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Kong was the only Malaysian recipient for the MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 Asia Pacific Award 2024. (Kong Xin Ying pic)Yet another Malaysia’s loss, foreigners’ gain, why?
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4, 2024: Malaysian-born researcher, Kong Xin Ying, has achieved a remarkable feat: in September, she received the MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 (TR35) Asia Pacific Award for 2024. In the same month, she was selected as the World’s Top 2% Scientists 2023 determined by Stanford University.
Kong has certainly made the country proud as she was the only Malaysian recipient for the TR35 award this year. Over the past decade, only three other Malaysians were selected.
The award recognises 35 exceptional young innovators from across the region who have made significant breakthroughs in biotechnology, communications, and energy, among others.
So, why is she not researching in Malaysia? Is she even recognised by the Malaysian Government?
Why are the brainy Malaysians overseas and not in Malaysia? Can the Government even do anything to successfully attract the brains back to Malaysia?
Most Malaysians probably know the answers, except the racial and religious bigoted politicians and senior civil servants.
Malaysian governments (elected every five years) only recognise kangkong graduates, lecturers and professors!
No News Is Bad News reproduces below a news report on the researcher Kong:
Malaysian hailed by MIT, Stanford for pioneering research
Sheela Vijayan @ FMT Lifestyle
-04 Nov 2024, 07:00 AM
Kong Xin Ying discovers technology that takes the decomposition process of non-biodegradable plastics from at least a century to one day.
PETALING JAYA: For most, being recognised by prestigious institutions such as Stanford, Harvard or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
But Malaysian-born researcher, Kong Xin Ying, has achieved a remarkable feat: in September, she received the MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 (TR35) Asia Pacific Award for 2024. In the same month, she was selected as the World’s Top 2% Scientists 2023 determined by Stanford University.
Kong has certainly made the country proud as she was the only Malaysian recipient for the TR35 award this year. Over the past decade, only three other Malaysians were selected.
The award recognises 35 exceptional young innovators from across the region who have made significant breakthroughs in biotechnology, communications, and energy, among others.
Kong, a research fellow at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, has led a team to develop a series of catalysts that can shorten the decomposing process of non-biodegradable plastics. As a result of her work, the process that takes at least 100 years can be reduced to a single day.
Additionally, this technology can produce valuable chemicals such as solvents and hydrogen storage carriers, among others.
“Receiving this award is an incredible honour as it recognises the significance of my work in mitigating plastic pollution with sustainable solutions and encourages me to work harder,” said Kong.
Being selected by Stanford is also an outstanding achievement, especially since she is only 32 years old. “I didn’t expect to make it because I thought it would probably take me another five years.”
Kong, an avid diver, is driven to work on plastic upcycling-related research. The UN estimates that there might be more plastics than fish in the oceans by 2050. (Kong Xin Ying pic)
Her interest in plastic upcycling was sparked through her love for the underwater world. A certified diver, a trip to Mabul Island in Sabah left her aghast by what she saw in a village there.
“There was a lot of trash on the beaches and plastic waste floating on the water. Later, I started researching more about plastic pollution. I have previously read about it, but I thought it was exaggerated. Until I really saw it.”
She grew even more concerned after learning about an estimate by the United Nations that there could be more plastics than fish in the oceans by 2050.
“Because of that, I started to work on plastic recycling-related research,” she shared, adding that the research took approximately two and a half years.
While it is easy to assume that Kong was a straight-A student in school, she revealed that she wasn’t.
“But instead of focusing on grades, my parents prioritised my personal development. They never asked me to attend tuition classes, unless I requested it,” said Kong, who hails from Yong Peng, Johor.
“From young, they nurtured my critical thinking skills and encouraged me to make my own decisions. They supported me in trying new things and taking risks, even if it means failing sometimes, as they view failure as a learning opportunity.”
This, she added, helped her to engage in research with an open mind, unafraid of exploring new ideas and taking on challenges.
Growing up in multicultural Malaysia, she shared, also gave her an edge when it came to working with her research team who have diverse expertise and backgrounds.
Kong was the only Malaysian recipient for the MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 Asia Pacific Award 2024. (Kong Xin Ying pic)
Impressively, Kong was also one of the five recipients of the 2023 Merdeka Award Grant for International Attachment. She will begin her three-month stint under the grant at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of California, Berkeley soon. There, she hopes to collaborate with other researchers and further advance her work.
“The spirit of the Merdeka Award is about pushing boundaries and striving for excellence. It has inspired me to keep going despite the setbacks I faced in my experiment.
“In the future, I hope to scale up this technology to an industrial level and eventually commercialise it, so it can have a real-world impact and benefit people,” she said, adding that she is open to opportunities to return to Malaysia.
To aspiring researchers, she shared: “Set clear goals, work hard towards it, and don’t be afraid of failure. Never give up, and trust yourself.”
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