IMRE Scientific Conference 2024

Assistant Prof Jason Lim obtained his DPhil in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Oxford, and subsequently performed postdoctoral research stinit at the same institute on organocatalytic ring-opening polymerization. Thereafter, Jason returned to IMRE, A*STAR, where he now leads the Advanced Biomaterials Department and is also concurrently the group leader of the Sustainable Supramolecular Materials Group. His research interests centre around green catalysis, biomedically-relevant supramolecular hydrogels, upcycling of waste plastics and novel applications of MOFs in biomedical and sustainability research. He is a recipient of the prestigious National Research Foundation Fellowship (2023) for his work on sustainable plastics upcycling, and is amongst the top 2% scientists worldwide in organic chemistry (Stanford-Elsevier).

Dr. (Tony) Son Tung Ha is a Principal Investigator and Deputy Head of Advanced Optical Technologies Department at the Institute of Material Research and Engineering, A*STAR, Singapore. He received Ph.D in Applied Physics from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in 2018. Currently, Dr. Ha leads a research team called Novel Light Source (NLS) group, focusing on light-matter interaction in metasurfaces and their applications in light-emitting diodes, nanolasers, and optical sensors. He has published over 40 scientific articles & international patents with a total citation of ~4,500 and an H-index of 21. His research has been published and highlighted in top-tier scientific outlets, including Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Photonics, Advanced Materials, Light Science & Applications, ACS Nano, and Nature Communication. 

Peter is a Senior Principal Scientist at the Bioinformatics Institute (BII) A*STAR Singapore, and Adjunct Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Following his graduation in Biochemistry at the University of Oxford in 2001, Peter moved to the Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics to read for a DPhil, supported by a Wellcome Trust Prize Studentship. He was awarded an EMBO Long-Term Fellowship to carry out research at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt from 2008. In 2010, he became a University Lecturer at the University of Cambridge, before moving to BII as a Principal Investigator in late 2013. 

Dr. ZHOU Jing obtained his Ph. D. from National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2019, and pursued his postdoctoral research in the Department of Material Science and Engineering of NUS. He joined the Department of Electronic Materials of IMRE in 2021. His major research interests include novel materials for spin-orbit torque generation, high-frequency techniques for characterizing magnetic materials, and application of magnetic memories. He was awarded the Career Development Fund as the principal investigator (PI) in 2022 and the MTC Individual Research Grant as the co-PI in 2024. 

J. Justin KOH is a scientist in IMRE, A*STAR. He received his Ph.D. degree from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2020. His research focuses on functional polysaccharides, along with a special interest in exploiting polymer-water interactions in functional applications. He has authored several publications in high-impact journals, including Joule, Advanced Energy Materials, Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, Advanced Science, Nano Energy and Chemical Society Reviews. Justin is a recipient of the RIE2025 MTC Young Individual Research Grant. 

ZHENG Xinting is currently a Senior Research Scientist at Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore. She received her PhD degree in Bioengineering from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore in 2012. She then worked as a postdoctoral fellow on functional nanomaterials in the same department. She joined IMRE in 2014 to focus on biosensor development and nanomaterials design. Her current research interests include optical and electrochemical sensors, wearable sensors, functional nanomaterials for MedTech applications.  

Wang Shijie is a Senior Principal Scientist at IMRE and holds an adjunct appointment as Associate Professor at the Department of Physics, National University of Singapore. His research focus on advanced ceramic composite and coatings including materials synthesis and characterization.  He has published over 250 journal papers and hold more than 20 patents with H-index 56. 

Dr Dan Kai obtained his Ph.D. degree in NUS graduate school for integrate science & engineering, National university of Singapore. Currently, he is working as a principal scientist and group leader at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering & Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment, A*STAR, Singapore. His research interests focused on the synthesis of biomass-based functional materials (including nanoparticles, polymers, hydrogels and nanofibers) towards high performance green composites and healthcare biomaterials. He is also interested in valorization of argi-food waste for value-added applications. 

Parvathi Nair is a scientist from advanced optical technologies department. With a keen interest in the intersection of science and technology, her career is focused on the design and fabrication of cutting-edge optical systems. Parvathi’s expertise lies in pushing the boundaries of optical engineering to create innovative solutions for various applications ranging from telecommunications to imaging. Having earned her Ph.D. from Singapore University of Technology and Design, Parvathi has accumulated knowledge and hands-on experience in optical design, simulation, and fabrication techniques.  

