Tan Sri Datuk Dr Augustine S.H.Ong is a graduate of University of Malaya (B.Sc. Hons. First Class, M.Sc.) And University of London King’s College (Ph. D. In Organic Chemistry). He has had extensive experience in teaching, research and administration at University level. He was serving as Dean, School of Chemical Sciences, University Science Malaysia before joining the private sector where he was the former Director-General of the Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (PORIM) from 1987 to 1989 and former Director in Science and Technology, Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion council (MPOPC) from 1990 to 1996. He is recognized both nationally and internationally in the field of lipid Chemistry being elected as the Chairman, International Society for Fat Research (ISF) in 1997 and the President, Malaysian Oil Scientists’ and Technologists’ Association, Senior Fellow of the Academy of Sciences, Malaysia, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry London and Fellow of the Third Word Academy of Sciences. He has acquired extensive networking in the oils and fats industry as well as in the academic world both locally and overseas.

He was the Fulbright-Hays Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 1966 - 1967. He spent one year of sabbatical leave in the University of Oxford as the Visiting Professor at the Dyson Perrins Laboratory, 1976 - 1977. He has been active in Research and Development for more than 40 years since 1959 and this experience includes the Chemistry and Technology of Palm Oil in which he had more than 25 years’ involvement since 1974. He has 14 patents in the technology of palm oil to his credit and published more 130 articles. He was the Founder Editor-in-Chief of Elaeis- International Journal of Oil Palm Research and Development and is still a member of the Editorial Board. He played a significant role in the programme to counter the Anti-Palm Oil Campaign from 1987 to 1989 which came to a favourable conclusion in 1989. He has been invited to serve as a member of Research Advisory Panels on Cocoa, Forestry, Rubber and Petroleum as well as member, International Advisory Council University Tunku Abdul Rahman. He is Founder President of the Malaysian Invention and Design Society (MINDS) since 1986. He serves on the Board of several corporate organizatons including University of Malaya and formerly HKSBC (Malaysia).