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Morakot Tanticharoen, a director of BIOTEC, aims at greater public understanding of the science she says can do so much for Thailand
One of the leaders in the complex and controversial world of biotechnology in Thailand is a woman who has spent 35 years in the study of biology and microbiology.
Morakot Tanticharoen, a director of the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), has a goal of creating wider understanding of her science, particularly among farmers, whom she says could benefit greatly from advances in biotechnology. In the beginning, however, Morakot had no idea she would become a biotechnologist, and her career began as a kind of shot in the dark.
"When I was young and a teenager, I had no plan to become a biotechnology scientist, but I liked mathematics, so I applied to study biology," she says.
Morakot admits that during her time at Chulalongkorn University she was not an excellent student. Fortunately, she had a good memory that enabled her to remember lessons or gather facts from a single reading of a book. She spent much of her university life engaged in student activities and became president of female students in her faculty's Biology Association.
"I liked those kind of activities and I dedicated my time to that at university. I enjoyed it; it made me happy," Morakot says.
As a student leader, she learned how to manage her time to keep up with her studies. But she quickly proved her effectiveness as a leader. Her association's team won three out of four trophies for various campus activities.
"I was leading people for the first time in my life. I did not set out to be president of the students. A friend asked me to go along with her because she was one of the candidates. When I got there, someone submitted my name as a candidate for the presidency," she recalls.
Morakot graduated from Chulalongkorn with a bachelor's degree in biology in 1968. She then applied to work as a researcher before studying for her master's and doctoral degrees in the US. Morakot was appointed as a research assistant at the University of Rhode Island, where she completed her postgraduate studies. Upon her return to Thailand, Morakot was offered the position of biotechnology professor at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Thonburi (now King Mongkut's University of Thonburi, or KMUTT), where she founded the School of Energy and Materials. The school teaches at graduate level and conducts research involving multidisciplinary technologies.
Morakot is an acknowledged leader in teaching and researching energy generated from biomass, biomass production, the energy balance of biomass production, bioproductivity and bioleaching. Within the School of Energy and Materials, Morakot later founded the Division of Biotechnology, which was subsequently transformed into the School of Bioresources and Technology. The curriculum has been expanded to include the Division of Biotechnology, natural resources management, postharvest technology and biochemical technology.
In more than two decades at KMUTT, Morakot served as Dean of the School of Bioresources and Technology as well as the School of Energy and Materials. In doing so, she has been as an adviser or co-adviser to more than 100 postgraduate theses and dissertations.
Morakot says that as dean she was not only a teacher and team leader but also provided support for students and staff studying or conducting research overseas, so that they would become experts in their fields and return to Thailand to help develop the country.
"We realised that work as team was very important. We had a heavy workload and enjoyed doing it. We also believed that if we concentrated and focused on our work, then it would be successful," she says.
Morakot is now one of Thailand's leading researchers in the fields of microbiology and biotechnology. Her specialities include anaerobic wastewater treatment for biogas production and studies of algae. She is also a pioneer in biosensor research in Thailand. She is also recognised for her involvement in regional and international research, and is an executive member of several societies and organisations, as well as serving on the editorial board of a number of noted international journals. While Morakot has been a director, BIOTEC has been appointed executive secretary of the Unesco Regional Network for Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology in Southeast Asia. Morakot herself heads up an Asean subcommittee on biotechnology.
Before being appointed a director of BIOTEC, Morakot was a deputy director for six years, from 1994 to 2000. When appointed as Biotec's first female director in 2000, she saw her responsibility as creating and developing new biotechnologies to improve Thailand's productivity.
"I have been working at BIOTEC for 12 years," she says. "I believe that biotechnology is a growth dynamic for this country and that Thai researchers have the potential to lift Thailand's productivity and international competitiveness." She also believes that farmers should benefit from biotechnology to enhance their business and productivity and to add value to their products. She mentions the creation of seed production industries in Thailand as one way in which biotechnology can help farmers. A seed-production industry could serve both the domestic and international markets for crops such as sweet corn, chillis, tomatoes and cucumbers, she says.
"We are trying to step forward and cooperate with the private sector as members of a Thai team, to transfer technology and undertake research to develop, promote and create value for new products based on biotechnology, as a strategy for the country," Morakot says.
The biotechnologist is also eager that the public - and particularly children - should have a greater understanding of her science. She has proven to be an able author, transferring her knowledge in books such as "Biodiversity and the World of Microbes".
"I like to read books and I also enjoy writing science books for children so that they are able to easily understand the science and technology that is becoming a larger part of their environment," Morakot says.
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