Professor Reginald Tan
Executive Director, SERC, A*STAR
Executive Director (Covering), ISCE² A*STAR
Professor Reginald Beng Hee Tan is the Executive Director of the Science & Engineering Research Council (SERC) at A*STAR and concurrently the covering Executive Director of the Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE²). He oversees research portfolios spanning sustainability, energy, digital technologies, connectivity and transport.
Prof Tan holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of London, an MEng from the National University of Singapore, and a PhD from the University of Cambridge. With over 30 years of experience in chemical engineering research - covering crystallisation, particle engineering, pharmaceutical processing and life-cycle assessment - he has held academic appointments at the National University of Singapore and has been awarded the Singapore Standards Council Distinguished Partner Award for his contributions to standards development in the field of environmental management.
Prof King Kuok (Mimi) Hii
Scientific Director
Professor Mimi Hii is currently Scientific Director at A*STAR’s Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE²), where she leads the AiXL Lab (https://www.a-star.edu.sg/isce2/aixl), as well as holding joint appointments as Professor of Catalysis at Imperial College London, and Adjunct Professor at the National University of Singapore.
She has a strong track record of leading large scale, multi institutional and mission driven research programmes, including major collaborative centres and public–private partnerships focused on advanced synthesis, circular economy technologies, and next generation manufacturing.
A defining feature of Prof. Hii’s career is sustained engagement with major industrial partners across the chemical, pharmaceutical, and materials sectors. Through strategic partnerships, consortia, and joint doctoral and postdoctoral programmes, she has co developed technologies ranging from catalytic systems and continuous flow reactors to automated and AI assisted process platforms, supporting the translation of scientific innovation into industry relevant solutions.
Mr Ng Jun
Wei
Division
Director
Lab and
Facilities
Management
Mr. Ng Jun Wei is the Director of Lab and Facilities Management, responsible for sustainable laboratory operations and services for the research community.
He began his career at the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) in 2006 as a Laboratory Officer after completing national service. After earning his Bachelor of Technology (Hons) degree in 2012, he transitioned into a research engineer role but returned to lab operations in 2018, driven by his passion for building a strong team to support research activities. Over the years, he was appointed Team Leader and later Division Director. In 2022, he initiated efforts to green lab operations and aims to continue expanding this area.
Dr Gavin
Chua
Coordinating
Director
Dr Gavin Chua is the Coordinating Director (Strategy & Ops) in ISCE2, and oversees the Project Management Office, Strategy, and Administration Divisions.
Prior to his appointment in ISCE2, he held various roles in A*STAR headquarters, in Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) and the Joint Council Office (JCO).
While in SERC, he was the Director for the Advanced Manufacturing (AM) Cluster, that works with SERC Research Institutes (SIMTech, ARTC, NMC), Singapore Aerospace Programme Office to develop strategies in areas such as Additive Manufacturing, Robotics, Digital Manufacturing, Aerospace Manufacturing, Metrology. AM Cluster also supported the transition of the National Additive Manufacturing - Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) Singapore, and National Robotics Programme (NRP) to be A*STAR National Platforms. Gavin is also part of the founding team that started the Pharma Innovation Programme Singapore (PIPS), a consortium programme that seeks to co-innovate and develop solutions in partnership with key companies such as GSK, Pfizer, MSD, Syngenta. He has also supported the engagement of key strategic accounts and projects for SERC Research Institutes (IHPC, I2R, IME, IMRE) with companies such as Applied Materials and Fujitsu.
While in JCO, Gavin supported the initiatives to foster the pursuit of inter- and multi-disciplinary sciences. This included overseeing and administering the Visiting Investigatorship, Strategic and Development Programmes, and championing efforts to catalyze inter-organizational, inter-disciplinary collaborations through A*STAR Scientific Conferences, and A*STAR Research publications.
Gavin graduated with a joint PhD in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign / National University of Singapore, and Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) First Class Honors from the National University of Singapore.
Dr Chen
Luwei
Division
Director
Catalysis &
Carbon
Conversion
Luwei CHEN is a senior principal scientist at the Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment. She finished her PhD in 2000 from the Department of Physics, National University of Singapore. She is currently leading the division of Catalysis & Carbon Conversion (C3). She is also an adjunct associated professor at the department of materials science and engineering, National University of Singapore. Her research interests include the development of catalysts/materials for carbon dioxide capture/utilizations, renewable/alternative energy and biomass valorization.
