IKM CITATION AWARD 2025 HONOURS DR. THIRUVENTHAN FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHEMISTRY

PETALING JAYA, SELANGOR, 11 December 2025 - Centre for Drug Research (CDR) Senior Lecturer ChM Dr. Thiruventhan Karunakaran has been conferred the Malaysian Institute of Chemistry IKM Citation Award 2025 in recognition of his sustained service, leadership and professional contributions to the chemistry community.

The award, conferred by the Council of the Institut Kimia Malaysia, recognises outstanding involvement in professional chemistry activities, scientific outreach and organisational leadership at national and regional levels.

Dr. Thiru plays an active role within IKM, particularly through the Division of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, where he regularly organises webinars, workshops and structured knowledge sharing sessions that support chemists, students and early career researchers nationwide.

He also serves as a committee member of the IKM Northern Branch, contributing to the coordination of regional programmes and serving on the organising committee of Karnival Kimia Malaysia K2M Northern Zone, one of IKM's major public science engagement initiatives.

At the national level, Dr. Thiru contributes through his appointment to the IKM Committee on Chemistry and Industry CCI, where he represents the professional body in strengthening engagement between the chemistry industry, academia and the wider community.

In research, Dr. Thiru has authored and co authored more than 50 peer reviewed publications focusing on natural product discovery, phytochemistry, medicinal chemistry and the analytical characterisation of new psychoactive substances from botanical sources, particularly Mitragyna speciosa, in alignment with the niche research focus of the Centre for Drug Research USM.

His work emphasises chemical diversity, pharmacological potential and toxicological relevance of medicinal plants, especially psychoactive species, contributing to evidence based understanding in the field of chemistry and drug research.

Dr. Thiru has also established active national and international research collaborations with institutions including Yale School of Medicine in the United States, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Kazakhstan and Institut Pertanian Bogor University in Indonesia, strengthening global research networks and interdisciplinary scientific exchange.

The IKM Citation Award 2025 was presented during Malam Kimia 2025 held on 6 December 2025 at One World Hotel Petaling Jaya, marking formal recognition of Dr. Thiru's leadership, service and contributions to advancing chemistry education, public engagement and professional development in Malaysia.

Universiti Sains Malaysia congratulates Dr. Thiruventhan Karunakaran on this achievement, which reflects the university's continued commitment to excellence in research, professional service and societal engagement.

Source & Photos: Dr. Thiruventhan Karunakaran, Centre for Drug Research (CDR)/Editing: Shafinaz Md Ismail