Thanks to her contribution in developing education in the field of science, Astari Dwiranti, Ph.D. Lecturer in the Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia (FMIPA UI), won the award as the 1st Place Winner in the Science Field of the 2024 UI Academic Leader Award, organized by the UI Human Resources Directorate unit.

The awarding of the winners of the 2024 Universitas Indonesia Academic Leader Award was presented directly by UI Chancellor Prof. Ari Kuncoro, S.E., M.A., Ph.D, at the Rotunda Field, UI Campus, Depok, on Saturday (17/8/2024), precisely after the Chancellor led the implementation of the 79th Independence Day ceremony of the Republic of Indonesia.

Astari is considered to have contributed to developing science, one of which is through the superior innovation program BRIDGE (Building Research and Internships for Development and Global Engagement) which she brought to the 2024 UI Academic Leader event. The BRIDGE program includes various initiatives, from introducing science to the public to building networks and supporting students in various activities at the international level..

The BRIDGE program aims to facilitate students’ potential to become agents of change and participate in international activities to maximize their potential and develop new skill sets.

The output of the BRIDGE program includes increasing student capacity, increasing research quality, increasing the reputation of universities, and opening new networks and opportunities, so that it can support increasing the competitiveness of FMIPA UI in the field of science.

To the FMIPA UI Public Relations team, Astari said, “This award motivates me to continue to contribute to the world of education, especially in the field of science, to further improve the BRIDGE program, not only at the Department, Faculty, to national level by collaborating with other universities.”

Dean of FMIPA UI, Prof. Dede Djuhana, Ph.D., appreciated the achievements of the lecturer with expertise in Integrative Cellular and Molecular Biology. The Dean assessed that Astari’s achievements through her BRIDGE program opened up greater opportunities for FMIPA UI to become a pioneer in the fields of education and research, while also encouraging opportunities for students to explore their potential and develop their skills in the field of science through internationalization programs.

“Astari’s achievement, and the BRIDGE program that was initiated, for us at FMIPA UI is an important step that opens up wider opportunities for FMIPA UI to become a pioneer in education and research. In addition, this provides an opportunity for students to collaborate with international institutions in innovative research, and broaden their horizons,” said Prof. Dede.

Throughout her career as a lecturer at FMIPA UI, Astari has achieved a number of important achievements in the fields of education and research. In the field of education, Astari is recorded as having been a Guest lecturer at the Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering Osaka University (2024), Visiting associate professor at Osaka University and Kobe University (since 2018), the winner of the best Lecturer Evaluation by Students (EDOM), and was selected as one of the Nusantara Module Lecturers, as well as the Independent Student Exchange.

Meanwhile, her achievements in the field of research include receiving an International Research Grant from the Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo (2024), Selected Speaker in the Leader Workshop activity organized by the European Molecular Biology Organization and Women in Science Japan in Tokyo (2022), Top 12 Merck Young Scientists Award (2021), Indonesian Delegation in the ASEAN-Japan Symposium-Research in Science & Technology, Thailand (2023), and various collaborations and publications in international journals (Joint research, joint supervision, joint publication).

In addition, Astari has significant leadership experience in the scientific field, including being an Indonesian delegate to the Asia Pacific Chromosome Association, a member of the Steering Committee for the Asia Pacific Chromosome Colloquium VIII in South Korea (2020), chair of the Asia Pacific Chromosome Colloquium X, chair of the UI-Tokyo Institute of Technology-RIKEN Joint Conference (2024), managing editor of the ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement (2019-2022), editor of the Makara Journal of Science, and head of the Undergraduate Biology Study Program, FMIPA UI.

Moreover, Astari also brought the Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia to the world stage by establishing international collaborations in the field of education and research with The University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Osaka University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tohoku University, Kobe University, RIKEN (Japan), Chulalongkorn University, Kasetsart University (Thailand), Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore (Singapore), University of Malaya (Malaysia), Rosalind Franklin Institute (UK), and National Research Council (Canada).