Yi Yan Yang obtained Ph.D. degree from Tsinghua University (China) in 1990. She was an Associate Professor in Tsinghua University before she joined Institute of Materials Science and Engineering (Agency for Science, Technology and Research – A*STAR, Singapore) in 1998. She moved to Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN, A*STAR) in 2003 as a Group Leader. Currently, she is Covering Executive Director of Institute of Bioengineering and Bioimaging (IBB), and an Adjunct Research Professor at Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, National University of Singapore. She has 252 publications in peer-reviewed journals including Nat. Mater., Nat. Nanotech., Nat. Chem., Nat. Commun., Adv. Mater., Advanced Science, Adv. Funct. Mater., Angew. Chem. Intl. Ed., ACS Nano, Biomaterials, and J. Control. Release, Adv. Healthc. Mater., Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine (Nanomedicine) (H-index: 80; Citations: 20142), and 69 patents granted (3 patents have been licensed to two spin-off companies).
She has received many invitations to hold lectures and seminars in Singapore and overseas. In addition to her scientific contributions, she has organized and chair-ed a number of symposiums and seminars over the years. In 2009, Singapore Women’s Weekly Magazine awarded her the Great Women of Our Time Award, Science and Technology Category. In January 2016, she was elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows. Her work on antimicrobial polymers was named Scientific American’s “Top 10 World Changing Ideas” in 2011. She serves as an Associate Editor for Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine, and on the Editorial Board for Advanced Healthcare Materials. Her other professional activities include member of Material Research Society (MRS) in Singapore and MRS (USA), and member of American Chemical Society (ACS).