6 December 2010
CITATION
Award of Doctor of Science honoris causa
Professor Sangkot Marzuki AM
Chancellor,
Professor Sangkot Marzuki AM is a highly regarded biologist and geneticist who has been leading the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology and rebuilding the Institute as the premier research institution in Indonesia since 1992.
Professor Marzuki spent more than 20 years as an academic at Monash University where the impact of his research on human genetic disorders and the interplay between genetic factors and infectious diseases was recognised with a Higher Doctorate from Monash and an Honorary Doctorate from Utrecht University.
He has also received a number of prestigious Indonesian awards and, in 2005, received an ASEAN Outstanding Scientist Award.
In 2009, Professor Marzuki was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of his ongoing service and commitment to Australia–Indonesia relations through both his support of scientific collaboration and promotion of Australian tertiary education in Indonesia. He has continued to maintain strong links with the Australian scientific community.
UQ has enjoyed a strong relationship with the Eijkman Institute through the delivery of a Postgraduate Diploma in Science (Molecular Biology). This program was highly regarded in Indonesia and led to a steady stream of Indonesian research students as well as the further development of strong bilateral research links between Indonesia and Australia. A number of the current staff at the Eijkman Institute are UQ alumni and Professor Marzuki was an Adjunct Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UQ from 1997 until 2003. He continues to maintain links with researchers at UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience.
Professor Marzuki has served on the Indonesian National Regional Council (1994–2004) and Higher Education Council (1996–2000; 2003–2008); and was a Governing Council Member of the Asia–Pacific International Molecular Biology Network (1998–2008); and Chair of the Asia–Pacific Network of Human Geneticists.
Chancellor, in recognition of his distinguished career and significant achievement in the field of molecular biology and genetics and his distinguished service to Australia, I present to you Professor Sangkot Marzuki AM (medicine graduate from the University of Indonesia in 1968; Master of Science from Mahidol University (Bangkok) in 1971; and PhD from Monash University in 1975, for the award of Doctor of Science honoris causa bestowed by the Senate of The University of Queensland.