A*STAR Welcomes Newest Batch of STEM Talent

The 2022 A*STAR Scholarship Award Ceremony, themed “STEM Leaders in the Making”, saw 80 A*STAR scholarships and fellowships awarded to students who have demonstrated excellence in their studies and potential in research and development.

Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry Dr Tan See Leng graced the occasion as the guest-of-honour. In his speech , Minister Tan emphasised that Research, Innovation and Enterprise is a cornerstone of the country's competitiveness and success, and he encouraged scholars to forge strong partnerships with other ecosystem players to jointly develop solutions.

Dr Su Xinyi, Division Director and Senior Principal Investigator at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Assistant Professor at the Department of Ophthalmology, National University of Singapore, and Consultant at National University Hospital, also gave a speech about her journey as an A*STAR scholar (Class of 2000). Dr Su highlighted that in-depth interdisciplinary research was the key to drive disruptive innovation for healthcare transformation. As an example, she cited her own collaboration with Prof Loh Xianjun, fellow scholar and Executive Director of the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering and Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE²), combining their clinical and materials expertise to develop an easily injectable and biodegradable vitreous substitute for eye patients.

The award ceremony was also attended by parents and friends of the scholarship recipients.