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Major Academic Achievements

These awards highlight the top-level research we are pursuing in the lab and the impact our science is making.

  • Early Career Collaborative Grant Award, International Alliance of Research Universities

  • Young Investigator Award and Lectureship, Micro and Nano Engineering (Elsevier)

  • International Short Visit Fellowship, Swiss National Science Foundation

  • Young Investigator Travel Grant, NEURO2024

  • Short Term Grant, International Excellence “Alexander von Humbold"

  • Rising Star Travel Award, Alliance for Regenerative Rehabilitation

  • 2023 World's Top 2% Scientist, Stanford University (link)

  • Travel Fellowship, World Laureate Forum

  • Travel Fellowship, Hong Kong Laureate Forum

  • Asia Pacific Young Investigator Travel Award, International Brain Research Organisation

  • Hisako Terasaki Young Innovator Award, Terasaki Institute of Biomedical Innovation (link, link)

  • MERLION project award, Franco-Singaporean Hubert Curien Partnership (link)

  • Tony B. Academic Travel Award, Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (link)

  • CDE Outstanding Young Alumni, National University of Singapore (link)

  • 2022 World's Top 2% Scientist, Stanford University (link)

  • Finalist, ASEAN-ROK STI Next ASEAN Innovator Award

  • Gold - Young Investigator Award, Singapore Health & Biomedical Congress (link)

  • Short Term Fellowship, National Centre for Infectious Diseases (link)

  • Early Career Researcher Board, Materials Today Bio (link)

  • Early Career Conference Grant, The Association of Commonwealth Universities

  • Christopher Hewitt Outstanding Young Investigator Award, Engineering Conference International 'Advancing Manufacture of Cell and Gene Therapies VII' (link)

  • Feature Story, Zaobao (link)

  • Victor Rabinowitch Memorial Award for Young Leaders in International Scientific Cooperation, CRDF Global (link)

  • Outstanding Young Alumni Award, NUS (link)

  • Best Oral Paper Presentation, SingHealth Duke NUS Scientific Congress (link)

  • Highlight Feature, The Brilliant (link)

  • Finalist, Tan Kah Kee Foundation Young Inventors' Award

  • 40 Under 40, Prestige Singapore (link)

  • Asia's Rising Scientists, Asian Scientist Magazine (link)

  • 1st Place, Regenerative Rehabilitation Lightning Talks (link)

  • 30 and Under Young Singaporeans to Watch, The Straits Times (link* Out of 30 Singaporeans selected

  • Presidential Young Professorship, National University of Singapore (link)

  • Finalist, ASEAN-ROK STI Next ASEAN Innovator Award (link)

  • Early-Career Faculty Award ($20K USD), Interstellar Initiative (link)

  • Winner, Future Science Future Star, Biotechniques (link)

  • Keynote Speaker, World Laureates Forum

  • Alessandro Chiabrera Award for Excellence in Bioelectromagnetics (BEM), BEM Society

  • Young Scientist Class of 2020, World Economic Forum (link) * Out of 25 scientists selected worldwide​

  • President's Award for Research Excellence: Oustanding Early Career Researcher, Imperial College London (link* Out of 4 recipients

  • BrightSpark Top 30 Engineers in UK, Electronics Weekly (link)

  • NUS Development Grant, National University of Singapore

  • Yamaguchi Medal, Asian Pacific Association of Biomechanics (link) * Only recipient in the Cellular and Molecular Biomechanics category​

  • The III Siena Think-Tank ‘A Vision of Immuno-Oncology’ Travel Fellowship, NIBIT Foundation

  • Singapore Commonwealth Fellowship in Innovation, Royal Commonwealth Society of Singapore (link* One of two recipients

  • Brunel Fellow, 1851 Commission (link) * Highest honour of all 1851 Fellows; Only one recipient per year (learn more about Isambard Brunel)

  • 1851 Research Fellowship in Science or Engineering ($156K £), 1851 Royal Commission (link)

  • Travel Fellowship, Summer School of Primate Neurobiology, IBRO-ICPBR

  • Travel Fellowship, North American Pain School (link)

  • The International Young Scholars Forum, Sun Yet-Sen University

  • BioX Travel Award, Stanford University (link)

  • International Forum of Excellent Young Talents in Engineering Science, Peking University

  • Travel Award, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Winter School (link, link) * 1 of 5 inaugural awardees

  • 30 Under 30 (Science, U.S./Canada), Forbes (link* 4% acceptance rate

  • Tony B. Academic Travel Award, Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (link)

  • Travel Fellowship, International Symposium on Regenerative Rehabilitation (link)

