IMRE LEADERSHIP TEAM

Alfred took up a Lecturer position at the Department of Physics, National University of Singapore (NUS) in 1989 and was eventually appointed as Deputy Head of Department in 2004. At NUS, he worked on surface science and epitaxial thin films, understanding surface and interfacial electronic structure of high-k oxides and semiconductors. He also studied the relaxation and reconstruction on various metal and semiconductor surfaces. Between 1999 and 2000, he worked as Visiting Beamline Scientist at the Advanced Light Source in the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.

In 1998, Alfred joined the incipient A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) as a joint appointee, functioning as Manager of the Materials Characterisation Lab, and establishing it as the premier materials analysis lab in the region. He remained in IMRE until 2010. In early 2005, he left NUS along with some colleagues to start a new school at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) – the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS). He began as the Head of the Division of Physics and Applied Physics, and later on, added the portfolio of Associate Chair for Outreach and Admissions. In NTU, his research focused on ultrafast charge and energy transfer in organics and II-VI semiconductor nanostructures, in particular the roles of defect states and the effect of dopants, leading to rich optical phenomena exciton relaxation and charge dissociation.

Alfred was seconded to A*STAR Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) in 2011. In 2012, he took up the position of Acting Executive Director (ED) of A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC), later assuming the position of full ED of the institute. He was concurrently ED of A*STAR Graduate Academy (A*GA) from August 2013 till March 2017. In 2017, he added the portfolio of his present position as ED IMRE. He relinquished his appointment as ED IHPC on 31 May 2018 to focus on his role as ED IMRE. In July 2019, Alfred was additionally appointed as Executive Director of the Urban & Green Tech Office in A*STAR.

Prior to his appointment as Senior Director and DED, Dr. Goh was the Head of the Ceramics Materials department then Director of the Strategic Research Office. As Senior Director and DED, Dr. Goh develops strategic R&D plans, establishes links with academia, public agencies and industry, and also oversees talent, laboratory, corporate and other operational matters. He also chairs the NRF-funded Singapore Battery Consortium that A*STAR is hosting.

Before 2020, Dr. Goh held a concurrent appointment as Director, Special Projects, in the Science and Engineering Research Council where he scoped future R&D programmes and also oversaw Electrification related matters in the Urban and GreenTech Office. He also represented A*STAR on various working committees such as the biennial MND Urban Sustainability R&D Congress, Land and Liveability, Smart Urban Habitat and Energy Working Committee. 

In the years before taking up management responsibilities, Dr. Goh led projects under the 1st and 2nd A*STAR-MND Green Building Thematic Strategic Research Programmes and also served as the Programme Manager for the 2nd programme. He also initiated and led research collaborations with overseas institutions such as Tohoku University, University College London and the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was also a Visiting Scientist at UCSB in 2010. 

Dr. Goh is an adjunct Professor in the Materials Science and Engineering department at the Nanyang Technological University. His research focuses on the deposition of functional and electroceramic films and nanostructures which can be utilised in self-cleaning, heat reflection and also electrochemical applications. His research has been highlighted on international journal covers and also by The American Ceramic Society, Plastics Today, Chemical Daily, Asian Scientist, Science Daily, Straits Times and Business Times. He has delivered over 30 invited lectures and has served on the Scientific/Advisory Committees of international conferences in Asia and Europe. He is an inventor on several Singapore, PCT, Japan and US patent applications. 

He is on the Executive Committee of the Thin Films Society presently as Technical Secretary (previously Vice President from 2015 to 2017) and had previously served as Joint Treasurer and Joint Secretary of the Materials Research Society, Singapore. He is active in organizing and chairing symposia for the Thin Films Society’s ThinFilms and MRS-S’s ICMAT conference series, helping to project Singapore’s leadership in R&D and promote international collaborations. 

Dr. Goh graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (1st Class Honours) and Master of Engineering from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the National University of Singapore and obtained his Doctor of Philosophy from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California at Santa Barbara on an IMRE Fellowship. Dr. Goh’s doctoral studies focused on developing a new, low temperature method for forming films of electronic ceramics while his master degree research investigated the fabrication of ceramic cutting tools.

Dr. Wong joined the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) in 2001 to establish the Research Administration (RA) Department for the management of IP portfolio and project administration. The RA Department was subsequently renamed as Strategic Planning Office (SPO) in 2015 with the expansion of its roles to cover functions such as resources planning and implementation of systems for critical operations.

In addition to her work at IMRE, Dr. Wong was the Treasurer of Materials Research Society Singapore (MRS-S) in 2002-2003 and the Joint Secretary in 2004-2005. During this period, she facilitated the professional linkages between MRS-S and local research organisations and Institutes of Higher Learning as well as the promotion of Materials R&D to the local research communities.

