The College of Science’s inaugural CoS Innovation Day was held on 23 October. The event showcased the myriads of scientific research and innovations from the College’s four Schools: Asian School of the Environment (ASE), School of Biological Sciences (SBS), School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CCEB), and School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS). In addition, industry experts from Xora Innovation, a Temasek-backed venture capital, and SGInnovate, a government-owned deep tech innovation and investment platform, were invited to speak on the importance of developing a robust and advanced deep tech economy in Singapore. They shared how researchers can capitalise on Singapore’s rich deep tech ecosystem to help bring their innovations to commercialisation.
Professor Simon Redfern, Dean, College of Science
Mr David Toh, Head, NTUitive
The event began with opening addresses by Professor Simon Redfern, Dean of the College of Science, and Mr. David Toh, Head of NTUitive.
Guest Speakers
Dr Phoebe Tan, Xora Innovation
Ms Suchitra Narayan, Venture Building and Investments, SGInnovate
Dr Phoebe Tan, Partner at Xora Innovation, was invited to give the keynote address for the inaugural College of Science Innovation Day. She shared about her experiences of working and investing in deep tech. Ms Suchitra Narayan, Director of Venture Building and Investments, SGInnovate, was invited to speak about the essence of entrepreneurship, in particular on key factors of IP translation and challenges in the commercialisation journey.
College Innovations
Researchers from the College’s various disciplines came together to present their groundbreaking work, from artificial intelligence and quantum technology to drug development, sustainable methods for producing/recycling of plastics and use of advanced technology for monitoring of wastewater and climate risks.
Asian School of the Environment
Associate Professor Janelle Thompson presented her work on wastewater surveillance as part of public health management efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Associate Professor David Lallemant presented on the development of a novel model of climate risk analysis.
School of Biological Sciences
Nanyang Assistant Professor Xiao Tianshu presented on her lab’s development of structure-based inhibitors against flavivirus and coronavirus.
Professor Liu Chuan Fa talked about the spinoff company, Singzyme, that he co-founded. It focuses on developing innovative enzyme technology for the advancement of precision medicines for cancer treatment..
School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology
Associate Professor Soo Han Sen and his development of an innovative method that uses sustainable light to upcycle plastic waste into higher valued chemical compounds.
Professor Atsushi Goto presented his work on creating sustainable plastics using biomass-polymer composites.
School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
Professor Thomas Peyrin on the development of TTnet, an innovative neural network that can enhance AI interpretability, verification and inference.
Associate Professor Rainer Dumke presented his work in quantum sensing and its potential applications.
CoS Research Awards Presentation
The CoS Research Awards recognises and celebrates the outstanding achievements and contributions of the College’s faculty and research staff with the aim of establishing a robust groundwork for research impact in CoS.
The Awards comprise three categories: The CoS Research Award honours individuals or teams who have made exceptional contributions in extending the frontiers of knowledge. The CoS Research Award (Young Investigator) is dedicated to individuals or teams under the age of 39 who have demonstrated remarkable achievements in advancing the understanding of science. Finally, the CoS Innovation/Impact Award recognizes those whose outstanding research and innovations have made a profound and lasting impact on society.
The CoS Research Award was awarded to:
Professor Zhao Yanli
Associate Professor Miao Yansong
The CoS Research Award (Young Investigator) was awarded to:
Associate Professor Wang Xiao
Nanyang Assistant Professor Perrine Hamel
The CoS Innovation/Impact Award was awarded to:
The team of Professor Julien Lescar and Professor Liu Chuan Fa
Booth Visits and Lab Tours
Students also showcased their ingenious inventions and research work, with booths set up by students from the Making and Tinkering course.
Guests at the event were also invited to tour the Spintronics Device Nano Fabrications Lab at SPMS and the Sediment and Ecology Lab at ASE.
