Highlights

A*STAR partners with the Australian National University on PhD Research Attachment

 

 

 

 

A*STAR inked an agreement with The Australian National University (ANU) on 2 July 2009 at the Fusionopolis to formally mark the launch of the A*STAR - ANU Research Attachment Placement Programme. The agreement was signed by Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman, A*STAR and Prof Ian Chubb, Vice-Chancellor and President, ANU, and was aimed at establishing a cooperative relationship in joint research, education and training.

 

Under this programme, PhD students from ANU have the opportunity to spend up to 2 years of their research training at an A*STAR Research Institute (RI) under the joint supervision of senior scientists at the A*STAR RI and ANU. ANU joins other international partners in A*STAR's Research Attachment Programme, including the University of Sheffield (UK), the Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), the University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy),  the University of Melbourne (Australia) and Monash University (Australia).

 

 ‘Golden Opportunities’ Amidst the Downturn

 

What opportunities can a graduate consider in times like these? Are attractive PhD opportunities still available for the best and brightest?
 
These questions were answered at a talk by Professor Keith Burnett, Vice- Chancellor of the University of Sheffield and Dr Lim Khiang Wee, Programme Director of the Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA) programme from A*STAR. 
 
Professor Burnett observed that a few years ago, the global economy experienced much exuberance and ‘animal spirits’, human behavior described by John M. Keynes as an essential ingredient in economic prosperity. The reverse is currently true, with pervasive pessimism that has caused pressures on higher education institutions in the UK. While sources of research funding have slowed down, student numbers and industry-linked research at the university have increased.
 
Although funding for research has slowed, countries such as the United Kingdom still strongly believe that higher education remains fundamental to the future of the country. The University has been actively engaging young people and taking action to ensure the long-term sustainability of the university, and it recognizes that it has to do this by enhancing their employability and relevance to the industry. The University is committed to greater regional and international collaborations; protecting its core businesses; developing alumni links; enhancing the scope and quality of its PhD programmes; and seeking out ‘golden opportunities’.
 
Such an opportunity was realised when it forged a new partnership with A*STAR. The University of Sheffield is A*STAR’s first partner in the recently launched A*STAR Research Attachment Programme (ARAP). This programme created the ideal platform for increasing international research collaborations that will not only broaden students’ experiences but also deepen their skills and knowledge.
 
Under ARAP, a PhD student can complete his doctorate by spending 2 years conducting research in one of A*STAR’s world-class research institutes and the remainder in its partner universities. Students under ARAP will receive living and other allowances during the research stint in A*STAR. Other partners that have since come on board the ARAP include the Karolinska Institute, the University of Milano-Bicocca and the University of Melbourne. 
 
Besides earning a prestigious PhD from a renowned university, the student will experience life in a cosmopolitan city with a vibrant PhD environment. This is a valuable opportunity to meet like-minded students and researchers from over 50 countries in an English-speaking environment. Having this international perspective will add immense value to the PhD student’s future research network.
 
As Mr Franck Courtes, a French national who is doing his PhD research in A*STAR reflects, “Coming to Singapore for my PhD was a personal dream come true. [This] is a very good choice I have made to form and stimulate my scientist education. Besides learning and contributing to Science, [it is a] chance for me to discover and learn more about Asia…"
 
ARAP has already attracted good response from the research community in the University of Sheffield. Twelve PhD students have been accepted on the programme and will shortly commence their training.
 
If launching into a full-fledged 4-year PhD seems like a big commitment, the Singapore International Pre-Graduate Award (SIPGA) might be a good place to start. This provides the opportunity to spend 6 months in A*STAR to experience the best of research environment and living in Singapore. Likewise, the SINGA Programme is another popular option for international PhD students where the entire training is completed in Singapore and awarded by the National University of Singapore or the Nanyang Technological University.
 
