Merdeka fellowships granted by Australia

JAKARTA: The Australian government awarded on Tuesday the annual Merdeka fellowships to Indonesian scientists, Herkutanto and Yudi Utomo Imardjoko.

The Australian Embassy told The Jakarta Post that under the program, both Herkutanto and Yudi will visit and undertake study and research in Australia.

Herkutanto is a forensic expert and a senior lecturer in Forensic Medicine at Indonesia University in Jakarta. Yudi is a nuclear scientist who chairs the Nuclear Engineering department at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.

The Merdeka fellowships are prestigious mid-career awards, designed to attract individuals who are potential leaders in their field.

The awards, initially given to celebrate Indonesia's 50th anniversary of independence, are awarded to two Indonesians and two Australians.