HONOURS AND ACCOLADES

Minister for National Development’s R&D Awards 2019
Merit Award: EMA’s Self-Regulating Integrated Electricity-Cooling Networks (IE-CN)

The district cooling system in the Marina Bay area lowers the energy requirement for air-conditioning of buildings by centralising chilled water production to reap economies of scale. However, sudden fluctuations in electricity demand to meet cooling needs may affect the stability of the power grid supply. 

Funded by the Energy Market Authority (EMA), this project by the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R) and Singapore District Cooling (SDC) attempted to address this challenge through a novel hybrid energy storage system.

NutraIngredients-Asia Awards

Prof Jeyakumar Henry has won the 2019 Nutrachampion Award for championing evidence-based research into how food and dietary choices can benefit and impact Asian population, and playing a major role in helping to tackle crucial issues such as diabetes and obesity.

Clinical Nutrition Research Centre

W.K. Kellogg International Food Security Award and Lectureship

Professor Christiani Jeyakumar Henry is the recipient of the 2019 W. K. Kellogg International Food Security Award and Lectureship. An eminent food scientist and nutritionist, he established the Clinical Nutrition Research Centre in Singapore in 2011. His research interests are glycaemic control, functional foods, body weight regulation, and refugee nutrition. His work has received numerous awards, including the British Nutrition Foundation Prize and the recent Niigata International Food Award. A fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology, Henry has published over 320 papers and presented at over 380 international conferences. Media involvement includes the highly successful TV program Food Files, hosted by National Geographic.

Niigata International Food Award

Prof Jeyakumar Henry has been awarded the prestigious Niigata International Food Award, Japan, known as the “Asian World Food Prize”. It is awarded to scientists that has made a substantial global contribution to food and nutrition. Prof Henry is a leading researcher in the field of rice functionality and measures against diabetes. He has contributed as a global leader in research on the prevention of diabetes, for example, by establishing functional food research institutes in the UK and Singapore.

Institute of Materials Research and Engineering
IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2018

Dr Yao Kui, Mr Lai Szu Cheng and Mr Chen Yi Fan from A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) were awarded the IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2018. They are recognised for their work in creating a unique UV sensing and monitoring technology which includes a battery-less and wireless UV monitoring system. The team’s technical breakthrough led to a reliable, robust, low-cost and energy-autonomous UV sensing and monitoring solution, with the potential to contribute significant value to society and the industry. The award was presented by Mr Heng Chee How, Minister of State, Prime Minister's Office, at an award ceremony held on 26 July 2018.

Image credit: The Institution of Engineers, Singapore

Genome Institute of Singapore
American Association for Cancer Research Team Science Award

Dr Khor Chiea Chuen from A*STAR’s Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) has been awarded the prestigious 2018 American Association for Cancer Research Team Science Award for research on numerous cancers, including gastric cancer, Asian-prevalent lymphomas such as natural killer T-cell lymphomas, bile-duct cancers, and cancers associated with exposure to aristolochic acids. The research helped to identify new genes and pathways, which if disrupted may represent new avenues for further therapies. 

The AACR Team Science Award is an internationally prestigious award that recognises an outstanding interdisciplinary research team for its innovative and meritorious science that has advanced our fundamental knowledge of cancer, or has applied existing knowledge to advance the detection, diagnosis, prevention or treatment of cancer.

Genome Institute of Singapore
Cifar Azrieli Global Scholarship

Dr Wan Yue from A*STAR’s Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) has been awarded the Cifar Azrieli Global Scholarship. Dr Wan Yue’s research interest lie in using and developing new tools to study ribonucleic acid (RNA) function. As a CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar, Dr Wan Yue will receive CDN100,000 in unrestricted research support, as well as a two-year membership to CIFAR’s Molecular Architecture of Life program with outstanding research leaders from across disciplines. She will also receive the coveted opportunity to undergo specialised leadership and communication skills training by many of the world’s best minds, invitations to exclusive networking sessions with other Global Scholars and prospects for collaborations.

Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences
2017 National Outstanding Clinician Scientist Award

Assoc Prof Chong is awarded for his outstanding contributions towards improving population health in Singapore through the study of health and disease in early life, and its potential impact in later life. The accolade is presented by the Ministry of Health, Singapore to recognise contributions from health professionals for innovations in healthcare, patient safety, clinical quality, biomedical research as well as training and education of clinicians.