Luwei is active in both academia and industrial related R&D. She has published more than ninety papers with more than 6500 citations and H index of forty-two. Some of her papers have been highlighted in prestigious catalysis journals and as research highlights on newspapers and A*Star’s website. She started to work with several famous engineering and chemical industries such as ABB Lummus, Rolls Royce, Degussa, Lanxess and IHI since 2000. Eight patents have been awarded. And two of them have been commercialized. In particular, she has led the catalyst development of CO2/CO methanation project in collaboration with IHI to the demonstration stage.
Dr Ken
Lee
Division
Director
Digital
Chemistry
Dr. Ken Lee leads the Digital
Chemistry Division at A*STAR’s
Institute of Sustainability for
Chemicals, Energy and
Environment (ISCE2).
His work focuses on developing
and optimizing advanced
chemistry workflows by
integrating machine learning,
AI-guided design, and
high-throughput experimentation
platforms into fully automated
discovery processes. Leveraging
these autonomous capabilities,
he is at the forefront of
driving sustainable
technologies, including
PFAS-free cooling fluids for AI
data centers and innovative
carbon capture solutions.
A veteran of both academia and the
private sector, Ken brings over
20 years of interdisciplinary
experience across organic
synthesis, medicinal chemistry,
and biomedical sciences. His
career includes more than a
decade of academic leadership at
Singapore Polytechnic and
foundational industry experience
as a pharmaceutical medicinal
chemist. He remains highly
active in the scientific
community, serving on the SCIC
Technical Committee for
Chemicals and Processes and as a
Technical Assessor with
SAC-Singlas.
Ken earned his B.Sc. (Hons) and Ph.D. in Chemistry from the National University of Singapore, supported by the inaugural A*STAR Graduate Scholarship.
Ms Leong Wan
Bin
Division
Director
Administration
Ms. Leong Wan Bin is the Director of Corporate Services and Division Director of Administration at ISCE2. A Chartered Accountant by profession, she brings a wealth of experience from both the public and private sectors, with deep expertise in finance business partnering, management accounting, and financial accounting.
Her professional journey started as an external auditor with one of the Big Four accounting firms.
Wan Bin then joined the Civil Service College as an Assistant Manager for Finance before moving to Ngee Ann Polytechnic as a Senior Accountant.
Prior to joining ISCE2, Wan Bin served as a Senior Manager at the Government Technology Agency of Singapore, where she collaborated closely with various business units on budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis.
Wan Bin holds an Honours Degree in Accountancy from Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
Dr Koh Chen
Ning
Division
Director
Process
Engineering and
Safety
Dr Koh Chen Ning is the Division Director at Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2) A*STAR, overseeing the activities in process engineering and safety of the institute as well as the Low-Carbon Technology Translational Testbed (LCT3) which is a national infrastructure for local and international partnership.
He did his Diplom Ingenieur from the RWTH Aachen University in Germany under the Singapore Government Scholarship. Upon graduation, he joined the civil service and held diverse appointments in the Transport and Finance Ministries. He left the civil service to pursue a PhD degree in Chemical Engineering at his alma mater under the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) scholarship.
As a Chartered Engineer, prior to joining ISCE2, he has worked many years for a German specialty chemical company as well as a Singaporean Agri and food processing company where he was involved in process development, safety, construction as well as optimisation of the production plants globally.
Dr Daniel
Cheong
Division
Director
Project
Management
Office
Dr. Daniel Cheong is currently the Division Director of the Project Management Office at the Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2), A*STAR. Together with a team of Project Managers, he works closely with ISCE2 researchers to ensure successful project delivery and outcomes.
Daniel was previously the Division Director of Digital Chemistry where he worked to leverage on digitalisation and automation to accelerate and enhance the R&D in ISCE2. Prior to joining ISCE2, he was the Programme Director for A*STAR’s Industrial IoT Innovation (I3), an industry consortium aimed at driving the adoption of Industrial IoT in close collaboration with industry partners. He also worked at A*STAR’s Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) between 2015 and 2017 and from 2006 to 2013 where he focused on molecular simulations of soft matter systems, such as surfactants, polymers, and peptides. Daniel also previously worked in Medlinx Acacia, a medical device start-up developing surgical implants where he was the Business Development Director.
Daniel graduated with a Bachelor of Science (with University Honours) in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 1997 and obtained his Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University in 2006. He also obtained his Master in Business Administration from Singapore Management University in 2014.
Mr Wang
Peiyi
Division
Director
Tech-Business
Development
Mr Wang Peiyi is the Division Director (Tech-Biz) and oversees the institute's business development function.
Peiyi started his career with A*STAR in the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (pre-cursor of ISCE2), where he supported national strategy efforts in Joint Industrial Sectorial Planning and Industry Transformation Mapping (Energy & Chemicals). Subsequently, he had contributed to the establishment of A*STAR’s first international partner’s centre in Suzhou Industrial Park for deep tech startups to enter the China market. He had also established multiple innovation programmes to foster Singapore’s deep tech ecosystem, such as the A*STAR-NHG-NTU biomedtech incubator co11ab, FTIC Food Tech Startup Challenge, and the A*STAR Advanced Manufacturing Startup Challenge.