Whichever PhD you decide to embark on with A*STAR, you can be certain that this would be the best investment for your research aspirations
 
 
 

 

NTU and NUS undergraduates indicate keen interest in PhD scholarships

 

More than 75% of the 190 undergraduates from NUS and NTU who attended recent PhD scholarships talks in March by the A*STAR Graduate Academy indicated that they would consider applying for an A*STAR scholarship. Key reasons cited include funding at prestigious universities, attractive stipend levels, opportunities for further post doc research and bright research career opportunities.

 

 

 

Pursuing a PhD is a wise choice – this was the key message undergraduates heard from Dr Ng Hsiao Piao, biomedical engineer who earned his PhD from NUS under the A*STAR Graduate Scholarship. Whilst many career options are available to graduating students every year, Dr Ng firmly believed that pursuing a PhD stood out as the wiser choice as a PhD would enhance one's career development in Singapore's growing knowledge-based economy.
 

Dr Ng explained that A*STAR's commitment to world-class research and the fostering of talent through various scholarship programmes made it the best place to do a PhD and start one's career in science.  Dr Ng also highlighted potential opportunities and paths a PhD degree could open up such as in technopreneurial start ups and overseas post-doctoral positions. Citing himself as an example, Dr Ng shared that he would be embarking soon on his post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School.

 

 

A career in research is so much more than just a ‘job’ – shared Dr Christina Chai, a Principal Scientist at the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) and Director of Graduate Affairs at the Science and Engineering Council, A*STAR.  
 

Reflecting on her life in science, Dr Chai shared her personal journey as a scientist from a young student, to giving up a tenure position at an Australian university, to taking on the challenges of research at ICES. Our everyday existence, she observed, was constantly surrounded by science. Scientists could work to improve lives and make the world a much better place. Citing global problems such as toxic waste management, clean water issues, global warming and drug-resistant bacteria, Dr Chai reiterated that a career in research was never just "a job". Scientists also have opportunities to travel to various countries for their research work and to venture into new research areas that could be ‘outside’ their original area of expertise.

Find out more about these awards and scholarships:
 

Leave us your contact in tellusmore@a-star.edu.sg if you want to be invited for upcoming AS*TAR scholarship sessions.

 

 

A*STAR Student Research Attachment Programme

 

131 Junior College students celebrated the end of five weeks of research attachment at A*STAR research institutes at the A*STAR Student Research Attachment Programme Closing Ceremony on 20 Feb 2009.
 ‘Golden Opportunities’ Amidst the Downturn
 
Under the guidance of our scientists and researchers, these students from the A*STAR JC Science Award, Young Researchers Attachment Programme and the A*STAR-MOE Local Student Attachment Programme donned lab coats, worked with high tech equipments, interacted with international scientific talent, pored over research papers, conducted experiments and presented their findings. Examples of their research projects include "The Expression of Recombinant TNF Inhibitor Proteins in CHO cells" and "The Generation of Porous GaNitride Template by UV-Electrochemical Etching for LEDs Growth".
 
Professor Charles Zukoski, Chairman Science and Engineering Research Council delivered the opening address and elaborated that Science is about ideas, concepts and discoveries, and how it can change the world.
 

 

Ajay Govinda Menon (Anderson Junior College) attached to Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) said: “The school curriculum barely scrapes the surface of topics like gene cloning. After the attachment, you start to realize that these ‘dry’ topics are really very exciting”
 
Chan Wei Jian (Raffles Junior College) attached to Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R) said:” It has been a meaningful experience, as well as a beneficial one. For one, it has certainly helped to condition my mind in a more systematic manner, analyzing the problem posed before making a structured effort to solve it.” 


Poster presenters with Guests of Honour


Prof Charles Zukoski with Florence Limbri (ACJC) and Ng Jun De Andrew (CJC). The students were attached to Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) and researched on "Effects of Substituents on Kinetics of Enolization"

 
Prof Miranda Yap with Khoo Shu Hui Rebecca (NUSHS), Alexis Ho Ippei (SAJC) and Hong Qi Wei (YJC). The students were attached to Singapore Bioimaging Consortium (SBIC) and researched on "Morphometric Analysis on Schizophrenia Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)".

