JAKARTA, 12 AUGUST 2022 — 29 international scientists from diverse fields of study and expertise have joined the Science Leadership Collaborative as mentors. This mentoring program is designed to nurture Indonesian researchers to become future world-class science leaders.
Dr. Sastia Putri, one of the mentors who is currently serving as the Chair of Ikatan Ilmuwan Indonesia Internasional (I-4) and associate professor at Osaka University, Japan, said, “This program will positively impact our efforts to welcome Golden Indonesia in 2045.”
The mentors come from various countries and are affiliated with globally reputable institutions such as AstraZeneca, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Anjani Mashelkar Foundation, Universitas Gadjah Mada, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Through this program, they will share their experience and knowledge and engage in various collaborative activities with the researchers they mentor.
“I’m really honored to have been asked to be one of the mentors,” said Prof. Brian King, a professor at Pennsylvania State University, USA.
Prof. Fitria Rahmawati, a professor at Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) who is also a mentor for this program, said a similar response. She added, “As a mentor, I should contribute to keeping up my mentee’s passion for science and research.”
The Conversation Indonesia, the program’s organizer, said that mentoring has an important role in enhancing the personal and professional development of the participants.
“Based on the findings from our scoping study, mentoring is an important part of the capacity development for researchers to become future leaders,” said Fito Rahdianto, the Program Manager of Science Leadership Collaborative.
The scoping study, which was led by Dr. Mizan Bisri, an Assistant Professor at Kobe University, Japan, also found that Indonesian researchers still have difficulty accessing mentoring. The Science Leadership Collaborative is designed to contribute to solving that problem.
In addition to sharing knowledge and experience, mentoring is also expected to help participants expand their international network so they can initiate collaborative research across countries, disciplines, and institutions in the future.
29 Science Leadership Collaborative Mentors
Agus Pramusinto
Agus Pramusinto is a professor at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Yogyakarta. His research has contributed to decentralization, local governance, and public sector reform and innovation in Indonesia. Currently, he also serves as chairman of the State Civil Apparatus Commission (KASN) 2019-2024 and Chair of the Indonesian Association For Public Administration (IAPA) 2019-2022.
Beben Benyamin
Beben Benyamin is an associate professor and lecturer at the University of South Australia. He also works as a senior research fellow at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute. He has led a genetic research consortium involving 70 researchers from several countries. One of his current research topics is genomics and its statistical applications to understanding human traits and diseases, particularly neuropsychiatric diseases.
Benny Tjahjono
Benny Tjahjono is an engineer by education and a professor of sustainability and supply chain management at Coventry University, England. He has won several research grants from the European Union, InnovateUK, and Engineering & Physical Research Council (EPSRC), among others. He has also been actively involved in the research-enriched learning initiatives and nurturing early career researchers at his institution.
Bramasta Nugraha
Bramasta Nugara is an Indonesian scientist who works as an associate principal scientist at the Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism Department, AstraZeneca. His current research interests are high-content imaging, biomaterials, tissue engineering, stem cells, and cardiovascular. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, he was a researcher (2016-2019) and project manager (2019-2021) at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Brian King
Brian King is a geographer and professor who also chairs the Department of Geography at Pennsylvania State University, United States. His research and teaching activities focus on issues of livelihoods, conservation and development, environmental change, and human health. He has been conducting research in southern Africa since 1999 and is an honorary research associate with the African Climate and Development Initiative at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Brian Yuliarto
Brian Yuliarto is a scientist and a professor at the Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB). He is an expert in nanomaterials development for energy and environmental application. At ITB, he has an important role in bridging and fostering research collaboration between ITB and many universities or research institutions, including UC Berkeley USA, NIMS Japan, and KAIST South Korea.
Dave Little
Dave Little has more than 35 years of experience in interdisciplinary research and education. He is a professor at the University of Stirling, Scotland, and one of the foremost scientists in the field of aquaculture. He has contributed significantly to fostering collaborative relationships between producers and knowledge centers to advance sustainable aquaculture through the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA).
David Large
David Large is a professor at the University of Nottingham, England. Previously he also served as chairman of the Department for Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the same university. One of his main research topics is studying peat conditions using satellite measures. Currently, he is leading a groundbreaking study to evaluate peatland sensitivity to global climate change.
Deden Rukmana
Deden Rukmana is a professor and chair of the Department of Community and Regional Planning at Alabama A&M University, United States. His research revolves around spatial planning and development challenges in Indonesia, as well as homelessness and health disparities in the United States. He also has experience as an urban planner in Indonesia and a planning analyst with the Florida Department of Community Affairs, United States.
Delvac Oceandy
Delvac Oceandy is an Indonesian scientist, lecturer, and reader in cardiovascular sciences at the University of Manchester, England. The lab he manages focuses on understanding the molecular aspects of cardiac remodeling and heart regeneration. He has led many noteworthy research projects funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), Medical Research Council (MRC), and Heart Research UK (HRUK), among others.
Dionysius M. Siringoringo
Dionysius M. Siringoringo is an Indonesian scientist in structural health monitoring, bridge engineering, and wind engineering. He is an associate professor at Yohokama National University, Japan. He has received several awards for his research and work, including the Takuji Kobori Award 2018 from the International Association of Structural Control and Monitoring (IASCM) and the Best Research in 2016 from the Japan Association of Wind Engineering (JAWE).
Fitria Rahmawati
Fitria Rahmawati is a professor at Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS), Solo. She is also a lecturer in the chemical study program and a scientist in the field of electrochemical energy conversion. At UNS, she leads the Solid State Chemistry and Catalysis Research Group and serves as the head of the Chemistry Masters Program.
