Management

An engineer and researcher by training, David leads both ARTC and SIMTech with a mission to uplift Singapore’s manufacturing competitiveness through the adoption of advanced manufacturing, sustainability, and digital solutions.
 
David established the ARTC from a concept of a public-private partnership programme in 2012 to a full-fledged A*STAR Research Institute in 2017. The ARTC focuses on innovative translational advanced manufacturing and remanufacturing R&D. Today, ARTC works with 98 industry members across Aerospace, Land Transport, FMCG, Energy and MedTech pillars.
 
In 2019, David rejoined SIMTech, a research institute that develops high-value manufacturing technology and human capital to enhance the competitiveness of Singapore’s manufacturing industry, in particular small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SIMTech works with over 200 SMEs annually, as well as LLEs, and covers a wide range of manufacturing technologies.
 
David started his research career in the UK and subsequently at SIMTech, where he developed from a laser materials processing researcher to the Group Manager for Machining Technology.
 
He received the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) Borderless Team Awards in 2007 and 2016. He also received the prestigious Sir Henry Royce Team Award for Engineering Excellence in 2012. David received the MTI Exemplary Firefly Award (Gold) and the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
 
David has published over 50 journals, conferences, patents, and book publications. While his last publication was in 2007, his publications have attracted over 1400 citations with an H-index of 21.
 
David is a member of the board of governors at Singapore Polytechnic and is currently an Adjunct Professor at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He is a Fellow and Chartered Engineer of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and a Senior Member of the Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES).
 
David received his PhD and Bachelor degree (First Class Honours) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Manchester Institute of Technology (UMIST), now known as The University of Manchester. He received his Executive MBA from INSEAD and Tsinghua University in 2014. He is also an alumnus of the Stanford Executive Programme (SEP).

Dr Wang Wei is the Deputy Executive Director in Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) & Advanced Remanufacturing Technology Centre (ARTC), A*STAR. He is responsible to coordinate the strategy and direction amongst all R&D Divisions in SIMTech and ARTC, and lead all R&D strength to deliver economic impacts. Dr Wang Wei is also the founding Centre Director for the Sectoral AI Centre of Excellence for Manufacturing (AIM_fg), which was jointly launched by A*STAR and Ministry of Trade & Industry (MTI), Singapore in September 2024 to accelerate AI adoption in manufacturing domain.

Prior to his current role, Dr Wang Wei started his career as Materials Scientist, followed by a few management roles of Group Manager, R&D Division Director, Programme Director in A*STAR.

Dr Wang Wei has initiated and led quite a few significant programmes and industry collaboration on Advanced Manufacturing. He was the founding director of A*STAR – Rolls-Royce – SAESL Smart Manufacturing Joint Lab, a 6-year collaboration programme with total investment up to S$68mil to develop and deploy advanced manufacturing technologies for improved productivity, cost savings and business competitiveness in aerospace industry. He also led Model Factory Programme @ ARTC, one of the Future of Manufacturing (FOM) initiatives in A*STAR and Singapore with total investment of S$24mil. With the successful implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies in Manufacturing domain and the increasing Supply Chain disruptions all over the world, Dr Wang Wei has worked with industry partners, research collaborators and relevant public sector agencies to initiate another programme of Supply Chain 4.0 in 2021 with total investment of S$18mil, which aims at enabling a responsive, resilient and circular Supply Chain with specific focuses on Connectivity, Intelligence and Automation.

Dr Wang Wei obtained his Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Engineering from Zhejiang University, China. He received his PhD from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and MBA from University of Manchester. He had published over 20 journal papers, 2 US patents and 1 book.

Dr Wong Chow Cher is Assistant Chief Executive and Director of Project Management Office at the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC). In his current role, Chow Cher’s responsibilities include strategic planning & execution of R&D business as well as ensuring the successful delivery of customers’ programmes and projects.  Prior to his current role, Chow Cher was the Coordinating Director (Business-Technical), Business Development Director as well as the Technical Division Director in ARTC.

Before his career in ARTC, Chow Cher was the Programme Manager at Rolls-Royce Singapore where he led and developed manufacturing capabilities in the area of surface enhancement for aero-engine components, through Rolls-Royce-funded programmes and collaborative research partnerships with local and foreign universities as well as research institutes.