Prior to her appointment at IMRE, Dr. Wong was the Head for the Chemical, Materials and Environmental Cluster at the National Science and Technology Board (NSTB) between 1996 and 2001 which she led the planning and budget management of the research institutes under this cluster.

Dr. Kuznetsov graduated from Nizhniy Novgorod State University (Russia) in 2002. He received his double PhD in Processes Engineering from University Paris 13 (France) in 2005 and in Laser Physics from Institute of Applied Physics RAS (Russia) in 2006, supported by the Scholarship of French Government. Since 2007 till 2011 he worked at the Laser Zentrum Hannover (Germany) as an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow. Since October 2011 till now he has been working in A*STAR, Singapore first in the Data Storage Institute and now in the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering. He is currently appointed as Senior Scientist, Manager of Dielectric Nanoantennas Program, Director of Nanoantenna-SLM Program and Head of Advanced Optical Technologies Department. Current activities of his group are devoted to development of novel nanodevices based on dielectric nanoantennas and metasurfaces. He is an author of over 60 journal papers and a co-inventor of 11 filed patent applications. He is the recipient of 2016 IET A F Harvey Engineering Research Prize for his pioneering research on optically resonant dielectric nanostructures and dielectric nanoantennas. He also the recipient of NRF Investigatorship Award 2017.

Dr. Troadec graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Upper Second Class Honours) from the Department of Applied Physics at Kingston University, UK and obtained his Doctor of Philosophy from the Department of Physics at Royal Holloway College, University of London, UK in 2001. While pursuing his doctoral studies, he conducted research on the fabrication and study of hybrid superconducting / ferromagnetic metallic nanostructure to quantify and shed some understanding on the origin of the proximity effect in such materials.

Dr. Troadec assumed the appointment as Head of Department in the Advanced Characterisation and Instrumentation Department at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering in August 2017. As Head of Department, Dr. Troadec leads about 50 staff in the development of capabilities relevant to the existing and future programmes of A*STAR, as well as industry needs (SMEs, LLEs and MNCs), and providing expert failure analysis to our local industries and partners.

Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Troadec was a Deputy Head from 2014 to 2017 and a scientist, during which he focused his research on the nanoscale characterisation of electronic interfaces, such as semiconductor/metal interfaces, using Ballistic Electron Emission Microscopy (BEEM), a variant of Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy (STM). He also initiated research on the use of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (SCCO2) as a green solvent for self-assembled monolayers deposition for functional coatings. Dr. Cedric Troadec holds 2 patents and published over 50 research papers on BEEM, STM and SCCO2.

In recognition of staff who have consistently delivered excellent service quality and gone beyond the call of duty, Dr. Troadec received the A*STAR Go-the-Extra-Mile-for-Service (GEMS) Award in 2017, and the MTI GEMS Award in 2018.

Dr. Troadec also holds a position as executive committee member in the Materials Research Society – Singapore (MRS-S) since April 2016. MRS-S is the main organiser of the biennial International Conference on Materials for Advanced Technology (ICMAT).

Dr. Chiam  is a senior scientist at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE). He received his B. Eng in Electrical and Computer Engineering from National University of Singapore, graduating with a Class I degree, before obtaining his Ph. D in Physics from Imperial College London in 2008. He holds concurrent responsibilities in managing research programs, contributes regularly as a review panelist and currently sits as a technical advisor for Liron Pte Ltd. Previously, Dr. Chiam was also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University from 2011-2019, where he taught a course in Semiconductor Device and Physics for 4 years. He has supervised more than 30 students in final year and doctorate projects and has published more than 70 research papers with >2400 citations in the areas of energy, nanomaterials and semiconductor research. He has more than 15 years of experience in interface physics and electrochemistry of electronic materials and has a keen interest in pushing the boundaries of research and in the translation of technologies.

Dr. Leong obtained his Ph.D. in 2006 from Kyoto Institute of Technology, Japan. He joined A*STAR’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) in 2010 as a scientist focusing on polymer composites research. He was given the opportunity to spearhead the Materials Centre of Innovation in 2013, with the mission of developing materials innovations with the SME community. In 2017, he was seconded for a year to Omni-Plus System (OPS), which was a local SME specialising in thermoplastic resins and composite materials. He was instrumental in setting up the OPS Engineering Centre, which enabled the company to develop new intellectual property and innovative products. Dr. Leong is currently heading the Industry Development Office at IMRE.