 
 

A*STAR Roll of Honour Congratulatory lunch

Thirteen outstanding scholars from the National Science Scholarship (BS) received the A*STAR Roll of Honour (ARH) award from Mr Lim Chuan Poh, A*STAR Chairman on 13 Feb 2009.

View the ARH ad, and the awardees universities and JCs.


Front Row Right to Left: Li Hao, Christine Cheung, Lim Shu Wen, Lim Chuan Poh (A*STAR Chairman), Tan Yun Lei, Rosanna Chau, Yena Lim (A*STAR Managing Director) 
 
Back Row Right to Left: Wong Liang Jie, Ngiam Jiquan, Ng Shengyong, Foo Chuan Sheng, Ho Qirong
 

A*STAR Graduate Scholarship Workshop 2009

 

The A*STAR Graduate Scholarship Workshop 2009 was held on 15th Jan 2009 at Biopolis. More than 300 participants attended to hear from our partnership universities.
 
Delegates from our partner universities from Singapore, Europe and America talked about their PhD programs and provided information about their campuses:
Singapore partners
  • Nanyang Technological University
  • National University of Singapore
Europe partners
  • Imperial College London
  • Karolinska Institutet
  • University of Dundee
  • University of Oxford
United States of America Partners
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign 
Two AGS scholars shared about A*STAR and scholarships. Mr Ong Kok Hao, AGS scholar at Imperial College London, elaborated on the various types of scholarships available for undergraduates, graduates and post doctorate. Dr Ng Hsiao Piau, Research Fellow, Singapore BioImaging Consortium, shared about how the scholarship supported his growth from an engineering field to the biomedical field and provides many more opportunities for his future developments.
 
At the breakout sessions, participants got to interact with university delegates to ask questions and engage in small group discussions. The AGS workshop ended with a lucky draw. These 5 lucky winners have each won a S$50 Borders vouchers. Congratulations! :
1.       Ren Yaping
2.       Cheng Wei
3.       Zahira Kabiri
4.       Carp Mihaela
5.       Zhang Yiwen
 
Find out more about:
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 AGS NTU Networking session

 

The A*STAR Graduate Scholarship – Nanyang Technological University Networking session was held on 10 Dec 2008. The event provided information on the different A*STAR scholarships available for NTU students, namely the AGS Overseas Programme, the AGS (NUS/NTU) Programme, Pre-Graduate Award (PGA) and the A*STAR International Fellowship (AIF).

 

Close to 80 students consisting of undergraduates, recent Bachelor of Science graduates, current PhD students and recent PhD graduates attended the AGS- NTU Networking Session.

 

Two scientists were invited to speak at the session. Dr Andrew Wan, a Principal Research Scientist from Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) spoke about the qualities of being a good researcher and the research activities in A*STAR. Dr David Lee Butler, a Research Scientist at SIMTech as well as an Associate Professor with NTU School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, shared about life as a scientist. He also spoke about how the A*STAR’s state-of-the-art facilities provide scholars and researchers with a conducive environment for achieving success in research.

 

Our AGS scholar, Mr Cheu Eng Yeow, shared about his experience in the AGS (NTU) programme and the opportunities he enjoys as an A*STAR scholar. Eng Yeow also provided useful suggestions on how to engage supervisors, based on his experiences.

 

 

 

 

 

A*STAR JC Science Seminar on 28 Nov 2008

 

Application for the National Science Scholarship (BS) is now open, so act now -- apply to be an A*STAR Scholar to pursue your passion for Science!
 
The A*STAR JC Science Seminar on 28 Nov 2008 saw 90 students interacting with
 
 -- Prof Charles Zukoski, Chairman, Science & Engineering Research Council, who elaborated on how Science can help you to change the world, save the world, see the world, enrich your life as you get married and start a family, let you make money and do cool stuff.
 
-- Dr Bruno Reversade, Principal Investigator, Institute of Molecular Biology who shared about his interesting research on twins which brought him all over the world.
 
-- Assoc Prof Victor Nurcombe, Principal Investigator, Institute of Molecular Biology who shared about his research on improving wound healing and how he made his first million doing something he loved for mankind.
 