In 2010, Chow Cher worked at the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), A*STAR, where he was a Research Team Leader for metal forming technology, focusing on the area of R&D of modelling and simulation in different metal forming processes.

Throughout his research career, Chow Cher has published over 30 journals and patents in the fields of metal forming and surface enhancement.

Chow Cher received his PhD and Honours degree (First Class) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Birmingham, UK. He is a Fellow Engineer and a Lean Six-S

Dr. Ng Huey Yuen serves as Coordinating Director, R&D at ARTC, leading research divisions in the areas of Autonomous Manufacturing and Resilient Value Chain. He also directs the Knowledge Transfer Office (KTO) at ARTC and SIMTech, overseeing Continuing Education and Training (CET) programs aimed at upskilling the advanced manufacturing workforce.

As a scientist, Dr. Ng specializes in manufacturing operations management, particularly in inventory control optimization and digital transformation. He actively participates in high-impact R&D projects, such as redesigning Singapore’s port value chain to meet just-in-time standards. Beyond his research, Dr. Ng is an ACTA-certified trainer, regularly lecturing on inventory network optimization for working professionals, sharing his expertise with industry practitioners. He also contributes as a member of the Smart Manufacturing Technical Committee, helping to develop and promote critical standards for the growth of the manufacturing sector.

Dr. Ng holds a PhD in Engineering (Manufacturing & Management) from the University of Cambridge and a Bachelor's in Engineering (1st Class Hons.) in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from Imperial College London. He was a recipient of the A*STAR National Science Scholarship (BS–PhD).

Dr. Beng Cheah oversees the management of strategic operations for ARTC as well as organisation development, talent management, and staff engagement for SIMTech & ARTC.
 
He is skilled in navigating business, technical, and operational challenges. Prior to joining A*STAR, he successfully repositioned a unit into a profitable business at a SingTel subsidiary. Through his tours of duty at A*STAR research institutes, Beng contributed greatly to corporate and business strategy formulation, industry development, corporate services, and project management at DSI, IME, NMC, and I2R. He was a key implementer of FusionWorld, an A*STAR technology showcase featured by CNN and visited by dignitaries from around the world.
 
He has managed large-scale projects involving advanced communications technologies and completed many successful projects with MNCs. He enjoyed designing and implementing software for projects such as New Zealand’s North Island Main Trunk Electrification, a control system for a multi-fuel pipeline in Indonesia, traffic signal gantry controllers for Auckland Harbour Bridge, sailing data capture for Steinlager 2, a communications network for SCADA systems for power companies in Rotorua, Wairkei, Westpower, and other parts of NZ.
 
He received a First-Class Honours degree in EEE from the University of Auckland, NZ. He researched the diffusion of innovations and earned a DBA from the University of South Australia. He completed the Programme for Global Leadership at Harvard Business School. He also serves on Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Engineering Advisory Committee.

Dr Chua Beng Wah is the Coordinating Director for R&D at SIMTech. He heads research operations including technology development, research funding, and talent development across SIMTech's research areas of Advanced Manufacturing Processes, Autonomous Manufacturing, Net Zero Manufacturing, and Resilient Value Chain.
 
Dr Chua is also Division Director for SIMTech's Advanced Forming & Surface Technology research division, where he spearheads various R&D initiatives in this area of advanced manufacturing processes. He is passionate about deep translational research to uplift industry partners in their manufacturing processes, to help them become more competitive locally and internationally.

Mr Christopher Mason of the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC), an A*STAR research institute, leads the Advanced Remanufacturing Division to develop and implement R&D projects and programmes for industrial partners.

Mr Christopher Mason is the principal investigator of the Rolls-Royce, SAESL, and ASTAR Joint Lab at ARTC, an A*STAR programme in its second five-year phase that researches and deploys solutions for the repair and manufacturing of advanced aerospace components and systems. In addition he is the Principal Investigator for the Mirxes IAF-ICP.

Christopher was previously the Principal Investigator for the TruMarine ICP and the Next Generation Hyper personalisation Line IAF-PP. Before their appointment, Mr Christopher Mason was a Senior Manager at Rolls-Royce PLC between 2004 and 2017 as an engineering and operations manager. Including roles as operation manager for engine assembly and test operations, and high-pressure turbine blade manufacturing.

Mr Christopher Mason gained recognition and won awards for supply chain improvement and management during his career with Rolls-Royce.

