University Professor of Plant Biology, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, and Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Education

Rutgers University, New Jersey

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Dr. Mark Robson has spent over 30 years collaborating with Thai scientists in academia and government, beginning with his connections formed in the 1980s. His work includes significant contributions to health and environmental research, particularly through long-standing teaching roles at Chulalongkorn University and other major Thai institutions. He has led various international research projects, including the NIH Fogarty ITREOH project and the GEOHealth Hub project, supporting the training of many Thai MPH and PhD students. Dr. Robson was awarded an honorary doctorate by Chulalongkorn University in 2010, a highlight of his career. His ongoing commitment is evident in his continued mentorship and participation in Thai scientific and academic events.

Program Manager, Business, Innovation, and Economic Development

Montgomery County Executive Office, Maryland

Former Vice President and Associate Professor in Industrial Engineering

Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

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Dr. Natcha Thawesaengskulthai has been a key driver of STEAM collaboration between Thailand and the USA. She founded the Global Innovation Club, connecting governments, academia, and industry partners to support Thailand’s innovation ecosystem. Her initiatives include strategic partnerships like the Cornell Global Hub Network and collaborations between Chulalongkorn University and UC Berkeley, which led to student successes in global competitions. Dr. Natcha also established a startup bridge between Montgomery County, Maryland, and Thailand, providing Thai and U.S. startups with support for international expansion. 

American physicist, university professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, and pioneer in the development of electro-optical applications of liquid crystals.

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Prof. Clark  supported and help to contribution of Thailand Liquid Crystals in Space (TLC) program by submitting a proposal to NASA for Thai scientists, namely Assoc. Prof. Dr. Natthaporn Chatthaem and Asst. Prof. Dr. Apichart Pattanaphok. Rattana from the Department of Physics Faculty of Science Kasetsart University participated in the project to study liquid crystals in space, or OASIS II, and received response from NASA, which led to a memorandum of understanding between NASA and Kasetsart University on the study of liquid crystals in space, signed on 24 June 2021

University professor in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

Case Western Reserve University

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Dr. Vira Chankong has continuously supported and played a major role in the development of various projects in Thailand for over 30 years including the creation of the Center of Excellence for Thai University ecosystem. He also pushed for Thailand's engineering programs to receive the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), making engineering education in Thailand accepted by the international system for the first time. In addition, as Director of the NSTDA Brain Drain Project, he spearheaded and took a sabbatical leave for one year to work in Thailand in order to recruit Thai experts in various fields to return and work in Thailand.

Center Director for the USGS National Wildlife Health Center.

Dr. Sleeman has been actively engaged in wildlife health in Thailand for over 10 years. Dr. Sleeman has provided seminars for Thai veterinary students in wildlife and ecosystem health, and taught workshops on wildlife health program development and wildlife disease outbreak investigation. Wildlife health in Thailand has made tremendous progress during the time period that Dr. Sleeman has been engaged and the work he has done will help provide a foundation for future success.

Dr. Barrows has devoted and contributed greatly to the research and development of medicines and natural products from herbs and marine life of Asia and Oceania to obtain important substances, medicine, and treatment plans for AIDS and tuberculosis. In addition, he has been a tremendous support in linking funding sources and developing cooperation in research and innovation between Prince of Songkhla University and research institutes and leading universities in the US, which results in bringing Thailand’s research and innovation to the global market.

As part of the 60th anniversary of Canadian diplomatic relations with Thailand, Vice-President of Life Sciences, Dr. Roman Szumski received the Friend of Thai Science Award for his contributions to the NRC's international collaborations with Thailand. The work he has done to elevate innovation between Canada and Thailand has and will continue to push research excellence at the NRC.

Former President of the Chulalongkorn University Alumni Association of the Mid-Atlantic Region and Head of the Virus Genetics Program of the U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Dr. Sodsai Tovanabutra has played an important role in developing cooperation in HIV-1 gene education between the US military and various countries, with Thailand as the main country that has carried out many research projects. She is also a leader in charitable management especially in raising funds to support the Chula Rural Fund to support education in Thailand.

Dr. Joyce C. White is an Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Southeast Asian Archaeology. She receives FoTS Award for her accomplishments in Thai archaeology and scholarship. These include the publication of the Ban Chiang Metals Monograph, fostering Thai-Lao collaboration in local archaeological investigations through the Middle Mekong Archaeological Project (MMAP) that she initiated, and the development of digital resources for Southeast Asian Archaeology.

Dr. Usah Lilavivat  is an Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Specialist in Sumter, SC and has over 52 years of experience in the medical field. Dr. Lilavivat is affiliated with McLeod Health Clarendon. He is also an important member of the Thai Physicians Association of America that established the Thai Scholar Fellowship Endowment Fund to support Thai doctors to study at Harvard University as well as being a major donor to the fund.

Dr. Paul M. Taylor is a research anthropologist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History; Curator of Asian, European, and Middle Eastern Ethnology; and head of that museum’s Asian Cultural History Program. He has led many discoveries of Thai artifacts found in the US, such as the coat of arms, the royal message of King Mongkut, Rama IV, as well as the recently discovered original documents of the royal songs written by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej which are now preserved at the Library of Congress of the USA.

Neevy van Laningham covers a broad space portfolio of diplomatic efforts focused on bilateral and multilateral civil space policy cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. In this role, she headed the Bureau’s efforts to develop new bilateral space dialogues with the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka, as well as expanded cooperation in multilateral bodies such as the Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum.

Vichai Malikul, a retired scientific illustrator at the National Museum of Natural History’s Department of Entomology. He taught his skills each year at entomological illustration workshops at universities and botanical gardens in the US and Canada. His illustrations were part of a 1997 exhibition "Eyes on Science: Illustrating Natural History." In 1993, he presented a one-man show of 10 plates from a book that he illustrated, Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies. He also has been featured in exhibitions in Canada, the US, and in his native Thailand.

Nathaniel Schaefle, former lead innovation adviser in the Department of State's Office of the Science and Technology Adviser, emphasized the necessity of fostering collaboration between U.S. and Thai governments, higher education institutions, private businesses and communities in order to advance the U.S.-Thai science and technology relationship. He played a major role in coordinating the Agreement Relating to Scientific and Technical Cooperation between US and Thailand as well as the Joint Statement of the Thailand-U.S. Joint Committee Meeting.