-- A*STAR National Science Scholarship scholars advised on how to choose the right university and shared their undergrad and research attachment experiences.
 
The students visited labs to see scientists at work and the state-of-the-art Fusionworld which showcases A*STAR research applications.
 
We hope the experience had been enriching and ignited the participants’ passion in research. Here are the lucky winners of the $50 Kinokuniya vouchers:
 
1) Michael, RJ
 
2) Chue Koy Min, HCI
 
3) Alessa Pang, ACJC 
 
4) Ouyang Xiangyu, TJC
 
5) Men YiFei, RJ
 
6) Tan Junyang, NJC
 
Please contact Hui Ning at email: A-STAR_AGATemp1@a-star.edu.sg or DID: 68266307 to collect your vouchers.

 


The speakers


The audiences


Interacting with scholars

A*STAR AND OXFORD TO COLLABORATE TO TRAIN PHD TALENT FOR SINGAPORE’S R&D DEVELOPMENT

The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the University of Oxford have signed an agreement to reaffirm the A*STAR–University of Oxford DPhil Programme (AOP) for scholars on the A*STAR Graduate Scholarship. The joint statement was signed by A*STAR’s Chairman, Mr Lim Chuan Poh, and Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Right Honorable Lord Patten of Barnes, on 30 October, in Singapore.

The programme aims to provide scholars with the opportunity of conducting research in an international environment and returning to contribute to Singapore’s R&D development. The University of Oxford is the seventh and latest partner university to come on board the A*STAR Graduate Scholarships (AGS) Programme.

 

 


 

Please click here for more information on AOP.

Please click here for press release
 A*STAR-KI Research Attachment Programme Signing Ceremony on 20 October 2008
 
 
 
 
A new A*STAR-KI Research Attachment Programme has been initiated to allow Swedish and European PhD students from Karolinska Institute (KI) to do research in Singapore with senior scientists at A*STAR Research Institutes for up to 2 years. This programme promotes reciprocity in facilitating an exchange of students between A*STAR Research Institutes and KI. 
 
The new attachment programme complements the A*STAR-KI Partnership (AKIP) PhD Programme. The latter is a programme started in 2006, where Singaporean students do two years of PhD studies at KI, and two years at an A*STAR Research Institute (RI), under the joint supervision of a KI professor and a senior member of the A*STAR RI.
 
 
 
A Fruitful Meeting with our International Advisory Panel (IAP)
 
A*STAR Graduate Academy’s International Advisory Panel (IAP) members met in the Biopolis, Singapore for the 6th IAP meeting from 15 – 17 Oct 08. The distinguished Panel is led by Professor Sir Keith Peters from the University of Cambridge and comprise esteemed members from various internationally renowned universities.
 
The IAP conducted its annual review of A*GA’s programmes and held in-depth discussion on the future direction of A*STAR’s scholarships and human capital development efforts.  Members also dialogued with scholars, networked with members of the Science & Engineering Research Council’s Research Institutes’ Scientific Advisory Board, and witnessed the official opening of Fusionopolis.

A*GA would like to thank the IAP members for their invaluable advice towards shaping A*GA’s R&D talent programmes for the knowledge economy.

 
IAP members @ Biopolis (Left to right);

1. Professor Judith Swain
Executive Director
Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (A*STAR)
Lien Ying Chow Professor of Medicine, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
Adjunct Professor, UC San Diego

2. Professor Dame Ann Dowling
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Head of the Division of Energy, Fluid Mechanics and Turbomachinery 
University of Cambridge 
Director of the University Gas Turbine Partnership

3. Professor T.E. (Ed) Schlesinger
Department Head, Electrical and Computing Engineering
Carnegie-Mellon University

4. Professor Mary A Ritter
Pro-Rector for Postgraduate and International Affairs
Imperial College London
5. Professor Jan Carlstedt-Duke
Professor in Molecular Endocrinology
Karolinska Institutet
 6. Sir Keith Peters
Emeritus Regius Professor of Physic,
University of Cambridge
Senior Consultant,
GlaxoSmithKline Research & Development 