  • 8th Distinguished Young Scholars Seminar, University of Washington (link)

  • Fellowship, 68th Lindau Nobel Laureates Meeting (Physiology and Medicine, link* 1 of 4 representatives from Singapore

  • National University of Singapore Overseas Postdoc Fellowship ($150K USD), NUS (link)

  • Harry M Showman Prize (Commencement Award), UCLA (link) * Only recipient of all engineering graduate students

  • Travel Fellowship, Junior Scientist Workshop on Protein Engineering (Janelia Farm)            

  • MRS Bulletin Postdoc Publication Prize, Materials Research Society (link) * Only recipient out of >120 applicants (my interview here)

  • Travel Fellowship for Journey through Science Day, New York Academy of Sciences   

  • Springer Thesis Prize, Springer (link* Collection of best theses internationally

  • Toshihiko Tokizane Memorial Award for Excellent Graduate Study in Neuroscience ($100K ¥), Toshihiko Tokizane Memorial Brain Research Promotion Fund (link) * 1 of 5 awardees internationally

  • IBRO-APRC Travel and Short Stay Fellowship ($2.3K USD), International Brain Research Organization-Asia Pacific Regional Committee

  • SciFinder® Future Leaders Program, American Chemical Society (link) * <6% selection rate

  • Summer Internship Scholarship, RIKEN Brain Science Institute (link)

  • Australian Endeavour Research Fellowship ($19K AUD), Department of Education

  • University Fellowship ($35K USD), UCLA Graduate Division

  • Research grant ($10K €), Bavaria California Technology Center (link)

  • Helmsley Fellowship ($5K USD), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (link)

  • Travel Award, Global Young Scientist Summit (National Research Foundation, link)

  • Travel Fellowship, Biology of Ageing Conference (Singapore Immunology Network)    

  • Travel Fellowship, Tropical School of Biophotonics

  • Non-Resident Graduate Academic Doctoral Award ($5K USD), UCLA Graduate Division                

  • Graduate Student Research Fellowship ($50K USD), UCLA Graduate Division           

  • National University of Singapore Overseas Graduate Scholarship ($300K SGD), NUS 

  • A*STAR Honour List, Agency for Science, Technology and Research  

  • Asian-Pacific Medical Device Design Competition First Prize ($1.5K USD), IFMBE (link)

  • Gold Award, 8th Scientific Meeting Biomedical Engineering Society Singapore (link

  • ST Engineering Prize for Top Global Engineering Program Student, ST Engineering      

  • Dean’s List (3 out of 5 semesters), Faculty of Engineering NUS                                      

  • Singapore-MIT Alliance Undergraduate Research Fellowship ($3K SGD), MIT

  • Global Engineering Program, Faculty of Engineering NUS

  • A*STAR Undergraduate Scholarship, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (link

Science Communications & Advocacy

These awards demonstrate our commitment and recognition in public engagement.

  • Young Change Maker Grant, National Youth Council (link)

  • Global Engagement Seed Grant, International Brain Research Organisation (link)

  • ASEAN Science Diplomat, US Agency for International Development

  • Poster presenter to Members of Parliament, STEM for Britain

  • Correspondent Scholarship, Pain Research Forum-North American Pain School (link)

  • Creativity in Research Scholar Program, Stanford University Design School * Created a toy kit to explain cancer immunotherapy

  • Winner of Blog Writing Competition, Micro Control Instruments

  • Visiting Research Fellowship, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences Sydney (link* Investigated the effects of sensory stimuli for learning

  • Fellow, ASEAN Science Leadership Program  

  • Travel Fellowship for the Week of International Scientific Young Talents, Universcience Paris

  • Top 5 Finalist, Biochemical Society Science Communication Competition                       

  • Winner of Naturejobs Career Expo Journalism Competition, Naturejobs (link)

  • Tony Award (2nd Place) Electron Microscopy Image Contest, FEI

  • Undergraduate Research Award, University of Wisconsin-Madison (link)

Community Service & Volunteerism

These awards showcase our civic-mindedness and community leadership.

  • Feature on !mpact, National Youth Council Singapore (link)

  • One Young World Scholarship, Gilead Sciences * 1 of 12 scholars selected internationally

  • Delegate, One Young World (link)

  • Associate Fellow, The Royal Commonwealth Society

  • Queen’s Young Leader Award, Highly Commended Runner Up (link) * Selected out of 6000 applications from Commonwealth countries

  • Special Project Award-Project Inclusive, People’s Association Youth Movement

  • Engineering Colours Award Bronze, Faculty of Engineering NUS                                      

  • Student Achievement Award (Individual & Group), NUS Office of Student Affairs

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