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Associate Professor Dr. Phongpichit Channuie from Walailak University's School of Science has been named an awardee of the university's Princess Chulabhorn Gold Research Award 2025, the university's most prestigious research honor, in recognition of his work in theoretical cosmology and gravitational physics. 

He shares the honor this year with Associate Professor Dr. Budi Waluyo, an applied linguist from the School of Languages and General Education specializing in English language education and technology-enhanced learning, and Associate Professor Dr. Watcharapong Mitsuwan, a microbiologist at Akkhararatchakumari Veterinary College known for his work in medical and veterinary microbiology.

To win the award, candidates must have served as WU academic staff for at least three years, have a clean ethical record, and stand as first or corresponding author on at least ten Scopus-indexed articles, with a minimum of five ranked in the 90th percentile or above. Dr. Phongpichit's 2025 output far exceeds that bar — 47 Scopus-indexed articles in the calendar year alone, more than 30 in top-tier Quartile 1 journals — and brings his career total to 134 Scopus-indexed papers with an H-index of 23.

"I felt deeply honored," he said of the moment he learned of the award. "This award is an important recognition not only of my individual work but also of the collective efforts of friends, colleagues, and Walailak University." Theoretical research, he noted, often takes years before its value becomes visible — "receiving this award therefore reassured me that sustained curiosity, discipline, and collaboration can create a meaningful impact."

Dr. Phongpichit works in theoretical cosmology, using mathematics and the laws of nature to explain the origin, evolution, and fate of the universe — much of it impossible to recreate in a laboratory. His research spans cosmic inflation, black holes, wormholes, dark energy, and modified gravity, a wide portfolio he says is tied together by one question: how does gravity truly behave under the most extreme conditions? "By studying [these phenomena], we hope to discover whether Einstein's theory is the final description of gravity or part of a broader and more fundamental framework," he explained.

Going "beyond Einstein's general relativity," he added, is often misunderstood. General relativity remains one of physics' most successful theories, but it struggles to reconcile with quantum mechanics near a black hole's center or in the universe's earliest moments, and it doesn't on its own explain dark matter or dark energy. "It does not mean rejecting his theory," he said. "Rather, it means exploring possible extensions that preserve its successes while addressing questions it cannot yet answer."

Dr. Phongpichit joined Walailak University in 2013 after completing his PhD in Denmark, an experience that shaped how he built his research program at home. "I returned to Thailand because I wanted to apply that experience here and contribute to developing theoretical physics and cosmology in the country," he said. Establishing a niche field in a small local research community wasn't simple, but he turned it into an opportunity — building international collaborations from Walailak itself. "Progress was gradual," he said, "but seeing colleagues become active participants in the international research community has made the journey highly rewarding."

Those collaborations, he explained, tend to start organically — through conferences, research visits, or simply reading a paper and recognizing a shared interest — before growing into full projects conducted largely online, with tasks divided by expertise. "The most productive collaborations are based on trust, clear communication, intellectual openness, and shared responsibility."

Looking ahead, Dr. Phongpichit wants to connect abstract theory to measurable evidence — observable signatures of quantum and modified gravity in black-hole shadows, gravitational lensing, wormhole echoes, or early-universe data. "A theory becomes much more compelling when it produces a distinctive prediction that can be tested," he said.

For a way into his body of work, he points to three papers spanning his key themes: a 2020 European Physical Journal C study on traversable wormholes supported by quantum-corrected Casimir energy; a 2021 Astrophysical Journal paper on quark stars under modified gravity; and a 2025 European Physical Journal C study testing whether quantum corrections can reconcile a well-known inflationary model with recent observational data.

Beyond his research, Dr. Phongpichit serves as Dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Trends in Sciences — roles he describes as mutually reinforcing. "Research keeps me connected with new knowledge, editorial work gives me a broader view of scientific quality and communication, and my administrative role allows me to help create policies and environments that support graduate students and researchers," he said.

Asked what he'd tell a young Thai student weighing a career in theoretical cosmology, Dr. Phongpichit was direct: it's realistic, but it demands patience and a strong foundation. "Your geographical location no longer determines the limits of your scientific contribution," he said, pointing to how much more accessible international seminars, computational resources, and global collaboration have become. His advice: build strong skills in mathematics, physics, and scientific English, and find good mentors. "You do not need to understand the entire universe at the beginning. You need curiosity, discipline, and the courage to work consistently on one difficult problem at a time."

"Science is not only about having exceptional intelligence; it is also about curiosity, resilience, integrity, and the willingness to keep learning. Do not be discouraged if progress is slow or if your first ideas do not work. Failure, correction, and revision are natural parts of scientific discovery," he added.