Executive Committee (ExCo) Team

Danny Soon is the inaugural Chief Executive Officer for the Consortium for Clinical Research and Innovation, Singapore (CRIS) and Executive Director, Singapore Clinical Research Institute (SCRI).

At CRIS, he has the responsibility for leading the corporate team to support key national translational research programmes, and to forge greater synergies and impact for healthcare and economic value capture.

Danny was previously Executive Director, Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) in A*STAR. His team in BMRC was responsible for incepting and coordinating efforts and programmes in drug development, precision medicine, MedTech and biomanufacturing.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-soon-97434a9/

After stepping down as Executive Director of the A*STAR Graduate Academy (A*GA) in 2022, Timothy Sebastian was appointed to build up a strong engagement network with and for A*STAR alumni.

In 2023, the A*STAR Global Network (A*GN) was launched to reach out to the diverse and multi-national A*STAR alumni scientists, researchers and corporate alumni based not only in Singapore, but throughout the world.

The A*GN currently engages over 2,500 alumni, with more expected to join the network over the coming years. Having worked in A*STAR for almost 20 years, Timothy brings with him a wealth of A*STAR and HR experience as the former Executive Director of the A*GA and the former Group Human Resources Director of A*STAR.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-sebastian-27aa6650/

Shawn Hoon is the Chief Scientific Officer in Automera, a company which capitalizes on the versatile degradation capabilities of autophagy to precisely target and eliminate disease-causing agents.

Automera’s vision is centered on creating technology that simplifies, accelerates, and reduces costs in the development of superior drugs. We firmly recognise that autophagy-driven degradation is a prime example of such groundbreaking technology, presenting an array of possibilities and opportunities across various applications.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-hoon-a023258/

Eugene Wee is the Vice President and Head of Advanced Technology for Dual Use at ST Engineering's Group Technology Office (GTO). He leads efforts in identifying new and emerging technologies globally, driving research partnerships, as well as supporting research and development of innovative, multi-use technologies. He works across ST Engineering’s business areas to drive the application of advanced technologies to ensure the company stays competitive in a rapidly evolving landscape.

As a technology advocate, Eugene focuses on identifying technologies that deliver value across business areas. He is particularly passionate about green and sustainable technologies, believing they hold great potential for impact.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugenewee/

Juliana Chan is an MIT-trained scientist turned media entrepreneur, and a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. After a 15-year career in nanomedicine and drug delivery, she started a STEM-focused communication agency to support government, academic and MNC clients on strategic communications, corporate branding and thought leadership content.

In 2020, Juliana was named an inaugural LinkedIn Top Voice for Singapore, and in recent years she has been profiled in CNBC, Yahoo Finance, Campaign Asia-Pacific and Channel NewsAsia.

Today, as the founder of Find Your Superpower, Juliana helps an exclusive community of growth-minded professionals and entrepreneurs unlock their superpowers through mindset and action.

Besides her businesses, Juliana is also a frequent keynote speaker and industry moderator. She regularly talks about entrepreneurship, science communication and professional branding for career and business outcomes.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianachanphd/

Pauline Erica Tay leads the National Health Innovation Centre (NHIC) as Director, facilitating the innovation, development, commercialisation and adoption of health technologies at public hospital clusters in Singapore.

Prior to this, she helmed the Innovation and Enterprise Directorate at the National Research Foundation of the Prime Minister’s Office, developing key signatures in Singapore’s tech ecosystem, such as the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH), SGInnovate, Deep Tech Venture Funds and Accelerators, international and public-private partnerships.

Pauline has also served in industry as the Chairperson of Technology, Innovation and Productivity at the Singapore Business Federation, Executive Director and Head of Innovation Partnerships at UBS, and COO/CSO at Celligenics.

Pauline is technically trained with a PhD in stem cell biology/regenerative medicine and spent 15 years at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauline-erica-tay-43b094140/

Xinhong Lim is a member of the Executive Committee of the A*STAR Global Network. He is a Venture Partner and former Managing Director and a member of the Investment Committee at Vickers Venture Partners, where he led deep tech and life sciences investments globally. Most recently, he served as Managing Director of Gelephu Mindfulness City, a Special Administrative Region in Bhutan, where he spearheaded economic strategy and partnerships in health, life sciences, and education. A Stanford-trained developmental biologist and former A*STAR Principal Investigator in skin stem cell biology, Xinhong has received numerous national and international accolades for his contributions to science and innovation, including the Singapore National Academy of Sciences Young Scientist Award and the Ten Outstanding Young Singaporeans Award (Medical Innovation).

https://www.linkedin.com/in/xinhonglim/

As Vice President (Ecosystem Building), Benjamin Tee leads a global team that grows the NUS Innovation and Enterprise and broader Singapore entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Prior to his appointment, Benjamin was Associate Vice President of NUS Enterprise, as well as Vice-Dean (Research) at the College of Design and Engineering.

Benjamin’s research focuses on ground-breaking flexible and stretchable electronic sensors for robotics and healthcare by pushing the boundaries of materials science, mechanics, electronics and AI. His accolades include being named the MIT TR35 Global Innovator in 2015, the Singapore Young Scientist Award in 2016, a 2019 World Economic Forum’s Young Scientist, a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (2021) and one of the World’s Top 2% Scientists (2022, 2023) by Stanford University. His team also won the James Dyson Innovation Award in 2021 (first for a Singapore team to win in award's 17-year history).

https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamintee/

Angelyn Ang is Director of A*STAR Graduate Academy, where she leads both the Scholar Development and Deployment team, focused on talent development and management, and the Youth Science and Marketing team, which aims to inspire young minds to pursue careers in STEM research.

Leveraging her extensive experience, Angelyn drives initiatives to nurture the next generation of scholars, empowering them to grow, thrive, and contribute meaningfully to society.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the National University of Singapore, providing her with a solid grounding in pharmaceutical sciences. She also earned an MBA from the University of Leeds, equipping her with the leadership and strategic acumen to advance organisational goals and foster talent excellence.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelyn-ang/

Reuben Bakker works in the Electronics Cluster within the Innovation and Enterprise (I&E) Group, A*STAR. At the end of the day, he works on account and technology management with the goal of transferring technology from lab to marketplace. Reuben is the founder, creator and main host of the One North Stories podcast, Singapore’s first deep tech podcast, hosted out of A*Start Central. One North Stories is a casual podcast telling the story of science and technology development and deployment in Singapore. Launched in April 2023, it has reached 3000+ unique listeners across 60+ countries.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/reubenmbakker/

Karin Khang is a certified Project Management Professional with a strong background in strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and cross-divisional coordination. At A*STAR, she played a role in corporate planning efforts, supporting strategic workplans, management engagements, and cross-divisional projects. As a pioneer member of the A*STAR Global Network (A*GN), she contributed to the development and launch of the alumni engagement platform, fostering lasting connections with former staff and researchers. Karin brings strong analytical skills, a collaborative mindset, and a commitment to building meaningful initiatives that support A*GN’s mission and community.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-khang/

Wendy Chan, a graduate of Singapore Polytechnic with a Diploma in Games Design and Development, brings a multifaceted skillset to her endeavors. While proficient in areas such as event coordination, design innovation, and software development, her core motivation lies in contributing to the well-being of others and effecting positive change. She welcomes inquiries for assistance and can be contacted at ASTAR_alumni@a-star.edu.sg.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-chan-95b9722b6/