The Merdeka Award recognises individuals and organisations whose achievements have not only contributed to the nation’s growth but have also inspired greatness in the people of Malaysia.
According to Malay Mail, this is not the first time Dr Ng has received an award for his achievements.
In 2018, he made the country proud by receiving the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Award for his research in breast cancer risk assessment and radiation medicine.
Humbled by the win
Dr Ng, who is a senior professor at the University of Malaya’s (UM) Faculty of Medicine, said he was humbled by the win as big names including late historian Tan Sri Khoo Kay Kim, economics professor Rajah Rasiah, and engineering professor Masjuki Haji Hassan were previously named as winners for the award.“It was definitely a pleasant surprise and a humbling experience when you look at the calibre of the past recipients (as they are) excellent scientists, engineers, and more who have contributed so much to Malaysia and are experts of their respective fields.
“I'm also grateful to the board of trustees and the various nomination committees of the Merdeka Award who selected me.
“It was a brief respite to the very challenging year we have had, and the win capped my year off on a positive note,” he said as quoted in the report.
Dr Ng has recently led a team to create an online resource for new and emerging COVID-19 research to tackle misinformation about the virus.
Keep doing awesome work Dr!