Beatrice received her B.S.E. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Princeton University in 2014 and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2020. At MIT, Beatrice studied the polymer physics of topologically complex DNA at the single-molecule level. Currently, at IMRE, Beatrice is working on developing algorithms to learn the nonequilibrium dynamics of polymer systems. Her research interests lie in integrating data-driven approaches with microfluidics for applications in soft matter. 

Dr Sirawit Pruksawan earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, in 2020. From 2018 to 2020, he served as a junior researcher at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in Japan. In 2021, he joined the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) at the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore as a research scientist, where he continues his research. His work focuses on polymer composites, functional hydrogels, 3D/4D printing, and material toughening. 

Dr Laura Sutarlie obtained her PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from National University of Singapore (2012). She is a Principal Scientist I in Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), A*STAR, Singapore. Her expertise is nanomaterials and sensors/biosensors for detection of chemicals, biomolecules, and microorganisms. Her research interest includes low-cost and field-deployable sensors/ biosensors in various areas such as health diagnostics, biosurveillance, food security, biomanufacturing. 

Chee Koon Ng is a Senior Scientist at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), A*STAR and he is currently the deputy head of Structural Materials department in IMRE. His current research focuses include high strength light weight alloys, eutectic high entropy alloys, additive manufacturing and machine-learning accelerated alloy discovery. 

Dr Shermin Goh pursued her DPhil in Organic Chemistry with Prof. Ed Anderson at the University of Oxford and her postdoctoral stint with Prof. Ben Feringa at Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. Shermin is currently Emerging Group Leader of the Functional & Dynamic Polymers Lab in IMRE, where her research focuses on harnessing chemistry to develop stimuli-responsive functional materials for sensing and sustainability. 

Dr Zhipeng Li currently serves as a Scientist I within the Advanced Optical Technology (AOT) department at Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE). He holds a PhD in Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering from RMIT University, Australia. As a dedicated investigator, Zhipeng has a profound interest in the synthesis of nanomaterials, and is extensively involved in the nanofabrication as well as in exploring the optical characteristics and manipulation of various low-dimensional systems. 

Yasmin Mohamed Yousry is a research scientist in the Electronic Materials department at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), A*STAR, since 2021. She received her bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering and her master's degree in Materials Science at Alexandria University in Egypt, and her doctorate in Mechanical Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2020. Before joining IMRE in Singapore, she did her postdoctoral research at Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States. Her research focuses on developing smart materials (dielectric, piezoelectric, and ferroelectric materials), and their role as sensors and actuators for ultrasonic structural health monitoring applications. 

Associate Professor Kedar Hippalgaonkar’s research interests are in AI-driven solid-state materials-by-design. He holds a joint appointment as an associate professor with the Materials Science and Engineering Department at NTU, and as a Principal Scientist at IMRE, A*STAR. He is also the Scientific Director of the Multi-PI S$25 Million Accelerated Materials Development for Manufacturing (AMDM) program from 2018 – 2024. Leading a group of >30 members, he has demonstrated clear areas of advancement in the discovery of new functional materials, AI and robotics for accelerated materials discovery, and advancing fundamental knowledge in inequilibrium charge and phonon scattering. His scientific contributions in the materials-by-design space have established a framework for the rapid discovery of materials and new physics, which is now being utilised globally in data-driven research. His commitment to translating scientific research into tangible real-world applications is exemplified by his role as the Co-founder and Senior Scientific Advisor of a startup – Xinterra, Inc. As a contributing member of the newly established Acceleration Consortium at the University of Toronto, Kedar collaborates with an international community of scientists dedicated to the creation of materials acceleration platforms. These platforms are pivotal in unlocking new discoveries in molecules and materials, further expanding the horizon of scientific understanding.

Pengqing BI received his PhD degree from Shandong University in 2019. Then he worked as a postdoctoral researcher in ICCAS from 2019 to 2022. Now he is a research scientist at IMRE, A*STAR. His current research interests are materials and physics of organic optoelectronic devices. 

Dr Zhongji Sun is currently a scientist at the Structural Materials Department, Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), A*STAR. Prior to his current appointment, he did his PhD on metal additive manufacturing at the Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), before moving to Germany for a postdoc experience at the Max Planck Institute of Iron Research. His research primarily focuses on damage prevention during advanced metal processing, with an emphasis on aerospace related materials. 

