UM Physics Professor Dubbed “Malaysian Sheldon” Admired By Many
Students know him as the humble professor who rides to work on a beat up ‘kapcai’.
Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.
Sometimes, the most valuable gem is the hardest to find and one professor at Universiti Malaya (UM) seems to be a diamond in the rough.
Meet Professor Dr Raymond Ooi Chong Heng, a lecturer in the Department of Physics at UM, who was recently elected to the class of 2025 Optica Fellows and recognised for the development of a quantum (Heisenberg-Langevin) theoretical framework for the study of of nonclassical photon correlations in Raman and quantum plasmonic systems.
Don’t worry, we didn’t get that either. That’s why he’s the scientist.
Who is Professor Dr Raymond Ooi exactly?
According to his profile on the UM website, Raymond is an elected Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia since 2015.
He won the Malaysian Toray Science Foundation (MTSF) Science & Technology Award in 2013 and obtained his PhD (dr.rer.nat) from Universitaet Konstanz, Germany in quantum optics and laser cooling of molecules.
Raymond then worked as a post-doctoral Research Associate for three years with Marlan O. Scully (a distinguished physicist in quantum coherence).
During this time, he was also a visiting scientist at Princeton University and Max-Planck Institut fuer Quantenoptik.
Then, he joined the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) as a Research Professor, Korea University as Assistant Professor and Monash University (Sunway) as Senior Lecturer, before joining Universiti Malaya in 2010.
His research has produced a total of more than 160 publications (mainly Web of Science journals, including conference papers) covering quantum optics, nonlinear molecular spectroscopy and quantum microscopy, statistical physics of Bose-Einstein condensates, interactions, generation and propagation of ultrashort and intense laser pulses.
In 2011 he initiated the “Quantum and Laser Science” research center and single-handedly developed the Ultrafast High Intensity Femtosecond Laser and Optics facility in High Impact Research (HIR) building through the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) grant.
Then in 2018, he initiated and chaired the first international conference on Quantum and Nonlinear Optics (QNO2018).
Cuurently, he is leading the quantum communications research program for the country.
Liked for his intelligence and unassuming lifestyle
Most people would subscribe to the image of a high-achieving scientist as someone who wears glasses, a lab coat, and perhaps has substantial wealth as well.
But for Raymond, many know him as someone who lives a modest life despite being a highly regarded professor.
A user on X (formerly Twitter), Amran Fans, shared a post highlighting the fact that intelligent people are usually not ones to care about status or riches.
He pointed out Raymond as an example, who is a great professor but commutes to work on a Honda C70 motorcycle wearing a ‘steng’ helmet.
For those who don’t know, a steng helmet is an inexpensive half helmet which looks like a turtle shell.
In fact, quite a number of people have been commenting on his simple lifestyle and eccentricity instead of his achievements in science.
Meanwhile, another user on X regarded Raymond as a legend who is humble, commenting on how the professor seems like just an ordinary person when you meet him, when he is actually one of the most brilliant physicists in Malaysia.
Some have likened him to The Big Bang Theory character Sheldon Cooper, who is also a gifted theoretical physicist, although not so humble when it comes to his intelligence.
As you can see, it’s best to not judge a book by its cover. You never know who a person is based on their appearance.
For all you know, they might be a physicist who has taken great strides in advancing the future of humanity.
Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Threads.
