RECOGNISED for their exemplary academic achievements, medical physicist Prof Dr Ng Kwan Hoong, has been awarded the prestigious Emeritus Professor title by Universiti Malaya (UM), along with Prof Dr Liam Choon Kin and Prof Dr Azirah Hashim.
Currently an Honorary Professor at the varsity’s Department of Biomedical Imaging, Prof Ng is highly regarded for his contribution in breast imaging, radiological protection, radiation dosimetry, and risk communication. He continues to make discoveries in breast density, image processing and radiation dosimetry with other research collaborators.
Prof Ng is an interdisciplinary expert who has served as a consultant for the International Energy Agency since 1993 and has established a global mentoring programme for physicists to help them develop leadership skills and grow into passionate scientists with integrity and empathy.
“UM has the vision to be a global university that brings impact to the world. This can be done through interdisciplinary collaborations with other countries,” he said after being conferred the award on March 5.
Prof Ng was named a fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) on Jan 1, an academy based in Italy dedicated to advancing science in developing countries. He was awarded the Merdeka Award in 2020 for his contributions to a more sustainable Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Prof Dr Liam Choon Kin’s research focuses on respiratory diseases, specifically epidemiology, molecularly targeted therapies, and lung cancer immunotherapy. He has authored or co-authored 299 papers that have been presented at national, regional, and international scientific meetings and has published 182 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals.
Since 1985, he has worked at the UM Medicine Faculty Department of Medicine, rising to become the deputy dean for postgraduate programmes from 2003 to 2005.
Prof Liam, who is also interested in genetic polymorphisms in bronchial asthma, has stated that he will continue to supervise postgraduate students pursuing Masters in Internal Medicine and teach undergraduate medical students despite his retirement.
“I am working on a few papers (in respiratory medicine), and I hope they will be published this year,” he said.
Prof Dr Azirah Hashim said she is committed to sharing her knowledge and expertise in applied linguistics, studies of language relations in Southeast Asia, Asean higher education, and legal discourse at both the national and international levels.
Her involvement in several international organisations, including the Asia Pacific Languages for Specific Purposes and the Professional Communication Association, will allow her postdoctoral students to collaborate with researchers in other countries’ centres of excellence.
From 2003 to 2009, she served as dean of the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics. She was chosen to lead the Cluster of Humanities and Ethics at UM from 2010 to 2015 because of her expertise and experience.
She was appointed the first Asian president of the International Association of Applied Linguistics last year and will serve in that position until 2024.
She has demonstrated outstanding academic leadership through research, publication, and consulting as an educator and research-focused visionary.
She has over 130 publications, including 17 books, articles in international journals, and book chapters with global publishers.
