Malaysia’s King and Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim on Tuesday presented the prestigious Yang di-Pertuan Agong Scholarship (BYDPA) 2026 to 14 outstanding students during a ceremony held at Istana Negara.

Among those attending the event were Public Service Department Director-General Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz, Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal Tan Sri Syed Danial Syed Ahmad, and Human Capital Development Division Director at the Public Service Department (JPA), Dato’ Jamalulail Abu Bakar.

This year, the scholarship was awarded to seven recipients pursuing Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) studies and another seven pursuing Master’s degrees by research.

PhD recipients are Afiefah Zulkifli (Universiti Putra Malaysia – Nutrition), Aiman Zakuan Azman (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia – Pharmacology and Pharmacy), Chua Hui Qi (UPM – Mathematics and Statistics), Giroon Ijod (UPM – Nutrition), Haimon Franklin (UKM – Biology), Lee Yu Shi (Universiti Malaya – Catalysis), and Waywen Loh Chang Yuan (University of Oxford, United Kingdom – Immunology).

Recipients at the Master’s (Research) level are Fatini Amirul Haziq Azwan (University College London – Biology), Chan Ler Yi (University College London – Pharmacology and Pharmacy), Chris Ee Jia Wen (Universiti Sains Malaysia – Genetics and Heredity), Mohamad Izuwansah Ishak (UPM – Environment), Muhammad Zulhusni Che Razali (Imperial College London – Environment), and Puteri Najihah Athirah Zamrifana (UPM – Veterinary Science).

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Scholarship, administered under Malaysia’s Public Service Department, is regarded as one of the country’s most prestigious academic sponsorship programs. Introduced in 2006, the scholarship recognizes Malaysian citizens who demonstrate excellence not only in academics but also in co-curricular activities, community engagement, and contributions involving creativity and innovation.

According to official figures, a total of 239 Malaysians have received the scholarship since its introduction, including 124 PhD recipients and 115 Master’s (Research) recipients.

The Malaysian government said continued investment in human capital development through educational sponsorship remains a key effort to build globally competitive expertise in strategic sectors that support the country’s long-term development agenda.