Highlights

“Smart Salt,” an innovative low-sodium salt developed by Paul Patsapong Chomchey, Ph.D. candidate at Chulalongkorn University and Executive MBA alumnus, has won a Gold Medal and Special Award at the 2025 Silicon Valley International Invention Festival. Using Nano Chitosan technology, Smart Salt cuts sodium by more than half while preserving full flavor, offering a breakthrough solution to the global health challenge of excessive salt consumption. 

Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness (GNH) has captured global attention as a unique development philosophy, emphasizing holistic wellbeing over mere economic metrics. Yet, as Mr. Namgay Tshering, Former Finance Minister of Bhutan and alumnus of Chulalongkorn University’s Master of Public Health program, points out, the concept often raises questions: “People tend to ask whether every Bhutanese is happy. GNH is not about individual happiness alone—it’s about collective wellbeing, sustainability, and inclusivity.”

Chula ARi, an integrated interdisciplinary project for an urban aging society, uses research to return data to communities and co-develop a comprehensive elderly care model covering economics, society, health, environment, and innovation. The project also encourages pre-senior citizens to prepare early for the challenges of a rapidly aging population. 

The C2F, or Second Century Fund, of Chulalongkorn University supports research that addresses social, environmental, economic, and national policy challenges. In 2025, over 1,000 scholarships will be awarded, with nearly 700 million baht allocated to drive academic advancement and move the university to world-class status. 

The Chulalongkorn Bariatric and Metabolic Institute (Chula BMI) launched ObesityConnects, a Line Official platform to connect obesity patients to continuous treatment from specialists, while offering preventative information and daily health check-up features for the public who wish to stave off obesity.

A research team from Chulalongkorn University has developed a new herbal-based alternative to reduce the risk of prostate enlargement, highlighting the Crinum species and Black Galingale as targeted inhibitors of disease mechanisms without affecting sexual performance. This award-winning research earned an international gold medal and created new opportunities to advance Thai herbal medicine in the global health market. 

As Vietnam strives to meet the demands of a rapidly growing economy, the country faces a critical challenge: how to secure energy that is both reliable and sustainable. Dr. Nguyen Anh Duc, a distinguished alumnus of Chulalongkorn University’s Petroleum and Petrochemical College and General Director of the Vietnam Petroleum Institute (VPI), has dedicated his career to one mission: transforming Vietnam’s energy sector through innovation and artificial intelligence, ensuring sustainable and reliable energy for the country’s future. 

Thailand and Sasin School of Management are making history (again)! The latest publication from Dr. Drew B. Mallory, Director of Research at the Neurodiversity at Work Research Centre (NWRC) at Sasin, Inclusion Ambassador, and Professor of Organizational Behavior and Management, breaks ground on inclusive leadership research with the first study worldwide to describe the leadership of professional transgender leaders. This pioneering work reveals how Thai trans* leaders are uniquely shaping the future of inclusion, proving that diversity isn’t just ethical—it’s a powerful catalyst for innovation. Discover how Thailand is leading the way and read “The T*Factor: An Exploratory Framework of the Intersection of Gender, Culture, and Trans* Leadership” for free in Sex Roles.

The Performing arts are a powerful form of communication that cultivates human potential. Chulalongkorn University’s “Performing Arts” curriculum, offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, focuses on creating graduates who will be both artists and academics, further developing the innovation of performing arts, adding value for the creative economy, and enhancing the value of soft power, leading to various career paths in the modern world.

A professor from the Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University has organized an online course “Earthquake, a Terrifying Wrath,” to monitor the powerful fault activities in Thailand, while pointing out that the clay layer of the Bangkok sedimentary basin absorbed and amplified the tremors and suggesting Cell Broadcast, a disaster alert, to reduce future calamities. 

Say goodbye to obesity with the Chulalongkorn Bariatric and Metabolic Institute (Chula BMI)—King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital’s one-stop center for comprehensive, holistic obesity care. A team of doctors and multidisciplinary specialists, including experts in medicine, surgery, nutrition, and behavioral therapy, is now ready to provide patients with guidance on preventing obesity before it’s too late.

“Albumin Extract for Dogs from Lipemic Plasma” is a new veterinary product that turns discarded, fat-rich plasma into dog-specific albumin, offering a safer treatment for dogs with conditions like shock or low blood protein.

The Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, provides services such as scientific name identification, specimen comparisons, and voucher specimens deposition. Plant specimens in our herbarium are an important foundation for both basic plant science research and plant science applications such as food and pharmaceutical industries, invasive plants ecology, and even as forensic evidence in criminal investigations. 

Chulalongkorn University has partnered with The Ocean Cleanup and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources to use camera technology and AI to analyze the amount of waste in the Chao Phraya River, aiming to reduce environmental impacts and to promote effective waste management policies both on land and in water sources. 

Chulalongkorn University’s “High-Protein Jelly Pudding with Modified Texture for the Elderly with Swallowing Difficulties” developed by Asst. Prof. Dr. Varanya Techasukthavorn and a team from the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences won a bronze medal in Geneva, along with a special award from Malaysia. Striking with banana and strawberry flavors, the jelly pudding is easy to consume and provides high protein content of 7-8 grams per cup to strengthen muscles. It’s suitable for the elderly, patients, and those who need additional protein. The team is preparing to scale up to commercial production soon.  

An alumnus of the Department of Nuclear Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, has developed a device to inspect plumbing pipes in residential and business buildings to find causes of obstruction using gamma rays, forming the first startup in Thailand to provide non-destructive, safe, and accurate inspection. 

The Research Group on Social Solidarity Innovation and Inclusive Economy in Asia, under the Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University, in collaboration with the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth), has officially launched two innovative platforms: “Nong Khoey Ma Tao Rai” (How much did they charge you before?) and “Tam Sang-Tam Song” (Made-to-order & Delivered), based on the concept of the Social and Solidarity Economy. The aim is to promote economic well-being, especially by supporting motorcycle taxi drivers and small local food vendors to access digital systems to generate income and develop sustainable self-reliance. 

Chula nuclear engineers developed Thailand’s only gamma-ray tree scanner to pinpoint potential cavities in the trunks and roots that may cause the tree to fall, and to inspect the quality of wooden structures, while striving to increase the device’s accuracy. 

In the aftermath of the 8.2 magnitude earthquake on March 28, 2025, which affected many parts of Thailand, professors from the Department of Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, have warned of the increased risk of radon gas exposure—particularly in Bangkok, where seismic activity may cause underground fissures that allow radon to seep into homes and buildings. As radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas linked to lung cancer, the department urges the public to monitor indoor radon levels and improve ventilation in ground-level areas. Chulalongkorn University is the first institution in Thailand equipped with a radon calibration system and offers professional radon measurement services for households, industries, and public institutions to promote safety and build public confidence. 

Researchers at the Chulalongkorn Aquatic Resources Research Institute have developed guidelines to help corals adapt to global warming by gender-based artificial insemination and coral culture in high-temperature at birth to offer them a better chance for survival as “corals against global warming,” while unveiling freezing technology for coral sperm cells to revive corals when the marine environment is restored.