The Faculty of Science was founded as a Premedical School in 1958 by Professor Dr. Stang Mongkolsuk, and took the name of Faculty of Science, Mahidol University in 1969 with 3 main objectives ;

1. To continously develop graduates, scientific and technological personnel who have the highest expertise and ethical standards to serve the societies and the country,

2. To generate research of international standard and offer services of international quality and standard to every level of educational institution, as well as to transfer knowledge and appropiate technology to the public for the benefit of sustainable development of every community and all mankind,

3. To instigate in students as well as faculty staff discipline, ethics, professional codes of conduct, and maintenance of the country's cultural heritage.

The faculty is located on Rama VI Road, Ratchathewi District. The faculty is responsible for teaching science to all first year undergraduate students of the university, presently numbering 4,485 students per year, using its facilities at the Salaya Campus, and also assists in teaching second year students in the allied health sciences and medicine.

 

The Faculty of Science offers B.Sc. programs in seven disciplines, namely Chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, Mathematics, Plant Science, and Physics, to a total of some 360 students per year.

 

The Faculty also has very strong, well-established international graduate programs, 20 programs at Master's level and 20 programs at Ph.D. level, in various scientific disciplines. There are about 600 students at Master’s level and 400 at the Ph.D. level. The Faculty is one of the most prestigious institutes for research and post–graduate training in Thailand and ASEAN.

The Faculty of Science places a strong emphasis on research, not only as part of the thesis work for graduate programs, but also as an ongoing commitment to international scientific advancement and national development. This serious and sustained emphasis on research has created an excellent academic atmosphere within the Faculty, which has allowed staff to compete successfully for grants, both nationally and internationally, and to perform work of excellent quality.

 

Moreover, staff from the Faculty have won numerous awards for their outstanding research work at the national, regional and international levels. Staff at the Faculty have also performed many administrative and advisory functions in various academic organizations at the national, regional and international levels.

 

 

 

Currently, the Faculty of Science consists of 12 departments: Anatomy, Biochemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Microbiology, Pathobiology, Pharmacology, Physics, Physiology, and Plant Science. The Faculty of Science currently has a total of 729 staff, with 291 being academic staf (229 at doctoral level, 47 at Master's level, and 15 at Bachelor's level), 94 teaching assistants, 222 supporting staff and 109 employees.

 

The main goals of Professor Dr. Skorn Mongkolsuk, the present Dean, are for the Faculty to achieve sustainable development, academic excellence, effective teaching and learning, and high quality research with the harmonious environments of internationalization.

The Teaching and Learning

Research is one of the most important responsibilities of the Faculty of Science. The emphasis of research is generally on problems of local relevance, so researchers have the advantage of greater accessibility to samples, local expertise and potential benefits to the community. Presently, the Faculty is now an internationally known research center for science, technology and medical science. Academic staff publish some 300-350 articles per year in reputable international journals, more than any other institutions in Thailand for the past 10 years.

The Faculty’s academic staff have excelled in many areas of research, particularly those that are relevant to the national and regional needs. Major research projects undertaken by biomedical science groups involve the application of innovative biotechnology and genetic engineering techniques for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of tropical diseases in humans and animals, i.e. malaria, melioidosis, schistosomiasis, filariasis, liver flukes, babesiosis, dengue and thalassemia; the reproduction of cattle and important food and medical substances for man and animals from indigenous natural materials; the control and improvement of the environment.

 

 

 

The physical science groups have engaged in many important research projects, such as the studies of physico-chemical properties and utilization of liquid crystals, natural and synthetic polymers, the development of ferrite-polymer composites for industrial applications, chemistry and applications of natural products, organic syntheses of drugs for tropical diseases and other useful compounds, and the use of computers in chemistry, chemical physics and mathematical modelings.

Apart from teaching, all faculty members also concentrate on research work. So the Faculty of Science has many leading researchers, who have been awarded numerous research grants from various agencies, such as the Thailand Research Fund (TRF), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), as well as overseas funding agencies.

Several staff at the Faculty have been awarded the Outstanding Scientist of Thailand Award, as well as the Outstanding Researcher Award of National Research Council of Thailand. In addition, staff in the Faculty have received international honors, such as the Rolex Award, the Chevron Conservation Award, the Borden Award, the IRRI Award, the Taguchi Award and ASEAN Award.