QB3 Malaysia Program

Research Program

Overview

The QB3 Malaysia Program aims to train researchers who will eventually conduct research in Malaysia and become leaders in the field of drug and diagnostic development for neglected diseases. During the course of the program, participants will conduct research projects with QB3 faculty and participate in courses, seminars and symposia at University California of San Francisco (UCSF).

Background

When Malaysian scholars are sent abroad for cutting-edge training, they often return in relative isolation back in their local environment. It is harder to succeed as an individual than as part of a team. This program is fundamentally different. All the students in this program go to the same institution, QB3, where they will form networks with each other as well as QB3 scientists. After training, all the students will return as staff to the same institution, the new Malaysian Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals.

The Malaysian Institute of Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals is one of the newly established key institutes that will drive the healthcare biotechnology initiatives under the Malaysian Biotechnology Policy. The role of the institute is to jump-start and sustain the global competitiveness of the Malaysian biopharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries.

In this way the trainees should be able to take back home with them the culture they have been exposed to at QB3— one that emphasizes awareness of the problems of the developing world and at the same time the need to solve those problems through entrepreneurship and commercialization, rather than relying exclusively on philanthropy.

A model for educating students from developing countries

“I believe that increased training of graduate students and postdocs from emerging economies and developing countries will eventually bring the greatest rewards towards global health.

Usually developing countries send their students to many different institutions in different countries. A widely recognized problem is that they come home to a less supportive environment in which change is difficult. We believe that this program is a promising model for educating students from developing countries.

Photo of Png Loke QB3 Malaysia Program Director

The QB3 Malaysia Program brings a cohort of scientists to one institution, QB3, where they will be trained as a team to return to Malaysia and nucleate the growth of one institution, the National Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals. We will focus our research efforts on the theme of developing drugs and diagnostics for neglected diseases. If we succeed this could be a new model for capacity building in developing countries.”

P'ng Loke
Director of the QB3 Malaysia Program

Graduate and Post-Doctoral Research Program

The program supports Ph.D. students for up to 5 years upon demonstration of satisfactory progress toward receipt of the Ph.D. degree. Postdoctoral fellows will usually only be supported for three years. The support will include:

  • Monthly personal stipend
  • Research supplies and laboratory support
  • Opportunity to participate and present in annual evaluation symposium at UCSF or Malaysia
  • Networking opportunities with venture capitalists and entrepreneurs in the San Francisco Bay Area
  • Mentorship under a QB3 Faculty Mentor who will serve as the student's primary thesis advisor
  • Travel support to conferences
  • Health insurance
  • Assistance with visas, finding housing etc.

Eligibility: Who can apply?

The program is now full and we will only start recruiting after our current scholars have completed their training. For more details, see FAQs.

How to enquire?

To enquire about future openings, please submit the following materials (only PDF documents, Microsoft Word documents, or faxes are acceptable):

  • Cover letter
  • Full Curriculum Vitae

To:

  • QB3-Malaysia Program Assistant: Agnes.Buenaventura@ucsf.edu
  • QB3-Malaysia Program Director: pngloke@gmail.com
  • Fax: 415.514.4661

Short-Term Research Program

This program will support up to 2 Malaysian participants per year in conducting research at UCSF for short periods of time (not more than one year). The research projects will be very specific and achievable in short periods of time, for example solving a crystal structure of a biological molecule. As an incentive for UCSF faculty to collaborate with the Malaysian researchers, most of the research cost in this collaboration will be supported on this program.

This program will also support postdoctoral fellows from UCSF, who might like to visit and collaborate with Malaysian researchers on a specific research project.

Participants in the short-term research program will also attend the Global Bio-Entrepreneurship Course. The course will equip participants the skills needed to transform scientific discoveries into successful biotechnology companies in the future.

How to apply?

To enquire about the program, please submit the following materials:

  • Cover letter (Explaining what you wish to accomplish)
  • Full Curriculum Vitae

To:

  • QB3-Malaysia Program Assistant: Agnes.Buenaventura@ucsf.edu
  • QB3-Malaysia Program Director: Png.loke@ucsf.edu
  • Fax: 415.514.4661

QB3 Malaysia Program Annual Symposia 2009

On the week of April 22-26, 2009, the team visited Malaysia for our first QB3 Malaysia Program Annual Symposia. Dr. Regis Kelly, Director of QB3, and Dr. P'ng Loke, Director of the QB3 Malaysia Program, spoke to Malaysian scholars and researchers about the mission and structure of the program. In addition, our two post-docs, Dr. Kenny Ang and Dr. Izza Jahari, presented the progress of their research works in Penang and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The symposia helped to introduce QB3 to Malaysian researchers and recruit new participants.

To download materials distributed at the Symposia including the Application form, click on the links below:

To view photos from the Annual Symposia, please visit our gallery.