IAP members (front row) with a range of scholars – from those on research attachments, to PhD students and post-docs

A*STAR-Sheffield Research Attachment Programme Signing Ceremony on 16 October 2008
 
 
 
 
The signing ceremony for the new A*STAR-Sheffield Research Attachment Programme was held on 16 October 2008 at Fusionopolis. The agreement, signed by A*STAR’s Chairman, Mr Lim Chuan Poh, and University of Sheffield’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Keith Burnett, marked a milestone in the partnership between A*STAR and the University of Sheffield. Under the new programme, PhD students from the University of Sheffield will spend 2 years at A*STAR RIs and 2 years at the home university under the joint supervision of senior scientists at A*STAR and Sheffield. The PhD degree will be conferred by University of Sheffield.
 
Please click here for the press release.
 
 
 
NATIONAL SCIENCE CHALLENGE 2008 (NSC 2008)
 
Tune in to the National Science Challenge on Channel 5, every Thursday from 28 Aug – 9 Oct, 7:30pm.
 
In it’s fifth year (since Jan 2002), the NSC is organised by A*STAR and the Science Centre as a series of exciting science competition to search for the brightest young minds in Singapore. The half- hour televised game show merges both outdoor and indoor science challenges to spark an interest in science amongst students as well as members of public. It aims to promote science education and foster creativity through fun and exciting science learning experiences for both participants and audience.
 
Congratulations to thefollowing schools that have emerged as the top 12 teams after the Qualifying Round :

  1. St. Joseph's Institution
  2. Victoria School
  3. River Valley High School
  4. Catholic High School
  5. NUS High School of Maths & Science
  6. Bukit Panjang Government High School
  7. Hwa Chong Institution
  8. Raffles Institution
  9. Nanyang Girls' High School
  10. Anglo Chinese School (Independent)
  11. Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)
  12. Commonwealth Secondary School

 

Congrats to the winners of National Science challenge 2008:
 
1st prize: Raffles Institution team with GOH, Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Education
 
 
 
2nd prize: Raffles Girls School team
 
 
 
3rd prize: River Valley High team
 
SINGAPORE’S BIGGEST SCIENCE FESTIVAL KICKS OFF WITH THE POPULAR THREE-DAY CARNIVAL X-PERIMENT!
 
science.08, launched in 2001, will be held from 15 August to 30 September 2008. It is set to attract about 80,000 participants with more than 120 events, activities, talks and workshops island-wide. Themed “Fast Forward: The Science of Speed”, science.08 boasts a spectrum of activities which revolve around the dynamics of speed and the speed of scientific innovations that impact the world around us.
 
The six-week-long science.08, organised jointly by A*STAR and the Science Centre Singapore (SCS) returns with intriguing scientific developments and discoveries. It will kick off with the popular three-day science carnival X-periment! from 15 to 17 August 2008 at Marina Square.
 
X-periment
Fifteen organisations will be showcasing their exhibits at Marina Square Central Atrium at X-periment. Booths by A*STAR RIs include:
-- 299 792 458 meters/second by DSI
-- Enzymatic Production of Biodiesel by ICES
-- Assistive Social Robotics by I2R
-- Ring Deformations in Photonic Crystal by IME
-- Speedy Surfaces by IMRE
-- The Evolutionary Adaptation of Animals to Speed by IMCB
-- Digital Factory Fast Forward by SIMTech
 
Visit www.sciencemonth.org.sg for the full list and details of science.08 activities.
 
 
 
 
2008 Philip yeo prize for outstanding achievement in research
 
The Philip Yeo prize was inaugurated in 2007 to recognize noteworthy achievements and contributions of our A*STAR scholars in research. The award also serves as a motivation to all scholars to strive for excellence and innovation. This prize is open to all incumbent A*STAR NSS and AGS scholars. The selection is based on the quality of their first or main authored papers in premium journals.
 
