MIT Technology Review’s “Innovators under 35”
IMRE's Scientist Celebrated among Asia Pacific's Top Innovators Under 35
02 Nov 2023
In the 2023 edition of MIT Technology Review's "Innovators under 35" Asia Pacific list, IMRE's Principal Scientist, Dr. Yang Le, has been recognised for her groundbreaking contributions to Science and Technology. The list, announced on 2 November 2023, acknowledges the 35 emerging talents in the Asia-Pacific region who have significantly influenced their research field and engineered pioneering achievements.
MIT Technology Review each year appreciates exceptional talents that lead notable discoveries in various technical areas, including biotech, artificial intelligence, material science, energy, computing, and quantum technology. The notable innovators are celebrated under five classifications: Inventors, Entrepreneurs, Visionaries, Humanitarians, and Pioneers.
I am deeply humbled and profoundly grateful to be recognised among the MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35. This prestige is not just an affirmation of my individual efforts, but a testament to the collective hard work and dedication of my team, mentors, and supporters who have journeyed with me. My sincerest thanks to all of you, and to the MIT Technology Review for this incredible honour; it fuels my continuing pursuit of innovation to make a meaningful impact in the world.
Dr Yang Le, 2023 MIT Technology Review's "Innovators under 35" Asia Pacific Pioneer
Under the esteemed mentorship of Professor Sir Richard Friend at the University of Cambridge, Le Yang unveiled a new emission mechanism in innovative materials and advanced ultra-high efficiency OLEDs, boasting the highest solution-processable efficiency to date. These OLEDs showcase immense potential for printable and flexible display technology. Yang is persistently making strides in optoelectronic research, unveiling new discoveries on energy up-conversion using organic molecules, which paves the way for stable, sustainable energy-efficient use cases.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Yang and her team developed the capabilities for an in-situ wellness/health monitoring sensing system, named WISH (Wearable Integrated Sensors for Health). This small, plaster-like electronic device is designed to non-invasively and in real-time measure biochemicals continuously.
Most wearable sensors available today mainly focus on physical and increasingly electrophysiological parameters. However, there is a deficiency of non-invasive, real-time continuous monitoring of our biochemical parameters, which is the gap Yang is addressing in this digital era of smart monitoring.
The WISH prototype, developed by the Printed, Organic, Flexible, Electronics and SenSors (PROFESS) group led by Yang, features a compact, comfortable, and unobtrusive sensor that measures multiple organic molecules present on our skin concurrently. The output can be read wirelessly from the user's phone, paving the way towards anyone-anytime-anywhere sensing. Beyond daily lifestyle monitoring, this technology offers potential for early disease detection, abnormal warnings, personalized healthcare, remote healthcare management, and can be coupled with other emerging technologies such as digital twin, quantum sensing, edge computing, synthetic biology, and AI-driven analytics.
Find out more about the Printed, Organic, Flexible, Electronics and SenSors (PROFESS) group in IMRE.