KUALA LUMPUR, 15 August 2016 – Professor Dr. Liong Min Tze from the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) School of Industrial Technology today received the Top Research Scientists Malaysia (TRSM) Award alongside other nine recipients at a ceremony held in Kuala Lumpur.

The award was presented by His Royal Highness Paduka Seri Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibuddin Shah Al-Maghfullah, the Sultan of Perak.

According to Liong, she strongly believed that the selection for TRSM has become more stringent with tougher competitions, as this award gained more recognition.

“I feel extremely blessed to be presented with this award this year and would like to wish my fellow USM colleagues to continue striving on in the years to come and hopefully, more USM scientists will be selected for such an award in the future,” she said.

Furthermore she added that, as a note of gratitude, she would like to thank her family especially her parents who have been her pillar of strength and would also like to thank USM for continuously supporting her research and creating such a conducive research environment that enables for personal and institutional science and research development.

Liong, graduated from Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia with a Ph.D in 2006, at the age of 28. She then joined Universiti Sains Malaysia in December 2006, was promoted to Senior Lecturer in August 2008, Associate Professor in July 2010 and Professor in October 2015. 

She has actively published research papers (Scopus H-index 20), serves as an Editorial Board member of reputable journals, and delivered keynote and plenary lectures both nationally and internationally. Her research mainly on probiotics has also yielded products that have been commercialised for industries in Malaysia, Japan, China and Taiwan.

Liong was the recipient of the Best Research Student Award (Victoria University, Australia; 2006), a finalist in the Malcolm Bird Award (Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology; 2006), and named one of the three top young women scientists in Malaysia (2007) by FWIS L’Oreal-UNESCO.

She has also been awarded the IAP Young Scientist, where she represented Malaysia at the World Science Forum in Budapest to pitch for changes in science policies in the Hungarian Parliament (2015) and in 2016, Professor Liong was named as one of the Top Research Scientists Malaysia, awarded by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM).

Meanwhile, according to the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), YB Datuk Seri Panglima Madius Tangau during his speech, the recipients of TRSM should take pride in their work and achievements and strive to push their limits even further to ensure that their research will not just be for knowledge, but also for the benefit of humanity.

“Science and technology is increasingly assimilated into our daily lives; hence, the need for good science is crucial. I believe that Malaysia can be a champion in promoting science for peace, as we have in place the mechanisms to practice good science and are able to leverage on existing goodwill among our partners,” he said.

He added that, in 2010, The Academy of Science Malaysia has embarked on identifying research scientists who are and have been active in research for the last five years in their areas of expertise and TRSM was created with a database on who’s who and who’s currently doing what in the various fields of scientific research in this country, and the database would serve as the hub for knowledge generation and dissemination, to spur the growth of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in Malaysia.

The TRSM Award presentation ceremony was partly held in conjunction with the International Conference on Science for Peace, beginning 15-16 August 2016 in Kuala Lumpur.

Since 2012 until 2016, 27 USM scientists have already received TRSM awards from all the 120 recipients selected in total. 

The Academy of Science Malaysia (ASM) has embarked on the Top Research Scientists Malaysia (TRSM) initiative since 2010 to identify and recognize leading Malaysian research scientists who are actively pushing the boundaries of research and development to generate new knowledge, make discoveries, create value-added opportunities and translate their research into meaningful and impactful outcomes that would significantly contribute to the socio-economic transformation of the nation.

Text: Hafiz Meah Ghouse Meah / Editing: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin / Photo: Ahmad Zulman Mohd Zain