The first detection of phosphine in the clouds of Venus made using the James Clark Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawai`i, which is operated by the East Asian Observatory (EAO), is lauded by the scientific communities around the world, including in Universiti Malaya (UM), according to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zamri Zainal Abidin, Head of Radio Cosmology Research Lab, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science.
“The discovery, came after EAO managed to be a huge part of the team that photographed a black hole for the first time, an achievement that won the 2020 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, is testament to the capability of EAO in producing one after another high-impact result to the scientific communities.”
Dr. Zamri, who is also the Head of the Malaysia-EAO Observer Consortium (MEASOOC), said that astronomical science, although largely underappreciated by Malaysian, is actually a highly significant field especially to the telecommunications industry and several others.
Realising this, Universiti Malaya is leading the way through a signed memorandum of understanding with the East Asian Observatory, back in January, 2019. Through this agreement, EAO acknowledges that UM represents the interest of astronomers and researchers in Malaysia via its close relationship with the Malaysia Space Agency (MYSA) and other local varsities.
“UM, through MEASOOC, nominates Malaysian astronomers and researchers to participate in collaborations with the EAO,” he added.
The Radio Cosmology Research Lab also boast Dr. Juan Carlos Algaba Marcos, who is part of the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration (EHT) that won the aforementioned 2020 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics as one of its members.
The senior lecturer hailing from Spain obtained his PhD in University College Cork, Ireland. He then went on to ASIAA in Taiwan for four years, and later to Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute and Seoul National University for another four years before working in UM. His specialty is the study with radio waves of Active Galactic Nuclei (galaxies with a supermassive black hole in the centre producing very energetic phenomena).
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zamri Zainal Abidin
Dr. Juan Carlos Algaba Marcos
