VISTEC Researcher Wins Thailand's Outstanding Scientist Award

Dr. Chayasith Uttamapinant, a biochemistry and synthetic biology researcher at the Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC), has won the 2025 Outstanding Scientist Award. He is recognized for pioneering genetic code expansion technology to create protein sensors for Alzheimer's disease detection, and for leading the world's first team to discover an enzyme from human saliva microbes capable of breaking down PET plastic and converting waste into high-value chemicals. Researchers from Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology at Thammasat University and Silpakorn University also received the 2025 New Scientist Award. The Science and Technology Promotion Foundation under Royal Patronage held a press conference announcing the award winners in the 45th consecutive year of the awards ceremony. The event was held at Centara Grand at CentralPlaza Ladprao in Bangkok and was presided over by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Anutin Charnvirakul, who presented the awards alongside former Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, Foundation Chairman Sakarintr Bumirat, and Award Committee Chairman Jamras Limpakarnjanarat.

Chairman Jamras Limpakarnjanarat noted that Thailand faces a critical transition in a world driven by science, technology, and innovation. To escape the middle-income trap and strengthen competitiveness, the nation must develop its own knowledge and technology, particularly through frontier research, which forms the foundation of innovation, future industries, and knowledge-based economies. Global R&D investment reached approximately 2.87 trillion US dollars in 2024, while South Korea invests over 5 percent of GDP in R&D and has translated this into strategic industries including semiconductors, batteries, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology. Thailand's challenge is not merely to increase investment but to elevate research system quality, develop an ecosystem supporting world-class researchers, and back cutting-edge research of international excellence while translating knowledge into practical applications and tangible national impact.

For the selection criteria of the Outstanding Scientist Award, emphasis is placed on academic excellence in frontier research with the potential to drive global scientific advancement. This year, the award committee unanimously recognized Dr. Chayasith Uttamapinant from the School of Biomolecular Science and Engineering at VISTEC as the 2025 Outstanding Scientist Award recipient for his research on "Pioneering Synthetic Biology and Genetic Code Expansion Technologies for Innovations in Health and Environmental Protection." He received the award from Princess Suthida Tidsinavaratna and a cash prize of 400,000 baht.