MALAYSIAN SCIENTIST BAGS TOP REGIONAL AWARD
Senior USM lecturer wins Science, Technology and Digital category
SHE’S a mum, wife and a respected expert for her work on novel molecular therapeutics in cancer. On Tuesday, Chern Ein Oon, 34, added another title to her repertoire that she can be proud of.
The young Penang scientist won the Science, Technology and Digital category of the Women of the Future Award South East Asia, beating four other talented women who were also nominated in the same category.
Chern, a senior lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia, was among 12 Malaysian women also shortlisted for the prestigious award in various categories.
The daughter of a chemist, Chern credited her father for getting her interested in science.
“I hope to inspire young people to pursue science the right way, the ethical way and to make them understand that age is just a number and that they can achieve anything if they set their mind to it,” she said.
Chern’s research and expertise will likely influence more effective strategies in anticancer drug development.
As a young woman pursuing a career in science, Chern was often told that she was too young to take the lead or to do certain things. She was also told that she should put the needs of her family above her career.
And like many working mums, she felt guilty at missing out on valuable time with her year-old daughter while doing her job.
But having a supportive husband and the right mindset, Chern had forged a path for herself that had given her the best of both worlds.
“As a woman, I often heard that family must come first, but I wanted to have both (family and career) and now I have.”
The Women of the Future, South East Asia Awards honours outstanding women from across the Asean region who have demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities in their respective areas of expertise.
The award ceremony was held in Singapore on Tuesday. This year, 50 candidates were shortlisted from 170 nominations from 10 countries.
Founded in the United Kingdom in 2006 by Pinky Lilani, the Women of The Future programme was conceived to celebrate, support and inspire the next generation of female leaders.
This community of influential British women grew exponentially, with networks that naturally expanded beyond British shores.
Southeast Asia was the obvious region to formally connect into the programme and with the firm support of British High Commissioner to Malaysia Vicki Treadell, it is the next step in building a global network of business leadership talents.