On the occasion of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn attending the opening of the 74th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, Federal Republic of Germany, Prof. Dr. Pairash Thajchayapong, Secretary General of Princess SirindhornIT Foundation; Prof. Dr. Sukit Limpijumnong, President of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA); Dr. Chadamas Thuvasethakul, Deputy Secretary General of Princess SirindhornIT Foundation; and Dr. Patchralita Chatwalitpong, Vice President of NSTDA, led a delegation of 6 young Thai scientists to attend the event and to be granted a royal audience with Her Royal Highness.
Prof. Dr. Sukit Limpijumnong stated, “This prestigious meeting is held annually, and this year, the meeting takes place from 29 June to 4 July 2025. It aims to promote collaboration and exchange knowledge and experience between Nobel Laureates and young scientists around the world.
This year’s meeting particularly highlighted chemistry. The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, NSTDA in collaboration with Princess Sirindhorn’s IT Foundation, announced the application, conducted interviews and evaluations, and humbly submitted the shortlist for Her Royal Highness’s gracious consideration and final selection.
There are 6 outstanding young scientists who were selected. The meeting provides a great opportunity for creating a network, exchanging ideas, and gaining inspiration from leading figures in the global scientific community who serve as speakers and participants at this event.
Thailand is represented by 6 delegates; 2 of them are doctoral degree students, and 4 of them are postdoctoral students, as follows:
- Miss Prapassara Muangsopa, who earned her master’s degree in Chemistry (international program) from Suranaree University of Technology. She has conducted notable research in the areas of organic dyes, molecular imaging, and nanotechnology, and is now pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Texas, USA.
- Praeploy Chomkhuntod, currently pursuing her second Ph.D. in Materials Science Research at Imperial College London, United Kingdom. Her research focuses on the battery development, supercapacitors, and electrocatalysts.
- Nutchapong Suwanwong, currently a professor in chemistry. He is an expert in glycochemistry, medicinal chemistry, drug discovery, and computational simulations.
- Tanakorn Kittikool, a postdoctoral researcher in the division of Materials Science and Materials Innovation, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University. His research focuses on perovskite solar cells.
- Ratchawi Jammee, a postdoctoral researcher at the International School of Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University. He has experience in applied science and engineering and inorganic chemistry.
- Sakulrat Mankhong, a postdoctoral researcher at Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), France. Her research focuses on skeletal muscle, muscular dystrophy diseases, and sarcomere.
Dr. Patchralita stated, “these days, a total of 87 young scientists from Thailand have participated in this prestigious meeting over 18 occasions. Many alumni have gone to work at universities, research institutes, and private sectors. Many research has an impact on the country’s economy and society. For example, Prof. Dr. Chatchai Muanprasat and his research team successfully in discovering about a synthetic compound derived from chalcone, which can be found in herbs like licorice. It helps protect chronic kidney disease in laboratory animals that have diabetic nephropathy. Their research was published in international journal named “Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy”. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thanit Praneenararat was honored to received best science professor award and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pongsakorn Kanjanaboos, who received materials researcher award for his groundbreaking development of a spray-on cooling film, marked the first in the world that a spray process has been used to create both form and structure. The film enhances infrared radiation emission in the 8–13 micrometer range and can be applied to a wide variety of surfaces.”
Dr. Patchralita added, “Attending this meeting is not only a great opportunity for young scientists to learn and gain inspiration from renowned scientists, but also to strengthen Thailand’s research potential internationally. I also encourage young scientist participants to make the most out of this experience and build international networks, bringing back knowledge and experience to enhance research and share this knowledge with the people onward.”