LKC FES academics and team's breakthrough research featured in Nature, the world's top-ranked scientific journal

UTAR achieved a significant milestone on 23 January 2025 as Assoc Prof Ir Dr Lim Boon Han and his research team successfully published a comprehensive study on academic promotion policies in Nature—the world’s top-ranked scientific journal with an impact factor of 50.5, making it one of the most selective and influential academic publications globally.

Among his key collaborators was Prof Dr Chong Kok Keong, a distinguished UTAR academic senior professor whose expertise added depth to the study’s findings. Together, they co-authored one of the most detailed analyses of global academic promotion policies ever conducted. While the study acknowledges the role of traditional research outputs, it strongly advocates for institutions to value other dimensions of scholarly work, including contributions to education, leadership in academic communities, and real-world applications of research.

This achievement reinforced UTAR’s standing in global academia, demonstrating its ability to contribute to high-impact research at the international level. Publishing a research-based article in Nature is an exceptionally rare feat for any university, and UTAR now joins an exclusive group of institutions that have successfully done so.

This paper is first-authored by a Malaysian institution in Nature since the last one in 2015. This distinction underscored UTAR’s growing influence as a research institution and demonstrated Malaysia’s capability to contribute to globally relevant scientific discussions.

Dr Lim and his research team, in collaboration with the Global Young Academy (GYA), conducted an extensive study analysing 190 academic institutions and 58 government agencies across 121 countries. Their findings provided new insights into how universities worldwide evaluate faculty members for promotion.

The study revealed key disparities in faculty promotion policies across different regions. While high-income countries tend to emphasise research visibility, mentorship, and interdisciplinary collaboration, many low-income countries continue to prioritise publication and citation counts. This research highlighted the need for a more inclusive and holistic approach to academic evaluation. To read more of the article, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08422-9.

By presenting a data-driven perspective, Dr Lim’s study encouraged institutions worldwide to reflect on their own assessment frameworks and consider reforming their criteria to ensure that faculty promotions recognise broader contributions beyond just research output.

Having a research article published in Nature is considered a benchmark of scientific excellence. This publication not only recognised the quality of Dr Lim and his team’s research but also reinforced UTAR’s credibility as a research-driven university.

This achievement was more than just an academic success—it provided an opportunity to strengthen UTAR’s reputation as a high-impact research institution.

Since its publication, the study generated discussions in global academic circles, with coverage in Nature, Science, Times Higher Education, Global Young Academy and other platforms, encouraging other institutions to review their promotion policies, reflecting a growing awareness of the need for fairer and more comprehensive evaluation criteria.

Dr Lim and his team remained committed to engaging with policymakers, university administrators, and funding agencies to advocate for meaningful changes in how academic careers are assessed. Their work set the foundation for discussions on future reforms in academic evaluation policies.

This Nature publication highlighted UTAR’s ability to produce globally relevant research and contribute to important academic discussions. As Malaysia seeks to strengthen its research ecosystem, achievements like this reinforce the country’s academic growth and competitiveness.