MARCH, 2019 | The Health
women
25
Celebrating Malaysian women in science
Dr Betty Sim Kim Lee.
“I am not free while any
woman is unfree, even
when her shackles are very
different from my own.”
— Audre Lorde, writer and
civil rights activist
T
he history of science can at times read like a list
of bearded old men (sorry Darwin), but there have
been many incredible and inspiring women who
have changed our understanding of the world around
us. We’ve all heard of the likes of Rosalind Franklin and
Marie Curie, but there are many more famous women
in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM) that deserve your attention. Best part they’re
Malaysians!
Dr Lam Shu Jie.
the course of her thesis research in antimicrobials and
superbugs. China has also awarded her the illustrious
‘Young Overseas Chinese Award’ in Beijing. China’s
Health Minister Gao Qiang personally handed the
coveted award to her.
Dr Chua Pei Cheng.
Datuk Dr Mazlan
Othman.
Meet the winner of Yara’s Birkeland Prize 2015!
Dr Chua Pei Cheng received the prestigious award
for her thesis in the field of oil and gas that addressed
problems relating to gas hydrate plugging, which con-
tributed to overcoming major challenges in production
and transportation of gas and condensate.
Dr Chua Pei Cheng’s research has led to practical
solutions which has been proven to perform better with
much less environmental impact.
4
. Rupa Shanmugam
This small town girl from Kampar pursued her
dream in electrical engineering and is now the
President and Chief Executive Officer of US-based
technology company SoPark. Rupa told Buffalo News in
2016 that she was the only girl in her class when she was
studying electrical engineering in Malaysia and even at
workplaces later on, a women engineer was a rarity.
In 2016, she was one of 100 women in manufacturing
leadership roles nationally who won a “Step Ahead”
award from the Manufacturing Institute in Washing-
ton, D.C. Rupa is also committed to women’s issues
and is an advocate of young women following her path
into manufacturing careers. She serves on the board of
United Way of Buffalo and Erie County and is a member
of the University at Buffalo Women in STEM coopera-
tive committee, among other activities.
1
. Dr Betty Sim Kim Lee
You might recognise this lady at a photoshoot by
legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz of promi-
nent scientists honoured by the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation. Dr Betty Sim Kim Lee is the president and
leading researcher of an organisation working on the
development of vaccines for infectious diseases. She
is also a Malaysian, a proud Nyonya born and bred in
Kota Bharu.
Malaria is one of the deadliest illness in the world,
with an estimated casualty of 438,000 people in 2015
alone according to the World Health Organisation
(WHO). But, thanks to Dr Betty and husband Dr Ste-
phen L Hoffman, a whole malaria vaccine called PfSPZ
vaccine may soon be used to prevent malaria in malaria
endemic countries.
Dr Betty Sim Kim Lee estimates that the vaccine will
dramatically reduce and then eliminate 200 million
clinical cases of malaria once it is licensed and deployed.
5
. Datuk Dr Mazlan Othman
2
. Dr Lam Shu Jie
Scientists in Australia took a quantum leap
in the war on superbugs, developing a chain
of star-shaped polymer molecules that can destroy
antibiotic-resistant bacteria without hurting healthy
cells. And the star of the show was then 25-year-old
Lam Shu Jie.
This Malaysian is a graduate from the University of
Melbourne, who has developed the polymer chain in
3
. Dr Chua Pei Cheng
Rupa Shanmugam.
With a long list of firsts, she is proof of women
excelling in the field. She is Malaysia’s first astro-
physicist; the first woman in the history of her alma
mater (University of Otago, New Zealand) to earn a
PhD in physics; the first director of Malaysia’s National
Space Agency, Angkas. This shining star is also the
first head of the Angkasawan Project that successfully
launched the country’s first astronaut, Datuk Dr Sheikh
Muszaphar Shukor, into space. She is also the first
Malaysian to serve as director of the United Nations
Office for Outer Space Affairs in Vienna, Austria from
1999 to 2002 and again from 2010 to 2014. — The
Health