From 2010 to 2018, Prof Zakri was the Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia. From 2001 to 2005, Professor Zakri co-chaired the UN’s mega-study, “Millennium Ecosystem Assessment”. He is the founding Chair of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services IPBES and a member of the UN Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board. He sits on the Global Leadership Council of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). He has been appointed by the United Nations (UN) as the Co-Chairman of STI Advisory Board of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Recently, he has been appointed as the member of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Scientific Advisory Board.
Previously for the past year, he was the Joint-Chair of Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT); Chair, Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corp (Bioeconomy Corp); Chair of the Board of Directors, University of Malaya and ProChancellor, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI).
Zakri’s professional interests include crop science, biodiversity and science diplomacy. He has received numerous awards: Fulbright-Hays Fellowship (1981); Rotary Research Foundation Gold Medal Award (1999); ISSAAS Matsuda Award (2013); ASEAN Meritorious Service Award (2014); Zayed International Prize for the Environment (2014), the Academy of Science of South Africa Distinguished Visiting Scholar Award (2015) and Merdeka Award for the environment category (2015). He has also recently been awarded the Midori Price for Biodiversity Award (2018) for his contributions in biodiversity and sustainable development.
In Malaysia, he has been conferred rank of Senior Fellow by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia with the title of “Academician” (2015); Honorary Doctorate in Science, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (2013), Honorary Doctorate in Biotechnology, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (2013) Honorary Doctorate in Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia (2015); Honorary Doctorate in Science, University of Nottingham (2015). Also, conferred with a Datukship (1991); Dato’ Sri (2012) and a ‘Tan Sri’ (2014).
In January 2017, the US-based “Biofuel Digest”, an influential industry magazine has hailed him as one of the “Top 100 Influential Persons in the Advanced Bioeconomy
2017”. In August 2017, he was awarded the ASEAN Biodiversity Heroes, and the recipient of the 2017 Global Competitiveness Award, conferred by the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC).
Three species have been named after Zakri: a beetle (Paleosepharia zakrii), a cicada (Pomponia zakrii) and a pitcher plant (Nepenthes zakriana).
Prof Dr Zakri is also presently the Chairman of Atri Advisory, a consultancy company advising governments, regional bodies and international organisations on science and technology for sustainable development, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
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