Senior Fellow of A*STAR
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun
SNAS Honorary Fellowship

Prof Sydney Brenner, Nobel Laureate and A*STAR Senior Fellow was conferred the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun by the Government of Japan in recognition of his instrumental role in establishing the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University as an internationally reputed research facility. He was also conferred the Singapore National Academy of Sciences (SNAS) Honorary Fellowship for his distinguished contributions to the development of life sciences in Singapore.

GIS
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scholarships

Ng Shyh-Chang has been awarded the HHMI-Gates International Research Scholarship for his studies on how metabolic processes regulate muscle regeneration during aging. His work could deepen our understanding of the effects of nutrition and exercise, and suggest strategies for treating the aging-induced metabolic syndrome. As stem cells develop into specialised cells, their cell fates are influenced by the biochemical pathways that process nutrients to synthesize cellular materials and convert food to energy.

IMB
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scholarships

Lena Ho has been awarded the HHMI International Research Scholarship for her hunt for new peptides linked to human disease. She’s looking for hidden gems among previously overlooked regions of our genome, and seeks to understand how the peptides work and how they can be used to combat common diseases of the cardiovascular and metabolic systems.

IMCB
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scholarships

Nicolas Plachta has been awarded the HHMI-Wellcome International Research Scholarship for his research on using single-cell imaging technologies devised in his lab to study how developing embryos take shape. He wants to understand the molecular mechanisms that govern changes in cell fate, shape, and position and how these changes are coordinated across an entire embryo.

2016 American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) Gibsco Emerging Leader Prize

Dr Plachta has been awarded the 2016 American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) Gibsco Emerging Leader Prize. He is one of three winners of the international awarded prize this year. The prize is part of a partnership between ASCB and Gibco to support excellence in science, especially up-and-coming leaders in scientific research, and raise the visibility of promising young scientists. Dr Plachta won this prestigious award for his work on resolving cell fate, shape and position during development, especially for developing new live imaging technologies to analyse single cells in mouse embryos. These technologies pave the way for a better understanding of how cells develop, and has implications for reproductive procedures like IVF.

DSI
2016 World Scientific Physics Research Award and Gold Medal by the Institute of Physics Singapore (IPS)

Prof. Boris Lukiyanchuk, A*STAR scientist and adjunct Professor at NTU was conferred the 2016 World Scientific Physics Research Award and Gold Medal by the Institute of Physics Singapore (IPS) for his outstanding contributions in modern physical optics, plasmonics, nanophotonics and modern theoretical physics related to laser-matter interaction done in Singapore. Annually, the award recognises an individual or team for significant contributions to pure and applied physics research. Prof. Lukiyanchuk was also the winner of the 2013 President's Science Award "for his outstanding input to the theory of laser-mater interactions and light scattering by nanoparticles, in particular to Fano resonance in plasmonic materials".

IMCB
19th A-IMBN (Asia-Pacific International Molecular Biology Network) Arthur Kornberg Memorial Lecture Award

Prof Hong was awarded the 19th A-IMBN (Asia-Pacific International Molecular Biology Network) Arthur Kornberg Memorial Lecture Award in October 2016. This award was created to commemorate the late Prof. Arthur Kornberg for his contributions to A-IMBN and for promoting the development of scientific and technical excellence amongst scientists and institutions dedicated to molecular biology and genetic engineering research in Asia and the Pacific Rim. In selecting the winner, the focus is primarily on his/her contributions to scientific originality in molecular biology and genetic engineering. Prof Hong’s research focus is cancer cell biology, specifically the mechanisms of protein trafficking, and how cancer can arise from defects in the protein trafficking process.

IMCB
HFSP (Human Frontier Science Programme) Young Investigator Award 2016

Assistant Prof Timothy Saunders is the first Singapore-based winner of the HFSP (Human Frontier Science Programme) Young Investigator Award 2016. The Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) is an international program of research support, funding frontier research on the complex mechanisms of living organisms. Research is funded at all levels of biological complexity from biomolecules to the interactions between organisms. Young Investigators' Grants are awarded to teams of researchers, all of whom have obtained an independent laboratory within the past five years. The team must be international and interdisciplinary. 

