Yayasan Khazanah has named Je Qin “Jay” Chooi, 23 as Malaysia’s Rhodes Scholar Elect 2026, placing the Johor Bahru born Harvard student among a select group of young leaders headed to the University of Oxford. Je Qin will pursue a DPhil in Computer Science, with a focus on AI safety and the long term risks and opportunities posed by increasingly powerful artificial intelligence systems.
“AI offers immense promise, but the rapid race to build more powerful systems also exposes humanity to serious risks, from entrenched bias to large scale technological unemployment,” Je Qin said. “This may be the most consequential decade, and we need more people across the AI safety spectrum such as policymakers, technical researchers, journalists and investors.”
GetThere has previously written about Je Qin. Prior to Harvard, he studied in SMK Sultan Ismail, Johor Bahru, subsequently Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar (KTJ).
Je Qin’s academic record is matched by a history of national firsts. He became the first Malaysian to win a gold medal at the International Olympiad in Astronomy and Astrophysics, an achievement that pushed him to widen access for others.
He later founded Malaysia in the International Science Olympiads (AMISO), an initiative aimed at helping more Malaysian students compete internationally, reflecting his belief that excellence should be shared rather than kept personal.
At Harvard, Je Qin is completing a joint degree in computer science and mathematics together with a master’s in statistics. His research has appeared in the MIT Technology Review and been presented at leading machine learning conferences including ICML and EMNLP.
His work spans both technical scholarship and public interest writing, shaped by a commitment to prepare society for the rapid acceleration in AI capabilities.
Shahril Ridza Ridzuan, National Secretary for Malaysia for the Rhodes Trust, said Je Qin embodies the values the scholarship looks for. “Brilliance means little without the will to serve, and Je Qin has shown both,” he said.
He noted that the Rhodes programme in Malaysia is integrated into Yayasan Khazanah’s broader mission to shape a pipeline of globally exposed Malaysian leaders with strong public service ethos.
Yayasan Khazanah’s role as strategic partner of the Rhodes Trust has positioned Malaysia to compete more consistently on the global stage. By supporting scholars like Je Qin, the foundation aims to strengthen national capability in high impact fields, including AI, technology and public policy.
For Je Qin, the move to Oxford is not only an academic milestone but an opportunity to contribute to one of the world’s most urgent conversations: how countries should prepare for a future shaped by advanced artificial intelligence. His selection marks both a personal achievement and a reminder of the growing presence of Malaysian talent in global research and leadership spaces.