Rubayn is a materials scientist with a background in biochemistry and polymer chemistry. Throughout his work, he has developed a love for bioinspired and biomaterials research, such as the nanoarchitected shark eggs and resilient hydrogels. He is a recipient of the A*STAR National Science Scholarship and A*STAR Undergraduate Scholarship. Rubayn earned his B.Eng. in Materials Engineering from Nanyang Technological University in 2014, followed by a Ph.D. in Materials from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2021. During his Ph.D., he investigated the structure, mechanical properties, and self-assembly of the centimeter-spanning, highly ordered nanolattices seen within shark egg cases─a nanofabrication feat that is unmatched in manmade materials. His current research focuses on developing bioinspired self-assembly strategies for nanoarchitected materials and to develop multifunctional injectable hydrogels for drug delivery and tissue engineering. 

Deepak Kumar Sharma is a scientist at the Advanced Optical Technologies department at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), A*STAR. He graduated with Ph.D. degree in physics from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India in 2020. Subsequently he worked as postdoctoral researcher at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France before joining IMRE, A*STAR in October 2021. His research interests include understanding of light-matter interaction at nanoscale and utilize the same for nanophotonic device applications. 

Chen Shaohai is a Senior Scientist I at ELE department of IMRE. He received his Ph.D. degree from Fudan University, P.R. China, in 2016.  He conducted postdoctoral research at NUS before joining IMRE in 2021. His research interest and experience are devoted to the development of next-generation magnetic random access memory (MRAM) and hard disk drives, involving the study of relevant magnetic, structural, thermal and electrical properties of ferromagnetic (FM) materials, FM/heavy metal multilayer stacks and antiferromagnetic materials. In IMRE, he is dedicated to demonstrating the magnetoelectric properties of chiral magnetic materials in magnetic tunnel junction devices, promising for future sustainable and unconventional computing applications.  

Dorsa Safanama is a scientist with the Energy Materials Department at IMRE, A*STAR. She is currently working on the development of multifunctional composite electrolytes under the AME programme on Structural Power for Portable and Electrified Transportation. Dorsa was recently awarded a career development fund to pursue her research on printable microbatteries. She received her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from National University of Singapore (NUS), after which she took on a research fellowship in CERT-NUS. Her research interests encompass solid-state chemistry of battery materials, solid-state batteries, and electrochemistry of batteries. 

Zeng Shengwei obtained PhD degree in 2015 from Department of Physics, NUS. Prior to joining IMRE, he worked as a research fellow at NUS Physics and NUSNNI, and senior process engineer at Applied Materials, focusing on oxide and semiconductor thin film growth and physical property characterization. He joined IMRE in 2023, his research interest is functional oxide material and the related electronic device application. 

Omar A. M. Abdelraouf is a research scientist at the AOT department in IMRE, A*STAR. He earned his Ph.D. in Physics and Applied Physics from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, in 2023, with a research emphasis on tunable metasurfaces for nonlinear optics nano-devices. His current research interests include nanophotonics, AI, nonlinear optics, solar energy, metasurfaces, and nanolasers. 

Yin Xuesong is a research scientist in Energy Materials department of IMRE. He has been working on various energy conversion and storage materials and devices, like batteries, solar cells and supercapacitors. His current research interest is on high-performance batteries and their applications in electric mobility, large-scale energy storage and smart integrated systems. 

Zhu Jun obtained his bachelor’s degree (2019) and Ph.D degree (2023) in chemistry at National University of Singapore. He joined IMRE as a research scientist in 2023 after graduation. His research has mainly focused on the exploration and development of new strategies for the preparation of novel carbon-based nanomaterials, including macrocycles, carbon nanobelts, molecular cages, and two-dimensional polymers, for their novel properties and potential applications in various fields (e.g. catalysis, chemical purification, organic semiconductors/superconductors, charge storage, sensors, etc.). His works have been published in journals such as JACS, Angew Chem, Nano Res, etc. 

Yee Lin recently graduated with a degree in Material Science and Engineering from Imperial College London and is poised to begin her Ph.D. at Stanford University this year as an A*STAR NSS(BS-PhD) scholar. With a strong research interest in soft polymeric materials, she is currently engaged in a yearlong research attachment with the Advanced Biomaterials (ABM) team at IMRE. Her research focuses on the development of next-generation adhesives by employing temperature-responsive hydrogels for reversible bonding applications.