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Prof. Ong Wee Jun Receives Malaysia Scopus Research Excellence Award 2024
Prof. Ong Wee Jun, the Assistant Dean of the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering and the Director of the Center of Excellence for Nano Energy & Catalysis Technology (CONNECT) at Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM), has received Malaysia Scopus Research Excellence Award 2024 in the "Ground-breaking Contributions" category in recognition of his significant impact on advancing scientific understanding in Malaysia.
The award ceremony, held on 28 November 2024, was part of the Putrajaya Festival of Ideas (FOI) 2024. It recognized local researchers and journals' high-quality contributions to advancing knowledge, technology, and society. The award event was organized by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in collaboration with Elsevier, a Netherlands-based company that plays a pivotal role in research and publishing at the international level.
The ceremony was officiated by the Minister of Higher Education, YB Dato' Seri Diraja Dr. Zambry Abd Kadir, who in his speech emphasized the role of high-quality research in driving the high transformation of Malaysia. YB highlighted that the forthcoming Higher Education Development Plan 2026–2035 will prioritize emerging areas such as Sustainable Development Goals, planetary health, and artificial intelligence.
Also in attendance were Deputy Minister of Higher Education, YB Datuk Ts. Mustapha Sakmud; KPT General Secretary, Dato' Seri Ir. Dr. Zaini Ujang; Director General of Higher Education, Professor Datuk Dr. Azlinda Azman; senior officials from KPT , JPT , Elsevier, Scopus ; and delegations from higher education institutions in Malaysia.
The Malaysia Scopus Research Excellence Awards are divided into three primary categories: (1) Ground-breaking Contributions, (2) Research Innovations, and (3) Societal Impacts. Winners are selected based on the impact of their publications on national development.
Expressing his gratitude, Prof. Ong Wee Jun remarked:
"I am deeply honored to receive this prestigious award from YB Datuk Ts. Mustapha Sakmud and to be
recognized alongside such outstanding awardees. This award acknowledges my hard work over the past decade. It underscores the need to bridge academic insights with industry practices to create impactful solutions for next-generation interdisciplinary technologies."
Prof. Ong Wee Jun’s research focuses on sustainable energy projects, including nanomaterials, nanocatalysis, hydrogen production, hydrogen carrier, hydrogen storage, carbon capture and utilization, circular plastic economy, and plasma energy.
Encouraging the next generation of researchers, he shared:
"Think outside the box! As researchers, we need to remain optimistic, creative, and innovative, maximizing the potential of available resources and facilities, despite the current economic and scientific challenges."
Looking ahead, Prof. Ong Wee Jun highlighted his goal of transforming research into tangible solutions. His team is currently collaborating with national agencies to develop a scalable, clean hydrogen ecosystem within two years to address global sustainability challenges.
"Securing funding is critical to turning innovations into practical applications. My ultimate aim is to enhance Malaysia's research ecosystem through collaborations, high-impact publications, patents, and industry knowledge exchange."
Earlier this year, Prof. Ong Wee Jun was named as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher for the sixth consecutive year, recognizing him among the top 0.1% of the world’s most cited scientists. He has also consistently been ranked among Stanford University’s World's Top 2% Scientists by Scopus/Elsevier in both the career-long and single-year categories. His current H-index stands at 69 (Google Scholar), with over 23,500 citations and 160 publications.
Prof. Ong Wee Jun is actively recruiting several postgraduate (Master's or PhD) students as well as research engineers/assistants in 2025 for cutting-edge projects at CONNECT at XMUM.
If you are interested in working in the aforementioned projects, kindly contact Prof. Ong Wee Jun for further discussion (weejun.ong@xmu.edu.my ).
