Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Wan Zuhainis Saad is an Associate Professor of Microbiology at the Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). She is a distinguished academic leader with extensive experience in higher education policy, academic development, teaching innovation, and institutional transformation. From 2018 to 2022, she served as Director of the Academic Excellence Division, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, where she contributed significantly to national initiatives in academic quality, teaching and learning excellence, and digital learning innovation. She currently leads the Centre for Academic Development and Leadership Excellence (CADe-Lead) at UPM and serves as Chair of the Malaysian Higher Education Teaching and Learning Council (MAGNETIC).Her contributions to teaching and learning have been recognised nationally. She received the National Academic Award for Teaching under the Pure Science Cluster in 2018 and the Higher Education E-Learning Maestro Award in 2023, reflecting her sustained excellence in pedagogy, e-learning, and academic innovation. Beyond UPM, Dr. Wan Zuhainis holds several distinguished appointments. She is an Adjunct Professor at UCSI University, an Advisory Board Member of the UK–Malaysian University Consortium, and a member of the Advisory Panel for the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS. At the national level, she plays a leading role in shaping the future of Malaysian higher education. She is the Deputy Chairman of the Working Committee for the Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint 2026–2035 and the lead writer for the first strategic shift, Humanity-Centric, Entrepreneurial and Adaptive Learners. Under the National Education Reform initiative, she also leads the Working Group on the Adaptive, Relevant and Responsive Curriculum (Lifelong and Experiential Learning).  Internationally, she has been appointed as an Expert Consultant by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Cambodia, to lead the transformation of academic programmes in Cambodian higher education from 2024 to 2026. Her work continues to advance future-ready education, academic excellence, and transformative curriculum development across Malaysia and the wider region.