Academician Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Datuk Dr Omar Abdul Rahman

Recipient of Anugerah Khas Merdeka 2026

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Science in Service of Nation-Building

Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Datuk Dr Omar Abdul Rahman began his career looking through a microscope.

Over the six decades that followed, his field of vision would grow steadily wider.

Tan Sri Omar has worked where science meets national purpose. From veterinary pathology, he expanded into higher education, institution-building and eventually the shaping of Malaysia’s science, technology and innovation landscape. In his later years, that same sense of public responsibility has drawn him towards a fundamental question, how can Malaysians build a more harmonious society together?

The 2026 Anugerah Khas Merdeka recognises this extraordinary breadth of contribution. From laboratories and universities to the Prime Minister’s Department, scientific institutions and community dialogues, Tan Sri Omar’s work has consistently been guided by the belief that knowledge becomes most valuable when it strengthens society.

Tan Sri Omar, circa 2022.

From Veterinary Science to Building a University

After graduating in Veterinary Science from the University of Sydney in 1958, Tan Sri Omar continued his training at the University of Queensland before joining Malaysia’s Veterinary Research Institute in Ipoh.

As a pathologist, he published extensively on animal diseases, laying the scientific foundations for what would become a career increasingly concerned with the wider systems surrounding research.

From 1963 to 1966, he pursued his doctorate at the University of Cambridge, completing his research on pulmonary reactions to injury within three years. He was among the earliest Malaysians and the first Malay, to earn a doctorate from Cambridge.

Malaysia. Tan Sri Omar became its first Professor and Founding Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences. With colleagues and international partners, he helped establish academic programmes, introduce university systems and prepare the young institution for its first generation of graduates.

By the time Tan Sri Omar became Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs from 1982 to 1984, UPM itself had expanded considerably. It was during this period that his attention increasingly shifted from conducting science to asking how science itself could be organised, funded and applied for national development.

Tan Sri Omar with the late Duke of Edinburgh during a visit to his laboratory at Cambridge, 1965.

Tan Sri Omar as UPM Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic, 1982-1984.

Building Malaysia’s STI Foundations

That question took on national significance in 1984, when Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad appointed Tan Sri Omar as Malaysia’s first Science Adviser.

His mandate was not simply to advise on scientific matters, but to help create the conditions in which science and technology could support Malaysia’s development.

Tan Sri Omar helped strengthen the country’s STI policy and governance framework, including the incorporation of science and technology priorities into the Fifth Malaysia Plan. He was also closely associated with the Intensification of Research in Priority Areas programme, which provided strategic funding for research in areas of national importance.

Over the years. Tan Sri Omar also played an important role in the development of institutions that would become part of Malaysia’s scientific infrastructure, including the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), Malaysian Technology Development Corporation, MIMOS, Technology Park Malaysia, Composites Technology Research Malaysia and the National Science Centre.

Among the institutions closest to his vision was the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. Established after years of advocacy by the scientific community, the Academy provided a national platform through which leading scientists, engineers and medical professionals could contribute evidencebased advice to government. Tan Sri Omar became its Founding President in 1995.

His belief was straightforward, good science required not only researchers, but institutions capable of translating evidence into decisions.

Accompanying Malaysia’s fourth Prime Minister during his first official visit to China, 1985.

Tan Sri Omar with the first management group of MIGHT.

Taking Malaysian Experience Beyond Its Borders

Tan Sri Omar’s work increasingly connected Malaysia with international scientific and development networks.

Through the Commonwealth Partnership for Technology Management, he promoted approaches to technology management and development across Commonwealth countries. He also co-convened the Langkawi International Dialogue, bringing together heads of government, policymakers and specialists in an informal environment where experiences on governance, technology and development could be exchanged directly.

His involvement extended to international scientific organisations and UNESCO-related bodies, as well as networks across Asia, the Islamic world and developing countries.

After retiring as Science Adviser in 2001 following more than four decades of government service, Tan Sri Omar remained active in technology companies, venture capital, higher education and scientific organisations.

His accumulated experience was distilled into The Essentials of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, published in 2013. The book subsequently became the basis of an international STI policy training programme that reached officials from more than 50 developing countries.

In 2021, UCSI University established the Tan Sri Omar Abdul Rahman Centre for STI Policy Studies, carrying forward his emphasis on evidence-based policy and the development of future science policymakers.

Tan Sri Omar contributing to the discussion at the second Langkawi International Dialogue in July 1996.

Tan Sri Omar at the UNESCO briefing on the ITPS training programme, September 2013.

Essentials of STI Policy, served as the training module for the ‘Tan Sri Omar Model’, as part of the ITPS training programme by the International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre for South-South Cooperation.

From Scientific Progress to Social Harmony

For Tan Sri Omar, however, national development has never been measured through technology alone.

In recent years, his attention has increasingly turned towards social cohesion. Concerned by racial division, religious intolerance and polarising rhetoric, he began working through Dialog Rakyat for National Cohesion and Unity to revisit the spirit of the Rukun Negara.

From dialogues held between 2016 and 2019 emerged the Harmoni-Mesra framework – a practical approach centred on respect, trust, understanding, ethical conduct and opportunities for Malaysians of different backgrounds to interact meaningfully.

The Harmoni-Mesra Campus Programme, launched with UCSI University in 2022, seeks to bring these principles into university communities and nurture a new generation that values dialogue over division.

It is a fitting continuation of his earlier work. Whether building scientific institutions or strengthening community relationships, Tan Sri Omar has consistently focused on systems that outlast individuals.

His contributions have earned honorary doctorates from universities in Malaysia and abroad, alongside recognitions including the ASEAN Achievement Award in Science, the Tun Abdul Razak Award, Tokoh Akademik Negara and the KSI National Unity Leadership Award.

But at 94, he appears less interested in looking back at what he has accomplished than in asking what he can still contribute.

Tan Sri Omar’s journey reflects the spirit of the Merdeka Award Trust through sustained service, knowledge applied with purpose and leadership directed towards strengthening the nation for generations to come.

A presentation on Harmoni-Mesra, developed by Dialog Rakyat.

Tan Sri Omar’s contributions to higher education were recognised with the Tokoh Akademik Negara Award in 2011.

“You cannot help getting older, but you do not have to get old; stay active physically, mentally and socially”

a ‘petua’ that continues to guide Tan Sri Omar.

Disclaimer:
The information in this award recipient's profile is accurate to the best of our knowledge as of the time the award was presented. Any subsequent changes, updates, or developments in the individual's life or achievements may not be reflected in this profile.

Other Recipients

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Professor Dr Chan Eng Heng

Outstanding Scholastic and Academic Achievement

Emeritus Professor Dato' Dr Hajah Asmah Haji Omar

Outstanding Contribution to Education and Community

MERCY Malaysia