Conferment of SNAS Fellowships on 14 Distinguished Scientists
Date: Friday, 5 August 2022
Time: 5 pm
Venue: Maxwell Auditorium, Science Centre Singapore
Fellowships of the Singapore National Academy of Science (SNAS) have been instituted to recognize outstanding individuals in Singapore who have distinguished themselves in the field of science. In the inaugural fellowship exercise conducted in 2011, eleven distinguished scientists were conferred the prestigious SNAS Fellowships. In the second round in 2014, another nine scientists were conferred the prestigious SNAS Fellowships. In the third round in 2016, another seven distinguished scientists were conferred the prestigious SNAS Fellowships. Following that, another ten distinguished scientists were conferred the SNAS Fellowships in 2018 and another eight in 2020. This year, another 14 distinguished scientists will be conferred the SNAS Fellowships.
SNAS President Associate Professor Lim Tit Meng said the Academy has many members who are leaders in STEM academia or industry.
“They play significant roles in their respective research and innovation domain in our knowledge-based ecosystem. SNAS elects Fellows who are outstanding scientists working or have worked in Singapore, recognising their good and impactful work for Singapore. They serve as role models, and are expected to advise and/or contribute to the government and other national organisations on various aspects of science including research, teaching, science policy, promotion and public communication of science,” he shared.
The 14 candidates who have been elected as SNAS Fellows are in alphabetical order:
Prof Bao Weizhu
Vice Dean (Graduate Studies and Academic Affairs)
Faculty of Science
National University of Singapore
Prof B.V.R. Chowdari
President Emeritus and Senior Executive Director
Materials Research Society of Singapore
Prof Chen Xiaodong
President’s Chair Professor in Materials Science and Engineering
Nanyang Technological University
Prof David Lou Xiong Wen
Professor in the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
Nanyang Technological University
Prof Hong Wanjin
Executive Director
Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR
Prof John Wang
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
National University of Singapore
Prof Lisa Ng
Executive Director
Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) and Infectious Diseases Labs (ID Labs), A*STAR
Prof Liu Xiaogang
Professor of Chemistry
National University of Singapore
Prof Lu Yixin
Professor of Chemistry
Head, Department of Chemistry
National University of Singapore
Prof Mohan Kankanhalli
Provost's Chair Professor of Computer Science
Dean, School of Computing
National University of Singapore
Prof Toh Kim Chuan
Professor of Mathematics
National University of Singapore
Prof Venky Venkatesan
Professor of Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering
Director, Center for Quantum Research and Technology
University of Oklahoma
Prof Yeo Kiat Seng
Associate Provost for Research and International Relations
Professor in the Engineering Product Development Pillar
Singapore University of Technology and Design
Prof Zhou Weibiao
Cheng Tsang Man Chair Professor of Food Science and Technology
Head, Department of Food Science and Technology
National University of Singapore
Interviews can be arranged with the newly elected SNAS Fellows and the SNAS President.
Inquiries can be directed to:
Dr Leong Lai Peng
Honorary Secretary
Singapore National Academy of Science
Email: laipeng@nus.edu.sg
Or
SNAS Secretariat
Singapore National Academy of Science
Email: general@snas.org.sg
Brief Write-Ups on Newly Elected SNAS Fellows
Prof Bao Weizhu
Professor Bao Weizhu is Professor in Mathematics, and Vice Dean, Graduate Studies and Academic Affairs, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore. His research focuses on modeling, analysis and computation via partial differential equations (PDEs) for problems from physics, chemistry, fluid dynamics and materials science. In recognition of his scientific contributions, Prof Bao has received numerous honours and awards, including the 2013 Feng Kang Prize in Scientific Computing, 2014 ICM Invited Speaker, 2022 AMS Fellow and SIAM Fellow.
For his significant contributions to scientific computing and numerical analysis with applications in physics and materials science, he has been elected as Fellow of the Singapore National Academy of Science.