Peiyi graduated with a BSc in Chemical Engineering (Cum Laude) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on a scholarship from A*STAR.
Dr Lili
Zhang
Division
Director
Future Energy
and Materials
Technologies
Associate Prof. Lili Zhang received her B.Eng. and Ph.D. degree from Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2004 and 2011, respectively. Prior to joining A*STAR in 2012, Lili was a process engineer at Micron from 2004 to 2006, and a research fellow at The University of Texas at Austin from 2011 to 2012.
Lili's expertise is in sustainable catalysis, carbon-based materials and functional materials for alternative feedstock to chemicals, fuels and materials, clean energy production, and waste upcycling. She is a Global Highly Cited Researcher, A*STAR Fellow, and her research works have led to over 140 publications with more than 33,000 citations (H-index: 61, by Web of Science) and more than 30 patents/technological disclosures.
Research Interests and Areas:
-
Low-carbon energy
solutions
- Advanced
carbons and functional materials
for sustainable processes,
energy storage and conversion,
clean energy
production
- Fundamental
chemistry and physics, and
electrochemistry
- Waste
upcycling
Dr Ng Wai
Kiong
Senior
Director
Dr Ng Wai Kiong is currently the
Senior Director of
ISCE2. During the
formative years of the Institute
of Chemical and Engineering
Sciences (ICES), Wai Kiong
headed the Industry Development
group. In 2005, he pursued a
research track as a Senior
Research Fellow and was
subsequently promoted to Team
Leader and Division Head. He was
the founding director of Pharma
Innovation Programme Singapore
(PIPS). He was also seconded to
the Science and Engineering
Research Council and served as
A*STAR’s lead for Joint
Industrial Sectorial Planning
and Industry Transformation
Mapping (Energy &
Chemicals). While he was Deputy
Executive Director,
ISCE2, Wai Kiong
steered the research directions
and projects undertaken in
ISCE2 with his deep
understanding of industry
trends, technological
advancements and market
dynamics. He played a crucial
role in pushing new frontiers on
sustainability research and
development and translation for
Singapore through key efforts in
decarbonisation. He was
instrumental in industry
projects for decarbonisation
catalysts and processes.
Dr Ng has also won numerous accolades, namely the Best Paper Award from the Particle Technology Forum in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) (2008), GlaxoSmithKline-Economic Development Board (GSK-EDB) Inaugural Green and Sustainable Manufacturing Funds Awards (2010, 2011), and Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Singapore Pharmaceutical and Specialty Chemical Award (2012). He is currently appointed by Imperial College London, to the Strategic Advisory Board for their automated high-throughput platform suite (ATLAS) and on the International Advisory Committee for Process Innovation Asia Pacific (Powered by ACHEMA). He is also a Governing Board member of the ExxonMobil-NTU-A*STAR Corporate Lab launched on 26 April 2024 and a member of the management board for the Singapore Energy Consortium (SEC). In addition, he has represented A*STAR as a spokesperson at global and local events.
Dr Lim Yee
Hwee
Division
Director
Specialty
Chemicals &
Bio-Technologies
Dr Lim Yee Hwee currently heads the Specialty Chemicals & Bio-Technologies Division at Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2) A*STAR. Beyond her role in A*STAR, she serves as the deputy director for SINERGY, the Singapore Consortium for Synthetic Biology and is also an adjunct Associate Professor at the Synthetic Biology Translational Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS).
In her early career as a scientist at A*STAR, her research was focused on advancing chemistry frontiers and harnessing Nature's catalytic powers to address complex molecular challenges. Through extensive collaboration across disciplines, her interests evolved towards leveraging the synergistic potential of chemical and biological systems, applying an integrated and multi-disciplinary approach to problem solving. Today, her research is highly interdisciplinary, spanning chemistry, chemical biotechnology, engineering, informatics and artificial intelligence to develop advanced technologies for sustainable chemicals manufacturing.
In 2023, she spearheaded a research programme on sustainable chemicals biomanufacturing from alternative feedstocks, while also leading the expansion of chemical biotechnology capabilities within the division. Her recent achievements include the licensing of technologies to industry partners and spin-offs (e.g. Aspira Scientific and EinProt) as well as collaborations with leading biotechnology startups (e.g. Mojia Biotech, Antheia Bio and Samsara Eco). She is the inventor or co-inventor of at least 37 patents and technology disclosures.