By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, May 10: Datu Dr Lulie Melling, director of the Sarawak Tropical Peat Research Institute (TROPI), was bestowed with the Malaysian Society of Soil Science (MSSS) Research Fellow Award at the International Soil Science Conference (SOILS 2025) held at the Bertam Resort & Water Park in Penang.
According to a press release, the award 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.
It is also noted that she is the first in Sarawak to receive the award.
“This award is not just a personal honour—it represents the collective journey of the Malaysian soil science community,” said Lulie during the award ceremony.
“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.”
Established in 1971, the MSSS is the country’s leading professional organisation for soil scientists. Its objective is to be an academic coterie for the advancement of soil science in Malaysia through research promotion, academic publications, public outreach and annual scientific conferences.
The MSSS Research Fellow Award is the organisation’s highest honour. It is awarded to individuals whose work and contributions have made a momentous impact on soil science research and the community in Malaysia.
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 (SOILS 2007) which was hosted in Mukah.
A world-renowned soil scientist and Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM), Lulie was recently appointed chairperson of the ASM Sarawak Chapter, further highlighting her role as a key contributor towards scientific advancement in Malaysia.
Lulie holds a PhD from Hokkaido University in 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 in terms of climate mitigation.
Under her leadership, TROPI has been developed to become a globally recognised centre of research excellence, amongst other things, for operating three long-term eddy covariance flux towers and for its more than 60 peer-reviewed scientific publications.
She has established one of the most comprehensive peatland research complexes in Southeast Asia and secured more than RM60 million in research funding.
Lulie has actively fostered international collaborations, which include 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 Peatland.
This conferment of the MSSS Research Fellow Award stands as a deserving tribute to Lulie 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. — DayakDaily
