Steven Eric Krauss (@ Abd. Lateef) joined UPM's Faculty of Educational Studies as a Lecturer in 2006. In 2010, he left the faculty to pursue his interest in youthrelated research at the Institute for Social Science Studies (IPSAS) for over six years as a Research Fellow. In early 2017, he returned to the Faculty of Educational Studies to resume full-time academic work. He is currently involved in a number of research projects related to youth development. His latest research centers on the role of interpersonal relations as a support for positive youth development. Current projects include a national study on youth engagement and community connectedness, and the personal developmental experiences of young social entrepreneurs. Prof. Lateef has also been involved in a multi-year collaborative research project with the School of Human Ecology of the University of Wisconsin, USA, exploring youth-adult partnership in youth and community program settings. Other collaborative efforts have included research and consultancy work with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the International Youth Center, Yayasan Chow Kit, the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, and other public agencies and NGOs. He is a Foundation Member of the Center for Applied Youth Research, Tasmania, Australia as well as an International Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Applied Youth Studies, Center for Applied Youth Research, Tasmania, Australia. In 2010 he was awarded the Majlis Penerbitan Ilmiah Malaysian (MAPIM) award for the Best Journal Article Award (humanities and social sciences). He has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles in national and international journals and regularly assists students and colleagues through a variety of training activities related to qualitative research methods and journal article writing.