtain a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in the field Islamic Jurisprudence at the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom. His area of expertise covering Contemporary Fiqh, Islamic Consumerism, Usul Fiqh, Fiqh Al-Ibadat, Fiqh Al-Ikhtilaf, and Islamic Astronomy.He was appointed as Head of the Department of Fiqh & Usul, Academy of Islamic Studies, UM from the year 2010 – 2013 and 2020 - 2022. He is an auditor for the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) (2011 – present), JAKIM Astronomical Expert Panel (since 2013 – present) and Committee Advisor for Malaysian Halal Certification (2014 - 2020). He has also held position as Deputy Coordinator at the International Halal Research Center University of Malaya (IHRUM) (2016-2018). In addition, he was once appointed as a member of the Board MBSB Shariah Advisor (2012 – 2017). He has served as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Edinburgh UK in 2013.At University of Malaya, he has developed several modules related to halal studies such as Haram Halal Jurisprudence, Consumer Jurisprudence and Malaysian Halal Industry Management (Bachelor) and Fiqh Halal Haram in Products and Services (Bachelor). He is also a Certified Halal Trainer recognized by JAKIM (2018 - now) and a panel that produce a halal training module at the Malaysian Islamic Training Institute (ILIM). He also develops a halal training module for Halal International Selangor (HIS) for the program Halal Technical Competent Person (HTCP).He has also been appointed as a Panel Shariah and Technical Advisor for International Halal Corporation (IHC), South Korea (2017-2018). He was appointed as a Permanent Member in the Advisory Panel of the Research Institute Universiti Putra Malaysia Halal Products (2024 – 2027). He was also appointed as an advisor and external curriculum assessors at the higher education level related to shariah and halal studies for various institutions of higher learning in Malaysia.He leads many research projects in his field of expertise and presenting papers in conferences at the national and international levels. He also published academic books and scientific articles in various journals international as well as local academic journals. Among his widely referenced publications in the field of halal is a book entitled "Is Our Food Halal?". He has supervised more than 60 postgraduate students and being the reviewer of academic books and articles scholarly, in addition to serving as editor-in-chief of Jurnal Fiqh (2020-present) and editor for several academic journals. His social contributions include sharing views his academics on various academic platforms such as seminars, forums, and intellectual discourse on halal.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR AZAH ANIR NORMAN
Azah Anir Norman is an associate professor and currently the Deputy Dean of Development, Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, University of Malaya (UM), Malaysia. She earned her undergraduate degree at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and her master's degree in electronic commerce security from Royal Holloway University of London (RHUL) in the UK in 2004. She completed her Ph.D. from the University of Malaya (UM) in 2014. She specializes in information security management systems (ISMS), secure applications for ICT, privacy and human elements in security, information security governance, security on social platforms, and e-commerce security.She is also very interested in topics about sustainability, Design Thinking, and Teaching & Learning Innovations. Azah Norman published numerous academic papers in reputable ISI and SCOPUS publications in the fields of information security governance, information security management, information security systems, information security & trust, information security & privacy, information security education awareness, information security & assurance, and information security policy & governance. Before entering the academic world, she worked as a Consultant at MSC Trustgate.com, a subsidiary of MDEC and a partner of VeriSign Inc. in the USA. In Trustgate, she provided Internet Security implementation consultation to numerous top 500 companies. Before becoming the consultant at Trustgate, she worked at VeriSign Inc. in Silicon Valley, San Jose, California, in 2001.As a specialist in information security management systems, she is also part of an expert in the working group WG/G/5-1 Information Security Management System, Department of Standards, Malaysia, and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). She belongs to the Association of Information Systems (AIS) and the MyAIS (AIS Malaysia Chapter), an organization that promotes excellence and knowledge progress in the field of information systems research and practice. She is also a secretary at the Cybersecurity Academia Malaysia Association (CSAM), a national association that promotes cybersecurity teaching, awareness, and research in Malaysia. She received a prestigious award from the Royal Academy of Engineering of the United Kingdom (RAENG) as the Leader of Innovation in 2018.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR NOR KARTINI ABU BAKAR
Associate Professor Dr. Nor Kartini binti Abu Bakar has been serving at the Universiti Malaya since 1999. She obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Wales, Cardiff, UK, in 1999. She has extensive experience conducting research in Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Science, focusing on developing analytical methods for determining pollutants and metabolites in various samples such as water, sediments, soil, fish, plants, food, and pharmaceuticals. As of now, she has successfully supervised the graduation of over 15 PhD students from a wide range of countries. She was also appointed as a panel member for the project committee on the development of industrial standards titled “Healthy Purification of Refrigerating Appliances for Household and Similar Use” under SIRIM Berhad (2023-2024). Her research on Halal Science began in 2018 when she served as Deputy Director of the University Malaya Halal Research Centre (UMHRC). Among the halal research projects she led as the principal investigator (PI) are “Development of Swine-Specific DNA Biosensor on Molecular Imprinted Polypyrrole Nanocomposites” (2019-2022) and “DNA Extraction Method for Porcine and Lard Adulteration in Halal Authentication of Personal Care Products” (2020-2024).
DR NORHIDAYAH PAUZI
Dr. Norhidayah Pauzi is a senior lecturer and researcher specializing in usul fiqh, halal consumerism, and contemporary fiqh. She is currently serving in the Department of Fiqh and Usul, Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya, with nearly ten years of experience in academia, research, and consultancy. She holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies, a Master of Shariah, and a Bachelor of Shariah (Fiqh and Usul al-Fiqh) from the University of Malaya. In recognition of her contributions, she was appointed as a Certified Halal Executive and Halal Trainer by the Halal Professional Board under the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) in 2022 and 2023, respectively.Dr. Norhidayah has published numerous articles in journals indexed by Scopus, WoS, and ESCI, with significant studies on halal food standards, consumer behavior in the halal market, and contemporary fiqh. Additionally, she has led and participated in various research projects funded by universities, national bodies, and private entities. These projects address key areas such as halal certification, mental health in worship practices, and maqasid al-shariah in consumer products, among others.Currently, she provides consultancy services in policy development, including involvement in the National Halal Policy 2035 project under JAKIM, demonstrating her leadership in shaping the future of the halal industry in Malaysia.
