Augustine Ong
Encyclopedia
Tan Sri Dr Augustine Ong Soon Hock is the Chairman of the International Society for Fat Research (ISF) since 1997 and the President of the Malaysian Oil Scientists' and Technologists' Association, Senior Fellow of the Academy of Sciences, Malaysia, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry
London and Fellow of the Third World Academy of Sciences
.
He is a student of St. Francis Institution
, in Malacca. He is a graduate of the University of Malaya
(BSc Hons, MSc) and King's College London
(PhD in Organic Chemistry
). He is internationally recognized in the field of lipid chemistry.
Ong has had extensive experience in teaching, research and administration at the university level. He was serving as Dean
, School of Chemical Sciences, and University Science Malaysia before joining the private sector where he was the former Director-General of the Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (PORIM) from 1987 to 1989 and former Director in Science and Technology, Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council (MPOPC) from 1990 to 1996.
He has acquired extensive networking in the oils and fat
s industry as well as in the academic world both locally and overseas. He was the Fulbright-Hays Fellow
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) 1966 to 1967. He spent a sabbatical year in the University of Oxford
as the Visiting Professor at the Dyson Perrins Laboratory
, 1976 to 1977.
He has been active in research and development for more than 45 years since 1959 and this experience includes the chemistry and technology of palm oil
in which he had more than 25 years' involvement since 1974. He has 14 patents in the technology of palm oil to his credit and published more than 380 articles. He was the founder editor-in-chief of Elaeis-International Journal of Oil Palm Research and Development and is still a member of the Editorial Board. He played a significant role in the programme to counter the Anti-Palm Oil Campaign from 1987 to 1989 which came to a favourable conclusion in 1989. He has been invited to serve as a member of Research Advisory Panels on Cocoa, Forestry, Rubber and Petroleum as well as a member, International Advisory Council, University Tunku Abdul Rahman. He is Founder President of the Malaysian Invention and Design Society (MINDS) since 1986. He is also President of the Confederation of Scientific and Technology Associations in Malaysia (COSTAM) and Malaysian Oil Scientists and Technologists' Association (MOSTA). He serves on the Board of several corporate organizations including University of Malaya
, Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange (MACEE), Country Heights Holdings Berhad. He had served as Director, HSBC
(Malaysia) since its incorporation till 2004.
Royal Society of Chemistry
The Royal Society of Chemistry is a learned society in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences." It was formed in 1980 from the merger of the Chemical Society, the Royal Institute of Chemistry, the Faraday Society and the Society for Analytical Chemistry with a new...
London and Fellow of the Third World Academy of Sciences
Third World Academy of Sciences
TWAS, until 2004 named Third World Academy of Sciences and now TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world, is a merit-based science academy uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable development in...
.
He is a student of St. Francis Institution
St. Francis Institution
St. Francis Institution or Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St. Francis is a secondary school in Melaka, Malaysia of the La Sallian tradition. It is called 'SFI' by the local population. Alumni, or Old Boys, are known as 'Franciscans' or 'Lasallians'....
, in Malacca. He is a graduate of the University of Malaya
University of Malaya
The University of Malaya is located on a campus near the centre of Kuala Lumpur, and is the oldest university in Malaysia. It was founded in 1905 as a public-funded tertiary institution...
(BSc Hons, MSc) and King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
(PhD in Organic Chemistry
Organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-based compounds, hydrocarbons, and their derivatives...
). He is internationally recognized in the field of lipid chemistry.
Ong has had extensive experience in teaching, research and administration at the university level. He was serving as Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
, School of Chemical Sciences, and University Science Malaysia before joining the private sector where he was the former Director-General of the Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (PORIM) from 1987 to 1989 and former Director in Science and Technology, Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council (MPOPC) from 1990 to 1996.
He has acquired extensive networking in the oils and fat
Fat
Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and generally insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are triglycerides, triesters of glycerol and any of several fatty acids. Fats may be either solid or liquid at room temperature, depending on their structure...
s industry as well as in the academic world both locally and overseas. He was the Fulbright-Hays Fellow
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(MIT) 1966 to 1967. He spent a sabbatical year in the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
as the Visiting Professor at the Dyson Perrins Laboratory
Dyson Perrins Laboratory
The Dyson Perrins Laboratory in the science area of the University of Oxford was the main centre for research into organic chemistry of the University from its foundation in 1916 until its closure as a laboratory in 2003...
, 1976 to 1977.
He has been active in research and development for more than 45 years since 1959 and this experience includes the chemistry and technology of palm oil
Palm oil
Palm oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil are edible plant oils derived from the fruits of palm trees. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis; palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel of the oil palm and coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the...
in which he had more than 25 years' involvement since 1974. He has 14 patents in the technology of palm oil to his credit and published more than 380 articles. He was the founder editor-in-chief of Elaeis-International Journal of Oil Palm Research and Development and is still a member of the Editorial Board. He played a significant role in the programme to counter the Anti-Palm Oil Campaign from 1987 to 1989 which came to a favourable conclusion in 1989. He has been invited to serve as a member of Research Advisory Panels on Cocoa, Forestry, Rubber and Petroleum as well as a member, International Advisory Council, University Tunku Abdul Rahman. He is Founder President of the Malaysian Invention and Design Society (MINDS) since 1986. He is also President of the Confederation of Scientific and Technology Associations in Malaysia (COSTAM) and Malaysian Oil Scientists and Technologists' Association (MOSTA). He serves on the Board of several corporate organizations including University of Malaya
University of Malaya
The University of Malaya is located on a campus near the centre of Kuala Lumpur, and is the oldest university in Malaysia. It was founded in 1905 as a public-funded tertiary institution...
, Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange (MACEE), Country Heights Holdings Berhad. He had served as Director, HSBC
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...
(Malaysia) since its incorporation till 2004.