A dinner event was organized on 13th August to present the 2008 Philip Yeo Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Research. The 2008 Prize winners were Dr Jonathan Loh from GIS and Dr Tony Quek from I2R.
 
A total of 23 scholars submitted over 40 publications to A*STAR for consideration by the Philip Yeo Prize Judging Panel. In addition, the various A*STAR Research Institutes nominated a further 12 scholars who submitted a total of 24 publications. From this extensive list of nominees and publications, the Judging Panel lead by Dr Brenner and comprising Professor Chong Tow Chong, Prof Lee Eng Hin and Prof Miranda Yap had the hard task of narrowing down the choice to the two ultimate winners.
 
The 2008 Philip Yeo Prize winners were cited for the excellent research work. Dr Tony Quek, a NSS scholar, graduated with a PhD from MIT in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Currently a researcher at I2R, his winning article is entitled “The Analysis of UWB Transmitted-Reference Communication Systems in Dense Multi-path Channels”. It was published in 2005 in the IEEE Journal of Selected Areas of Communication.
 
The other Prize winner, Dr Jonathan Loh, is an AGS scholar who graduated with a PhD in Molecular Biology from NUS. He is currently doing his post-doc stint at the Daley Laboratory at Harvard University in USA.  His winning article is entitled “The Oct4 and Nanog Transcription Network Regulates Pluripotency in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells 15”. It was published in 2006 in Nature Genetic.
 
Chairman, A*STAR presented both winners with a prize certificate and a $5,000 award each . The prize money was sponsored by Dr Sydney Brenner.
 
Short speeches made by the winners, Dr Tony Quek and Dr Jonathan Loh.
 
 
From the left to the right: Dr Tony Quek, Mr Philip Yeo, A*STAR Chairman Lim Chuan Poh, Dr Jonathan Loh, Dr Sydney Brenner
 
 
 
Dr Tony Quek and  Dr Jonathan Loh
 
 
 
Spreading laughter with toys at the Sony Creative Science Award 2008
 
More than 3000 entries from 108 primary schools were submitted for Sony Creative Science Award 2008. In it’s 11 th year, the toy making competition aims to foster and promote creativity among primary school students. The guest-of-honour was RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Education & Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts.
 
The SCSA competition comprises two award categories: the ScizKid Award in which each toy needs to demonstrate at least one scientific principle and the WhizKid Award which carries the theme of ‘Make Me Laugh’ this year. Each toy in this category must also use at least one spring to generate motion. The first prize for the ScizKid Award (Primary 3-6) went to Cynthia Lee of Bukit View Primary School for her entry Pizzatron. Fong Kei Sen of Punggol Primary School won the first prize in the WhizKid Award category for his toy submission The Belly Dancers.
 
 19 teachers were also awarded with the Blue Ribbon Award and one teacher with Diamond Award for inspiring students in this competition.
 
Eddie Goldstein (See Appendix B), a renowned American science educator and entertainer from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, also performed a special science show at the Awards Presentation Ceremony for over 500 students.
 
SCSA is jointly organized by Science Centre Singapore and the Sony Group of Companies in Singapore, with support from the Ministry of Education and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
 
 
 RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew with Lam Xiang Qi and Ong Jia Jun from Xishan Primary School. Their toy “Three Little Monkeys” won third prize for Whizkid category.
 
 
Cynthia Lee Weng Yan from Bukit View Primary School. Her toy Pizzatron won the 1st prize in the ScizKid Primary 3 to 6 category.
 
 
Fong Kei Sen from Punggol Primary School. His toy The Belly Dancers won the 1st prize in the WhizKid category.
 
 
Congratulations to our 304 new A*STAR scholars this year!
 
304 young people received scholarships or awards at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Scholarship Award Ceremony 2008 on Friday, 25 Jul 2008, at Biopolis. Acting Minister for Manpower, Mr Gan Kim Yong, was the guest-of-honour at the event.
 
101 scholars received the National Science Scholarships (NSS) or A*STAR Graduate Scholarships (AGS) to pursue their Bachelor and PhDs studies this year. 
 
104 Singaporean junior college students, and 99 international students studying in local secondary schools, received the A*STAR JC Science Award and YRAP award to further develop their interest in research. 
 
Minister Gan also announced three new programmes at the event:
  1. The A*STAR Science Award (Upper Secondary) provides an early start for Singaporean students to explore their interest in science.
  2. The A*STAR Oxford partnership gives scholars a twin experience of doctoral studies at A*STAR and Oxford.
  3. The A*STAR International Fellowship offers top NUS and NTU PhD graduates international post-doctoral experience.
 
Please click the links to read:
Hear what some of our scholars of class 2008 say about A*STAR Scholarship Awards Ceremony (SAC):
 
“The SAC brings together people with a common goal - the passion and pursuit of Science” – Liemhetcharat Somchaya , NSS(PhD), Class of 2008
 
“The SAC may be considered the inaugural milestone in one's scientific career - it signifies the completion of a basic level of education and beginning of the next phase of higher learning.” – Kelvin See Zhenwei, AGS, Class of 2008
 
“The diversified performances put up by different groups of scholars made the SAC an unforgettable experience for all. In the same way, while all of us will branch out into various fields of science, I am certain that we will all have a hand in helping to shape a better world!” – Serene Chen Weiyan, NSS(BS), Class of 2008
 
“This event celebrates A*STAR's commitment in developing Singapore's scientific community.”  - Chiu Jiawei, NSS(PhD), Class of 2008
 
“A myriad of emotions, joy as well as the expectation of rising up to this new challenge in my life, as I sat through the SAC. It is a moment to cherish and relish, as well as an opportune time to prepare myself and rise up to the challenges ahead” - Shakeela Banu D/O Mohamed Asrafali, AGS, Class of 2008
 
 
A*STAR Scholarship Awards Ceremony photo gallery
 
“When you start in your respective fields after graduation, you will encounter many difficulties and obstacles, and it is only after unyielding perseverance, patience and determination will you taste the fruits of success. It may sound daunting, but I believe you will be able to live up to the challenge.”
Mr Gan Kim Yong, Acting Minister for Manpower, Guest-of-Honour for A*STAR Scholarship Awards Ceremony
 
 
 
Class of 2008: NSS (BS)
 
 
Class of 2008: NSS (PhD)
 
 
Class of 2008: AGS
 
YRAP scholars
 
JC Science Awardees
  
 
Street dance performance by Class of 2008: NSS (BS)
 
 
STOMP performance by Class of 2008: NSS (BS)
 
Dance performance by Class of 2008: NSS (PhD)
 
Choral performance by Class of 2008: NSS (BS)
 
“Research appeals to me with its intellectual challenges and dynamism, and past research projects have strengthened my conviction that this is what I want.”
Chang Nong Shin Amelia, Valedictory speaker, NSS(BS) 2008
 
 
Thirty-four A*STAR Graduate Scholars proudly received their PhDs at NUS commencement and NTU convocation ceremonies in July 2008. They were amongst the first cohort to be awarded the A*STAR Graduate Scholarships introduced in 2003.
 
 A*STAR Chairman Mr. Lim Chuan Poh, who was the Guest Speaker at the NUS Graduate School Commencement Ceremony, inspired the first batch of graduates with his thoughts on pursuing a PhD and the growing Research & Development thrusts in Singapore. Chairman Lim also noted how the A*STAR Graduate Scholarship (AGS) programme has catalysed the PhD enrollment at local universities.
 
Mr Lim also encouraged greater international collaborations in order to sustain Singapore’s position as a global R&D hub.  He introduced the A*STAR International Fellowship (AIF) that will provide top Singaporean PhD graduates from NUS or NTU with two years of overseas post-doctoral opportunities before returning to an A*STAR Research Institute.   This complements the overseas post-doc opportunities open to AGS scholars to deepen their research and widen their international scientific networks.
 
With the joyous moments captured in the pictures below, we like to wish our newly minted PhDs an exciting and fruitful scientific journey ahead.