More at: https://blog.nus.edu.sg/matbwz/
Prof B.V.R. Chowdari
Professor B.V.R. Chowdari is the President Emeritus and the Senior Executive Director of the Materials Research Society of Singapore. His research interest lies in the synthesis, characterisation, and development of functional materials for applications in energy storage devices. By actively involving himself in the organisation of various international and national conferences on behalf of local, regional and international materials research societies, he brought greater visibility for the niche capabilities of materials research community in Singapore to the world at large.
For his research on functional materials, and dedicated services for the materials research community in Singapore and worldwide, he has been elected as Fellow of the Singapore National Academy of Science.
More at: https://www.ntu.edu.sg/mse/about-us/our-people/faculty-staff/chowdari
Prof Chen Xiaodong
Professor Chen Xiaodong is the President’s Chair Professor in Materials Science and Engineering at Nanyang Technological University and Scientific Director at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). His research interests include mechano-materials science, senses digitalization, flexible electronics technology, and cyber-human interfaces. He was recognized by multiple prestigious awards and honours including Singapore President’s Science Award, Singapore NRF Investigatorship, Singapore NRF Fellowship, Fellow of the Academy of Engineering, and Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
For his outstanding contribution to advanced materials research for soft bioelectronics capable of digitising biological senses and extending human sensing capabilities, he has been elected as Fellow of the Singapore National Academy of Science.
More at: https://personal.ntu.edu.sg/chenxd/
Prof David Lou Xiong Wen
Professor Xiong Wen (David) Lou is a Professor in the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University. His research is focused on design and synthesis of novel nanostructured materials for next-generation electrochemical energy storage and conversion technologies such as batteries and fuel cells. He has received many research awards, including the Young Scientist Award 2012 by the Singapore National Academy of Science.
For his outstanding contributions to the synthesis of nanostructured materials for different energy storage and conversion applications, he has been elected as Fellow of the Singapore National Academy of Science.
More at: https://personal.ntu.edu.sg/xwlou/
Prof Hong Wanjin
Professor Wanjin Hong is the Executive Director at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)’s Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB). He is a molecular and cellular biologist focusing on membrane trafficking and cellular signalling pathway, which will help improve the understanding of the cell, its regulation and its response to the environment. In recognition of his scientific contributions, Prof Hong received the National Science Award (now President’s Science Award) in 1999 and The Public Administration Medal (Silver) at Singapore National Day Awards in 2014.
For his seminal research on membrane trafficking and cancer signalling, and leadership in advancing local molecular and cellular biology research, he has been elected as Fellow of the Singapore National Academy of Science.
Prof John Wang
Professor John Wang is Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS), and Principal Scientist II, Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), A*Star, Singapore. He is one of the best-known ceramists, and he has pioneered cutting-edge research and development of advanced materials for energy and environment applications. Prof Wang is Associate Editor of the InfoMat, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Asian Ceramic Societies, and serves on editorial/advisory boards of six other international journals.
For his pioneering work in developing new advanced materials for energy applications, he has been elected as Fellow of the Singapore National Academy of Science.
Prof Lisa Ng
Professor Lisa Ng is the Executive Director of A*STAR’s Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) and Infectious Diseases Labs (A*STAR ID Labs). She is a world-renowned expert in viral diseases and has made seminal contributions in SARS-CoV-2, chikungunya, dengue and Zika virus research. In recognition of her scientific leadership, Prof Ng has won numerous national and international accolades including the Junior Chamber International (JCI) “Ten Outstanding Young Persons” Award in 2013, the “Most Inspiring Woman” at the Great Women of Our Time Awards for Science and Technology in 2005, and the ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) “International Young Scientist and Technologist Award” in 2008.
For her instrumental role in combatting viral diseases and leadership in pandemic preparedness that has generated impactful health outcomes, she has been elected as Fellow of the Singapore National Academy of Science.
More at: https://www.a-star.edu.sg/idlabs/about-us/people/our-investigators/lisa-ng
Prof Liu Xiaogang
Professor Liu Xiaogang is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore. His expertise lies in supramolecular chemistry, materials science, and nanotechnology. For his significant research contributions, Prof Liu has been awarded the NUS Young Investigator Award in 2006, the BASF-SNIC Award in Materials Chemistry in 2011, as well as the Chemical Society Reviews Emerging Investigator Lectureship Award in 2012.