Dr. Liu obtained his Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Engineering from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of National University of Singapore. He joined the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) in August 2003 and he has focused his research on micro- and nano-fabrication, super resolution imaging and focusing, metamaterials and nanoplasmonics, optical nanolithography and etc. He has published more than 50 research papers on nanophotonics and metamaterials and holds 7 filed patents. He received the 1st prize in the A*STAR Metamaterials Workshop poster competition, 2013. Dr. Liu has supervised 4 PhD students as A*GA PhD supervisor in the areas of nanophotonics and planar diffractive optics. Currently he is appointed as Senior Scientist, Head of Nanofabrication Department in IMRE to lead the department to advance the science and engineering of structured materials at the micro- and nano-scale via the development of both top-down and bottom-up nanofabrication techniques. The department also spearheads key applications in nanophotonics and nanoplasmonics, LED communications, environmental sensing.

Dr. Loh completed his basic and postgraduate studies at the National University of Singapore. A polymer chemist by training, he is currently the Head of Department of the Soft Materials Department at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), A*STAR. As a pioneer in the area of biodegradable thermogels, he is highly knowledgeable in developing these materials for various applications spanning biomedical, engineering, cosmetics, personal care and food. His scientific contributions have earned him the position of Fellowship in both Fitzwiliam College in the University of Cambridge as well as in the Royal Society of Chemistry. He is also the current Vice President and member of the Executive Committee of the Singapore National Institute of Chemistry. With his extensive experience in authoring >200 journal papers, 38 patents and know-hows, >30 book chapters and 7 books, he currently sits on several editorial boards of international journals as an expert in his area. He has also successfully helped in the commercialization of 8 different products and is always interested in the translation of science to products.

Dr. Tan assumed the appointment as Head of Department in the Polymer Composite (PMC) Department in October 2017. Prior to her current appointment, she has a strong track record in management in IMRE as the Head of Department in the Polymeric Materials Department (2016-2017) and former Deputy Head of Department in the Synthesis and Integration Capability Group (2014-2016). Her technical expertise in polymers and project management experience put her in good stead to mentor and appraise staff in the Polymer Composite Department. Dr. Tan graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering from the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Science, Malaysia and obtained her Doctor of Philosophy from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. While pursuing her doctoral studies, she conducted research on self-assembly of functional polymers and correlated the self-assembly behaviour with the rheological performances of these polymeric formulations targeted as rheology modifiers. She also developed deep expertise in dynamic and static light scattering technique which is useful for elucidating the structure-property-process relationship of polymers and composites. Dr. Tan has an H-index of 20 and has authored more than 30 scientific papers in international journals such as Macromolecules, Polymer Chemistry and Langmuir.

Dr. Ong is currently Head of Laboratories at IMRE. In this role, Dr. Ong leads the Laboratory Management Group in overseeing laboratory operations in support of IMRE’s and A*STAR’s research initiatives.

Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Ong was Deputy Head of the Laboratory Management Group (2017-2019). During this time, he helped to establish and review policies and procedures to facilitate the efficient operation of IMRE’s laboratories. He has also held leadership roles as Deputy Head of the Polymeric Materials Department (2016-2017) and Synthesis and Integration Capability Group (2014-2016), where he contributed towards strategic planning and resource management. He was a Scientist at IMRE between 2010 and 2017, during which he focused his research on polymer semiconductors. Dr. Ong has co-authored 5 patent applications and published papers in the fields of photovoltaics and thin-film transistors.

Dr. Ong has contributed actively to various IMRE committees and has chaired the IMRE Health, Safety and Environment committee (2016-2019) and Asset Management Committee (2014-2016). For his outstanding contributions as Chair of the Asset Management Committee, he received the IMRE Appreciation Award in 2015.

Dr. Ong graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Materials Engineering) from Nanyang Technological University and obtained his Doctor of Philosophy from the Department of Chemistry at Imperial College London under the A*STAR Graduate Scholarship (Overseas).

Dr. Lin assumed the appointment as Head of Department in the Structural Materials department at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), A*STAR in October 2018. As Head of Department, she leads the Structural Materials department to establish capabilities in new metal alloy design, ceramic-based coatings for harsh environments and next generation structural inspection for key applications in transport engineering, precision engineering and built environment. Prior to her current appointment, Dr. Lin held the Deputy Head of Department appointment at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), A*STAR since 2014. In her 4 years of experience as Deputy Head of Department, she has supported the Head of department in technology development and strategic engagements in advanced materials processing and characterisation. She was also involved in leading the materials characterisation team in capability building to enhance the department’s technical competency, business development activities to showcase the department’s capabilities to secure partnerships, client engagement and management support. Dr. Lin graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Materials Engineering) with Honours (2nd Upper Class) from the Nanyang Technological University in 2005 and obtained her Doctor of Philosophy from the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at the Nanyang Technological University in 2012. She joined IMRE in 2005 and focused her research on device fabrication and materials characterisation prior to her managerial appointment. Dr. Lin holds 5 patents and has authored/co-authored 23 research papers.