PhD Student Wins Leakey Foundation Grant

January 2020

Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences' (JCSMHS) PhD student Lee Sze Mei was awarded the Leakey Foundation Grant along with her supervisors in Monash University Malaysia, Professor Dr Maude Phipps (main supervisor) and Prof. Dato’ Dr Khalid Abdul Kadir from JCSMHS and also co-supervisors A/Prof Dr Qasim Ayub and Dr Farhang Aghakhanian from Genomics Platform.

It was actually Professor Phipps who encouraged Sze Mei to apply since their study is highly relevant to the foundation’s goal; to improve the understanding of human origins, evolution, behaviour and survival. The grant will support the cost of their fieldwork and sample processing as they aim to characterise the variations in olfactory receptor genes and to understand the genotype-phenotype correlations between receptor variations and odorants.

Sze Mei’s research is titled "Exploration of Olfaction Abilities and Genetics in Asian Indigenous Communities" where the main objective is to explore the olfactory receptor genetics and olfaction abilities of indigenous populations in Peninsular Malaysia. This study focuses on two geographically distinctive indigenous tribes with different modes of subsistence, namely Negrito hunter-gatherers from Jehai tribe and Proto-Malay non-hunter-gatherers from Temuan tribe.

“To our knowledge, this is the first study focusing on olfactory receptor genes in Aslian indigenous communities. Earlier, a linguistic study that compared odour cognition between hunter-gatherers and swidden horticulturalists had reported that hunter-gatherers might be particularly attuned to odours and could describe them in terms not generally used by most of us. It is highly likely that genetics plays a major role in odour detection differences, and this is what we wish to examine in our study.”

“In addition, Southeast Asian communities, in particular, indigenous tribes remain poorly represented in large-scale international genome projects. As one of the most genetically diverse regions in the world, the human occupation history in SEA remains controversial with heavy ongoing debates. We hope to bridge the huge gap in knowledge that exists. This study may also lead to the discovery of novel genetic variations unique to these geographically isolated populations, some of which are on the verge of extinction,” Sze Mei shared on the significance of her research.

About the grant

The mission of The Leakey Foundation is to increase scientific knowledge, education, and public understanding of human origins, evolution, behaviour, and survival. The Leakey Foundation funds primatology fieldwork and other research related to understanding human origins.