For his outstanding research in developing luminescent nanocrystals for biolabeling and advanced X-ray imaging applications, he has been elected as Fellow of the Singapore National Academy of Science.
Prof Lu Yixin
Professor Lu Yixin is the Head of the Department of Chemistry at the Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, and he is also the Vice-President of Singapore National Institute of Chemistry (SNIC). He is well-known for his development of amino acid-based organic catalysts and related applications in asymmetric synthesis. Currently, he is leading an effort in finding innovative catalytic chemical solutions to key energy and environmental problems that are highly relevant to Singapore.
For his contribution to asymmetric catalysis, especially amino acid-based catalysts and related applications in organic synthesis, he has been elected as Fellow of the Singapore National Academy of Science.
Prof Mohan Kankanhalli
Professor Mohan Kankanhalli is the Dean of NUS School of Computing and he is also Provost's Chair Professor of Computer Science. His research interests are in Multimedia Computing, Computer Vision and Multimedia Security & Privacy. He has won several teaching awards and best paper awards, including two Public Administration Medals - bronze in 2015 and silver in 2021.
For his outstanding contributions to multimedia content processing and security, and impactful contributions to computing education and research in Singapore, he has been elected as Fellow of the Singapore National Academy of Science.
Prof Toh Kim Chuan
Professor Toh is a Professor at the Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore (NUS). His current research focuses on designing large-scale optimization algorithms and developing software for convex programming and its applications, particularly large-scale optimization problems arising from machine learning, and matrix optimization problems. He received the Farkas Prize awarded by the INFORMS Optimization Society in 2017 and the triennial Beale-Orchard Hays Prize awarded by the Mathematical Optimization Society in 2018.
For his fundamental contributions to the theory, practice, and application of convex optimization, especially semidefinite programming and conic programming, he has been elected as Fellow of the Singapore National Academy of Science.
More at: https://blog.nus.edu.sg/mattohkc/
Prof Venky Venkatesan
Professor T. Venkatesan is currently the Director of the Center for Quantum Research and Technology (Professor of Physics and ECE) at University of Oklahoma, and Scientific affiliate at NIST Gaithersburg. He is the inventor of the Pulsed Laser Deposition process and is a leading researcher in oxide thin films and heterostructures and a pioneer in the application of VOC detection for health and catalysis. He has helped found Neocera, Blue Wave Semiconductors, Neocera Magma, Breathonix (Singapore), Cellivate (Singapore), and Azometrix.
For his work on oxide heterostructures and interfaces for quantum functionalities, and leadership in fostering an innovative, open research and technological ecosystem, he has been elected as Fellow of the Singapore National Academy of Science.
Prof Yeo Kiat Seng
Professor Yeo Kiat Seng is a Professor in the Engineering Product Development Pillar in the Singapore University of Technology and Design. He is a widely known authority in low-power RF/mm-wave IC design and a recognized expert in CMOS technology. He is an AAIA Fellow, The Academy of Engineering Singapore Fellow, IEEE Fellow and was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Bronze) on National Day and the Nanyang Alumni Achievement Award both in 2009.
For his pioneering work and leadership in RF/mm-wave integrated circuit design and promotion of STEM education in Singapore, he has been elected as Fellow of the Singapore National Academy of Science.
Prof Zhou Weibiao
Professor Zhou Weibiao is the founding Head of the Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore (NUS), and the inaugural Cheng Tsang Man Chair Professor in Food Science and Technology. He is an internationally renowned food scientist in the field of food processing and food engineering, especially next-generation functional foods and emerging food processing technology. In recent years, he co-founded AuroraFood Pte Ltd and SafeLight Pte Ltd, both NUS spin-off companies based on the technologies developed by his research group.
For his significant contributions in the science of next-generation functional foods and emerging processing technology, and service rendered in education, he has been elected as Fellow of the Singapore National Academy of Science.
More at: https://www.fst.nus.edu.sg/our_people/faculty-members/zhou-weibiao/
