10-05-2025
Dr Lulie Melling becomes first Sarawakian to receive MSSS Research Fellow Award
Lulie (second right) receives her award from Department of Agriculture Malaysia deputy director (Soil Resources Management Division) Khazana Ibrahim (right). Also seen is MSSS president Assoc Prof Dr Rosazlin Abdullah (third right).
KUCHING (May 11): Sarawak Tropical Peat Research Institute (Tropi) director Datu Dr Lulie Melling was recently bestowed with the Malaysian Society of Soil Science (MSSS) Research Fellow Award at the International Soil Science Conference (SOILS 2025) held in Penang.
She is also the first from Sarawak to receive the award, which recognises her exceptional ground-breaking contributions to soil science, her pioneering research on tropical peatland ecosystems and her outstanding leadership in promoting climate change mitigation through science.
A press release said the award is the society's highest honour and is awarded to individuals whose work and contributions have made a momentous impact on soil science research and community in Malaysia.
The conferment of the MSSS Research Fellow Award to Lulie is a deserving tribute for her lifelong dedication to scientific excellence, environmental sustainability, nurturing scientific capacity and the advancement of Malaysian soil science beyond Malaysia to the world stage.
Established in 1971, the MSSS is the country's leading professional organisation for soil scientists, with the objective to be an academic coterie for the advancement of soil science in Malaysia through research promotion, academic publications, public outreach and annual scientific conferences.
During the award ceremony, Lulie said the award is not just a personal honour but represents the collective journey of the Malaysian soil science community.
'Soil is the silent foundation of all life and peatlands – though often overlooked – are among our most powerful allies in the fight against climate change,' she said.
Lulie has been strongly associated as a member of the MSSS since 1995 and has actively served the Society in various capacities – including as vice president of its Sarawak Chapter and as its organising secretary of the International Soil Science Conference, which was successfully hosted in Mukah in 2007.
As a world-renowned soil scientist and Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) fellow, Lulie was recently appointed as chairperson of the ASM Sarawak Chapter.
She holds a PhD from Hokkaido University Japan and has been dedicated to tropical peatland research for over three decades.
Her pioneering research on greenhouse gas fluxes, carbon dynamics in peatlands and ecosystem restoration has transformed the scientific landscape in Malaysia and beyond on climate mitigation.
As for Tropi, Lulie's leadership has seen the institute develop into a globally recognised centre of research excellence, with achievements including operating three long-term eddy covariance flux towers and over 60 peer-reviewed scientific publications.
She has also actively fostered international collaborations, including leading EU-funded research initiatives with the University of Tartu (Estonia), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany) and the University of Helsinki (Finland).
She also has long-standing academic partnerships with Hokkaido University, Nagoya University, NIES Japan and the University of Wisconsin (USA).
Lulie is currently the President of the Malaysian Peat Society and a Member of the Executive Board of the International Peatland Society (IPS).
Beyond research, she is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of tropical peat scientists and has supervised more than 25 postgraduate researchers.
Her expertise is frequently called upon in an advisory capacity, including by the UNFCCC, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and the National Action Plan for Peatlands.
