Professor Dr. Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Mahidol

Professor Dr. Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Mahidol, founding President of the Chulabhorn Research Institute, is the youngest daughter of Their Majesties King Bhumibol Aduyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand. As a qualified scientist, she has always attached the greatest importance to the role of science in social and economic development, and accordingly originally conceived the idea of creating a national institute to assist in the development of Thailand.

H.R.H. Princess Chulabhorn is a Professor of Chemistry at Mahidol University where she joined the faculty in 1985. Her special research interests are in the chemistry of natural products and in Thai medicinal plant, environmental health problems of developing countries and cancer research. She was the third person in the world to be awarded UNESCO’s Einstein Medal for her continuous effort in promoting scientific collaboration in Asia and the Pacific, and she was the first Asian to be invited to join the Royal Society of Chemistry, in England, as an Honorary Fellow. She is also chairperson of the Working Group on the Chemistry of Natural Products collaborative program between the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the National Research Council of Thailand.

H.R.H. Princess Chulabhorn has received international recognition for her scientific accomplishments in her appointment to various United Nations posts, namely special advisor to the United Nations Environmental Program and member of the Special High-Level Council for the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction of the United Nations. In addition, she has also been visiting professor at Universities in Germany, Japan and U.S.A., and has received numerous honorary doctoral degrees from universities in U.S.A., U.K., Japan and elsewhere. Recently, she has received the 2002 Environmental Mutagen Society – Hollaender International Fellow Award, and in 2006 the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety Special Recognition Award, and most recently the Nagoya Medal Special Award presented to Her Royal Highness in October, 2006 at the Nagoya University.