A/Prof Saunders and his international collaborators won the award for their project “Reconstitution of cell polarity and axis determination in a cell-free system”. In order to understand how a specific family of proteins dynamically establish cell polarity, the team will use advanced cell extraction techniques to develop a system that will enable unprecedentedly detailed exploration of the key biological process of polarization. 

Please note that A/Prof Saunders is a joint PI at IMCB, and his primary appointment is with the Mechanobiology Institute, NUS, where he is a Principal Investigator.

SIgN
Thomson Reuters’ Highly Cited Researchers 2016

Dr Ginhoux was recently recognised as one of Thomson Reuters’ Highly Cited Researchers 2016. Highly Cited Researchers from the Intellectual Property (IP) and Science business arm of Thomson Reuters is an annual list recognizing leading researchers in sciences and social sciences from around the world. The 2016 list focuses on contemporary research achievements: only Highly Cited Papers in science and social science journals indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection between 2004-2014 were surveyed. Highly Cited Papers are defined as those that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and publication year in the Web of Science. 

Dr Ginhoux’s lab focuses on the ontogeny and differentiation of macrophages and dendritic cells, and how these dictate their immune functions. Both play a crucial rule in tissue homoeostasis and immunity, but also contribute to a broad spectrum of pathologies and are thus attractive therapeutic targets. Potential intervention strategies aiming at manipulation of these cells will require in-depth insights of their origins and the mechanisms that govern their homeostasis.

DSI
IET A F Harvey Engineering Research Prize 2016

Dr Arseniy Kuznetsov from A*STAR’s Data Storage Institute (DSI) has been awarded the prestigious international IET A F Harvey Engineering Research Prize 2016 for his outstanding contributions to research in the field of Lasers and Optoelectronics, as well as pioneering research on dielectric nanoantennas. Dr Kuznetsov’s research is focused on developing a new concept of low-loss dielectric nanoantennas for real-life devices via nanofabrication procedures. Photonics, the science of light, is one of the most rapidly developing scientific fields resulting in a number of modern technologies, which have already become a part of our everyday life. Arseniy’s research will benefit the development of virtual and augmented reality devices, 3D holographic displays, among others. The IET’s A F Harvey Research Prize, worth £350,000, is named after Dr A F Harvey who bequeathed a generous sum of money to the IET for a trust fund to be set up in his name - which is for the furtherance of scientific research into the fields of medical, microwave, laser or radar engineering.

IMRE
TR35 Innovators Under 35 Asia

Dr. Zhi Wei Seh is a Scientist at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). He received his BS and PhD degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University and Stanford University, respectively. He then joined the Department of Chemical Engineering at Stanford University as a postdoctoral scholar. Dr. Seh has published more than 30 peer-reviewed papers in top journals including Science, Nature Communications and Nature Energy, and his work has been highlighted by the US Department of Energy and various news agencies.

IMB
EMBO Young Investigatorship Award

Dr Giulia Rancati from A*STAR's Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) has been awarded the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) Young Investigatorship in 2016 for her work on adaptive evolution in eukaryotes. Specifically, her lab looks at how eukaryotic cells are able to adapt to extreme environmental, genetic or chemical perturbations. The Programme recognises the most outstanding and promising young independent scientists leading their first labs in Europe and EMBO cooperation partner countries.

Adjunct Senior Investigator
Margolese National Brain Disorders Prize

Professor Michael Meaney, Adjunct Senior Investigator at Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), was conferred the sixth annual Margolese National Brain Disorders Prize for exploring how epigenetic changes affect neurodevelopment. The Margolese National Brain Disorders Prize is awarded annually to a Canadian physician or a scientist who has made outstanding contributions to the treatment, amelioration, or cure of brain disorders.

NanoBio Lab

• Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher (Cross-Field Category) 2018
• Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) Academy Prize in Science and Engineering Sciences 2018
• U.S. National Academy of Inventors Fellow 2017
• Abdeali Tayebali Lifetime Achievement Award 2017
• Singapore National Academy of Sciences Fellow 2016
• The Cooper Union Gano Dunn Award 2016
• IAS-COMSTECH Ibrahim Memorial Award 2015
• American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Fellow 2015
• Mustafa Prize Top Scientific Achievement Award 2015
• American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow 2015

Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Research (Cross-Field Category) 2018

Prof. Jackie Ying was named a Highly Cited Researcher for 2018 in the Cross-Field Category. This accolade placed her among an exclusive group of researchers whose exceptional work has profoundly influenced their peers. Compiled annually by Clarivate Analytics, the Highly Cited Researchers list recognizes an elite group of scientists who produce multiple highly cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for their field and year in Web of Science. In 2018, Clarivate introduced the new Cross-Field category to reflect the interdisciplinary nature of research at the leading edge and identify the people who have made important contributions to several disciplines during the last decade.

Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) Academy Prize in Science and Engineering Sciences 2018

Professor Jackie Y. Ying was the only female recipient of the TÜBA Academy Prize in 2018 and the first woman to receive the TÜBA Academy Prize in Science and Engineering Sciences. This award recognized her pioneering work in the synthesis of advanced nanostructured materials for biomedical, catalytic, energy and advanced materials applications. The TÜBA Academy Prizes have been presented annually since 2015 in three categories to eminent scientists who demonstrate original, leading and groundbreaking work in their fields. The three award categories are Science and Engineering Sciences, Health and Life Sciences, as well as Social and Human Sciences.

U.S. National Academy of Inventors Fellow 2017

Prof Jackie Y. Ying was named a Fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Inventors (NAI) in 2017. This is the highest professional accolade bestowed to academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society. She was the first researcher based in Singapore to receive this recognition.

Abdeali Tayebali Lifetime Achievement Award 2017

Prof Jackie Y. Ying, Executive Director of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, was honoured with the 2017 Abdeali Tayebali Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to society through research and for nurturing future generations of Singapore researchers. She is the first female winner of the award since it was launched in 2012 by the Abdeali Tayebali Family Trust. The award seeks to recognize individuals who inspire others through their courage, spirit of adventure, inter-cultural tolerance, compassion and dedication to serving the community.

Singapore National Academy of Sciences Fellow 2016

The prestigious Singapore National Academy of Sciences (SNAS) Fellowship was conferred on Prof Jackie Y. Ying for her administrative leadership and research excellence in the areas of nanomedicine, synthetic biosystems, biodevices and diagnostics, and green chemistry and energy. Prof Ying is one of the first two female fellows of SNAS since the fellowships were inaugurated in 2011.

The Cooper Union Gano Dunn Award 2016

Prof Jackie Y. Ying was honored with The Cooper Union’s Gano Dunn Award 2016 and included in the Alumni Hall of Fame for her professional achievements in engineering. She graduated with B.E. summa cum laude in Chemical Engineering from The Cooper Union in 1987. The award is named after Gano Dunn, who was a Trustee and President of The Cooper Union.

IAS-COMSTECH Ibrahim Memorial Award 2015

Prof Jackie Y. Ying has received the IAS-COMSTECH Ibrahim Memorial Award from the Islamic World Academy of Sciences (IAS) for her outstanding contributions to the field of nanostructured materials and systems. Presented on October 8, 2017 by IAS and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), the award seeks to promote scientific research in the field of medicine and medical sciences in countries that belong to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Fellow 2015

Prof Jackie Y. Ying has been elected a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). AIMBE Fellows are elites in the fields of medical and biological engineering. Prof Ying was nominated by her peers for her outstanding contributions to research and development of nanomaterials and nanosystems for biomedical application.

Mustafa Prize Top Scientific Achievement Award 2015

Prof Jackie Y. Ying won the inaugural Mustafa Prize Top Scientific Achievement Award for her great scientific and technological contributions and achievements to the synthesis of well-designed advanced nanostructured materials and systems, nanostructured biomaterials and miniaturized biosystems for various interesting applications. The Mustafa Prize is granted to research that has improved human life and made tangible and cutting-edge innovations on the boundaries of science or has presented new scientific methodology.

American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow 2015

Prof Jackie. Y. Ying was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2015. She was nominated by her peers for her distinguished contributions to the fields of nanotechnology and bioengineering, particularly for the design and synthesis of nanomaterials and nanodevices for biomedical and catalytic applications. Fellows are recognized for their meritorious efforts to advance science or its applications.

GIS
EMBO Associate Member

Prof Ng Huck Hui, Executive Director at A*STAR’s Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), has been elected an Associate Member of EMBO, making him the only associate member to be based in Singapore. Election to EMBO Membership is based on exclusive nomination by existing members, and is thus a recognition of research excellence and outstanding achievements made by a life scientist. Prof Ng’s research focuses on using genome wide approaches to dissect the transcriptional regulatory networks in embryonic stem cells.