I Nyoman Darma Putra
I Nyoman Darma Putra is a professor and lecturer in literature, culture, and tourism at Universitas Udayana, Bali. Prior to working in academics, he worked as a journalist and researcher fellow at KITLV Leiden (2010), The Cross-Cultural Center Ascona, Switzerland (2012), and the University of Melbourne, Australia (2015).
Ifty Ahmed
Ifty Ahmed is an associate professor at the University of Nottingham, England. He is an expert in biomaterials, bioengineering, advanced materials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications, and wastewater treatment. Dr. Ahmed has experience working closely with the industrial sector to manufacture his research findings.
Ines Atmosukarto
Ines Atmosukarto is a biologist who runs Australian start-up biotech, Lipotek, which focuses on vaccine research and development, and sees science and technology as a diplomacy tool to bridge countries. She was the first Indonesian recipient of the UNESCO-L’Oreal Fellowship for Women in Science in 2004 and is actively contributing to stimulating an interest in the world of science in the general public and young female students in particular.
Jacob Phelps
Aside from being a senior lecturer at Lancaster University, England, Jacob Phelps also lead the Conservation Governance Lab, where he coordinates conservation-litigation.org, a network of scientists, lawyers, economists, and activists focused on using the law to remedy harm to nature. His research also addresses issues related to conservation, including policy, legal, and governance dimensions of tropical biodiversity conservation and sustainable resource management.
Karen Osborn
Karen Osborn is a research zoologist and curator of Annelids and Peracarids at the National Museum of Natural History, USA. She specializes in the evolution of pelagic invertebrates that live up off the sea floor in the open ocean. Before coming to the Smithsonian in 2011, she completed her postdoc at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She is also an alumnus of Kavli Frontiers of Science.
Manuel Boissière
Manuel Boissière is a scientist at the French Agricultural Research Center for International Development (CIRAD). He is also leading the participatory approach to measuring, reporting, and verifying (PMRV) of carbon stocks in Indonesia at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). His other research focuses on local communities’ participation in sustainable forest and natural resource management.
Megan Huggett
Megan Hugget is a senior lecturer at the University of Newcastle, Australia. One of her main research focus is on biodiversity, particularly in the function and diversity of marine microbes. She has contributed to microbiome-related initiatives in Australia and developed a research program in microbial ecology at Edith Cowan University, Australia.
Mohammad Basyuni
Mohammad Basyuni is a professor of forestry at the University of North Sumatra whose current research seeks to understand the importance of plant lipids and mangrove pioneer species in North Sumatra. He has been involved in several initiatives with scientists from various countries, including the e-Asia JRP in 2021 and the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science Core to Core 2020-2023.
Monica Medina
Monica Medina is a biologist and professor from Pennsylvania State University, United States. She is interested in studying ecology and evolution of marine organisms as well as coral symbiosis and interactions. Recently, she was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for her contributions to marine ecology and her dedication to mentoring diverse young scientists.
Muhammad Azizul Islam
Muhammad Azizul Islam is one of the leading sustainability accounting researchers and has investigated issues on corporate human rights measures, climate change accounting, social audit, and corporate anti-bribery measures. He is also a professor and chair in Accountancy at the University of Aberdeen Business School, England.
Peter Mayer
Peter Mayer is a professor at the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, Germany. His research interests center on international economics and higher education management. He is also actively managing various programs related to higher education management, one of which is the DIES International Dean’s Course, a program funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
Raghunath Anant Mashelkar
Raghunath Anant Mashelkar is one of India’s prominent scientists and has served as chairman of the Indian National Science Academy. He has also been instrumental in reforming India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), leading various ‘Mashelkar Committees,’ and campaigning against foreign patents on Indian traditional knowledge.
Rodd Myers
Rodd Myers is a practitioner and transdisciplinary researcher examining power relations and policy implications for people and the environment. He has extensive project design, management, monitoring, and evaluation experience and has worked with a wide range of international clients. He is also the co-founder and managing director of the Dala Institute, which provides research, monitoring, evaluation, learning, and technical assistance.
Sastia Prama Putri
Sastia Prama Putri is an associate professor at the Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Japan. Her research centers on metabolomics applications for improving food quality and its relation to human health. She received the L’Oreal Award For Women in Science in 2015 and recently the Saito Award from the Society for Biotechnology, Japan. She currently serves as the President of Ikatan Ilmuwan Indonesia Internasional (I-4).
Stuart Green
Stuart Green has more than 30 years of experience working as a marine science and policy practitioner in Asia-Pacific. He leads the Blue-Green Advisors, where he has contributed to advising on collaborations and strategies around the nexus of conservation, biodiversity, and livelihoods. His work has catalyzed impactful partnerships between donors, implementers, and communities to preserve marine resources.
Tatas Brotosudarmo
Tatas Brotosudarmo is an associate professor and a lecturer at Universitas Ciputra, Surabaya. As a scientist, he has initiated various research, one of them being research on photosynthetic pigments in 2011. He has also received various prestigious awards, including Kavli Frontiers of Science in 2012 and 2016 and Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung/Foundation fellow in 2020-2021.
Teruna Siahaan
Teruna Siahaan is a professor with a distinguished career as a chemist and lecturer in pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Kansas, United States. His research focuses on developing novel methods to improve drug delivery to the brain and immune cells for treating brain and autoimmune diseases.
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