At the press conference held on 2 August 2018, Dr. Sakarindr Bhumiratana, President of the Foundation for the Promotion of Science and Technology under the Patronage of His Majesty the King, made an announcement of Outstanding and Young Scientist Awards 2018. Professor Dr. Orawon Chailapakul was
named Outstanding Scientist, whereas Dr. Chularat Wattanakit and Assistant Professor Dr. Jaursup Boonmak were Young Scientist awardees.
Dr. Orawon Chailapakul is a professor at the Department of Chemistry, Chulalongkorn University. She is recognized for her achievements in electrochemistry and its application as detection methods in a wide range of industry. Her pioneering work on boron-doped diamond electrodes led to the development of sensors and platform for the detection of organic and inorganic compounds, opening new frontier and possibilities for analytical automation, portability and disposability, with added advantages of substantial reduction in analysis time, waste and cost.
Dr. Chularat Wattanakit is presently a faculty member of School of Molecular Science and Engineering, Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC). Her Young Scientist Award was based on her excellence work on nanocatalysts. She and her team focus on the development of heterogenous catalysts together with other inorganic materials which result in improved catalytic performances for many potential applications including the conversion of low-cost hydrocarbon compounds into high-added-value chemicals.
Dr. Jaursup Boonmak is an assistant professor in Chemistry at the Faculty of Science, Khon Kaen University. His work focuses on the synthesis and study of crystal structures of new coordination polymers and complexes for the applications in molecular absorption, magnetism and optical sensor.
The Foundation for the Promotion of Science and Technology under the Patronage of His Majesty the King presents the Outstanding Scientist and Young Scientist Awards annually to recognize Thai researchers with outstanding scientific achievements and to encourage active younger researchers to perform high quality research work of significant impact to society and economy. NSTDA is among the sponsors of these prestigious awards.