Mr Christopher Mason graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (2nd Class Honours) from the Department of Manufacturing System Engineering at the University of Hertfordshire School of Engineering and holds an MBA in Circular Economics and Innovation. Christopher is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology.

Dr. Stephen Wong is currently the Deputy Executive Director for Research Divisions & Knowledge Transfer Office. He is responsible for charting the strategic research directions across the research divisions.  He oversees thematic research initiatives and is responsible for delivering aligned research outcomes to industry and the public sectors.

Since joining SIMTech, Stephen has held several progressive roles. In his previous role as Division Director for Manufacturing Process, he spearheaded the Lightweight Manufacturing initiative, nurtured several research collaborations to develop lightweight aircraft interior parts, and established Production Organisation Approval (POA) for Polymer Processing facilities to support the SIA/SIAEC – SIMTech joint lab R&D. During his stint as Director for Industry Development, Stephen led several SIMTech and A*STAR initiatives, including the formation of the SERC Aerospace Programme and the setup of the Precision Engineering Centre of Innovation (PECOI). In recognition of his cross-agency contributions, he received the MTI Borderless awards for the SERC Aerospace Programme in 2007 and Upgrading PE Suppliers Serving the Semiconductor Industry in 2009.

Prior to joining SIMTech, Stephen spent several years in the electronics industry developing sustainable manufacturing solutions such as CFC-free cleaning for disk drives, a no-clean soldering process, and lead-free soldering for electronics packaging.

Stephen received his PhD and MSc in Mechanical Engineering, from the Nanyang Technological University and National University of Singapore, respectively. He has an MBA from the University of Western Australia and received his BEng from the University of Nottingham, UK.

Mr Derrick Lim is currently the Corporate Services Director of the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) and Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC) of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). He is also the Programme Director heading the Cleantech Two (CT2) Space Transformation. From 2020 to 2022, he enabled the SIMTech NTU Valley Block moves to Cleantech Two B (CT2B) by leading the tenders, infrastructure design, outfitting, and equipment relocations. 

Prior to his current role, Derrick was the Director of Infrastructure Engineering at Salesforce.com. He managed an intercultural team with members from cross-functions, providing infrastructure design, build, deployment, automation, and level 2 and 3 support in a 24/7 environment globally and ensuring the highest level of customer satisfaction. He travelled extensively when he was in Salesforce, primarily in the United States. His team in Salesforce Singapore contributed to the buildout of the new datacenters in London, Dallas, Phoenix, and Frankfurt. The team has led Salesforce's Infrastructure build and operations since 2013. The number of datacenters and pods the team built in just 2.5 years exceeded what the company had built 15 years before. Derrick has also held various senior management roles in companies like Electronic Data Systems (EDS), Hewlett Packard (HP) and OPUS IT Services.

Derrick has an MBA with merit, a degree in computer science and a professional diploma in management.

Dr Wang Zhiping is currently the Senior Director of the Research Development Office (RDO) at the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) and the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC), both part of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

Prior to his current role, he held various positions at SIMTech, including Director of the MedTech Manufacturing Technology Division, Director of the Automation Division, and Director of the Emerging Applications Division. He initiated the SIMTech Microfluidics Manufacturing Programme and led the establishment of the SIMTech Microfluidics Foundry. He was a co-founder of ReVivo Biosystems, a spin-off from A*STAR focused on the commercialization of Skin-on-a-Chip technology developed at SIMTech.

Zhiping holds a D.Phil. in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford and an MBA from the University of Leicester.

Mr Louiz Lee heads the Technical Business in the Sectoral AI Centre of Excellence for Manufacturing (AIMfg), overseeing R&D business development and building an AI ecosystem for manufacturing sectors in Singapore.

He is also leading a division called the Knowledge Transfer Office (KTO), an entity spanning both Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) & Advanced Remanufacturing Technology Centre (ARTC) under A*STAR, as the forefront of workforce training in advanced manufacturing.

Prior to his current role, Louiz led the research division in the areas of Smart Manufacturing & Resilient Value Chain in developing and translating next-generation technologies to manufacturing & supply chain sectors. A project management-trained Louiz has years of experience in leading multidisciplinary teams in delivering digitalisation & automation projects for successful deployment to industry.

Louiz received his master's degree in system engineering & project management from the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Additionally, He possesses accreditation as a Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute (PMI) and a Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) under the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM).