Celebrating A*STAR's 2024 PSTA and YSA Awardees

Five distinguished A*STAR awardees have been recognised with Singapore's highest honours in science and technology at the 2024 President's Science and Technology Awards (PSTA). At the annual PSTA ceremony, Prof Richard Parker was conferred the President's Science and Technology Medal, and Prof Malini Olivo, Dr Gurpreet Singh, and Dr Renzhe Bi received the President's Technology Award for their team innovation together with Adjunct Assoc Prof Augustine Tee from Changi General Hospital. Dr Jonathan Goke received the Young Scientist Award (YSA).

The PSTA recognises excellence in research, innovation and enterprise, and is awarded annually to individuals and teams that have made exceptional contributions towards science and technology in Singapore. The PSTA is organised by the National Research Foundation (NRF). The YSA recognises researchers aged 40 years and below who have shown great potential to be world-class researchers in their fields of expertise. The YSA is administered by the Singapore National Academy of Science and supported by NRF.

President's Science and Technology Medal (PSTM)

• Professor Richard Parker, Chairman, Singapore Aerospace Programme, A*STAR

For his outstanding contributions in stimulating the establishment of corporate R&D capabilities in Singapore, leadership in bringing companies and research institutions together for the benefit of Singapore, and for promoting international collaboration in research and technology.

Prof Richard Parker has dedicated his career to fostering impactful research-industry collaborations. Since 2016, he has served as a Special Advisor to A*STAR, continuing a long history of partnership.

In 2002, Prof Parker established his first joint lab with the A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing as Rolls-Royce's Director of Research and Technology. Under his guidance, in 2007, Rolls-Royce became a founder member of the Singapore Aerospace Programme, hosted by A*STAR to leverage science and technology in addressing challenges in areas of importance for the aerospace industry. He went on to become its Chairman in 2018. He also played a key role in establishing the A*STAR Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre in 2012, which now supports over 95 industrial partners across various sectors. Prof Parker also chairs Singapore's Low Carbon Energy Research Programme Technical Committee and the Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine's Science & Technology Advisory Panel.

Globally recognised, Prof Parker holds honorary doctorates from universities worldwide. He was made a Commander of the British Empire in 2013 for his services to engineering and was awarded the Singapore Public Service Medal (PBM) in 2021. His dedication to developing future scientists is reflected in his sponsorship of nearly 2,500 PhDs. Read his award citation.

President's Technology Award (PTA)

• Professor Malini Olivo, Distinguished Principal Scientist, A*STAR Skin Research Labs
• Dr Gurpreet Singh, Principal Scientist, A*STAR Skin Research Labs, and CEO and Founder, Respiree Pte Ltd
• Dr Renzhe Bi, Principal Scientist, A*STAR Skin Research Labs
• Adjunct Associate Professor Augustine Tee, Chairman, Division of Medicine and Senior Consultant, Department of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine, Changi General Hospital, SingHealth

For their innovative integration of biophotonics, machine learning and clinical data to create Respiree, a healthcare solution which has demonstrated the potential to transform cardio-respiratory disease management in real-world settings.

Prof Malini Olivo, Dr Gurpreet Singh, Dr Renzhe Bi, and Adjunct Assoc Prof Augustine Tee developed an optical wearable technology that enhances clinical decision-making by monitoring respiratory and lung function in real time. Validated through trials at Changi General Hospital, the technology has achieved four global regulatory clearances and raised over US$7M in venture funding. It predicts patient deterioration with 91.7% accuracy, offering a lead time of 18 to 21 hours. Commercialised through an A*STAR spin-off, Respiree, and adopted by healthcare providers, it marks a significant advancement in cardio-respiratory disease management, providing better monitoring and predictive capabilities.

Team lead Prof Olivo has also led several first-in-human clinical studies, translating biophotonics technologies to improve health outcomes. She has published over 500 papers, holds 75 patents, and has trained more than 50 PhD scientists including teammates, Dr Singh and Dr Bi. Read the team award citation.

Young Scientist Award (YSA)

• Dr Jonathan Göke, Senior Principal Scientist, A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore

For his pioneering work in developing computational methods for long read RNA sequencing data that have enabled the profiling of RNA transcription and modifications at unprecedented resolution and accuracy.

Dr Jonathan Göke has pioneered computational methods for long-read ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing, offering new insights into RNA transcription and modifications. His research has deepened our understanding of RNA's role in gene expression and human diseases, advancing more precise treatments and RNA-based therapies, such as mRNA vaccines. His techniques have been downloaded over 200,000 times and are featured in prestigious journals. Dr Göke has delivered over 30 global presentations, participates in international consortia, and is an A*STAR Fellow. Read his award citation.