Lecturer at the Department of Nuclear and Engineering Physics, Faculty of Engineering UGM, Dr. Ahmad Agus Setiawan has been chosen as one awardee of the ASEAN Science and Technology (S&T) Fellowship.
He was selected to receive a fellowship from the ASEAN Foundation along with 16 other scientists throughout ASEAN. Some of the countries are Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Brunei Darussalam.
Agus is an expert of Renewable Energy Systems and Planning. He is also a clean energy specialist for the World Bank on Improving Energy Delivery Project at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources for national energy policy. Currently, he is contributing to the drafting of local government regulations for renewable energy in Yogyakarta.
“The awardees were selected for their track record of achievements and the potential to advance science in ASEAN,” said Agus on Saturday (6/30).
Agus said the ASEAN S&T Fellowship provides opportunities for young scientists from ASEAN member states to use their knowledge and analytical skills in solving public policy challenges. The fellows will be placed in several ministries or other agencies in their home countries.
For a year, they will contribute to boosting the technical capacity of the ministries or government agencies in policy decisions to solve the existing issues.
“We are expected to encourage policymakers to use more science-based approaches in the policy and decision making,” said the awardee of Habibie Award 2014 and Australian Alumni Award 2011 for Sustainable Economic and Social Development.
The fellows are joining the ASEAN Plan of action on Science, Technology and Innovation 2016-2025 which focuses on the issues of climate change, sustainable energy, science and technology, as well as innovation policy. The first activity of the fellowship awardees starts with an orientation and workshop from June 25-30, 2018 in Jakarta.