(From left to right) Asst Prof Andy Tay, Adj Prof Lisa Ng, Prof Tan Eng Chye, Prof Lim Chwee Teck and Asst Prof Wang Xinchao received the nation’s highest honours for their exceptional contributions to Singapore’s science and technology landscape.

Five NUS professors were bestowed the nation’s top accolades on 3 October 2025, in recognition of their exceptional contributions to science across diverse fields.

Organised by the National Research Foundation (NRF), the President’s Science and Technology Awards (PSTA), Singapore’s highest honours for researchers and engineers, acknowledges the achievements of outstanding individuals in stimulating the country’s science and technology (S&T) ecosystem.

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of the Republic of Singapore, presented the President’s Science and Technology Medal (PSTM) to Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUS President. This prestigious award is conferred to individuals who have made distinguished, sustained and exceptional contributions, and played a strategic role in advancing Singapore’s development through promotion and management of S&T.

Professor Lim Chwee Teck, Director of NUS Institute for Health Innovation & Technology (iHealthtech) and faculty member of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the College of Design and Engineering (CDE) at NUS, as well as Adjunct Professor Lisa Ng from the Department of Biochemistry at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and the Emerging Infectious Disease Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School, received the President’s Science Award (PSA) from President Tharman. The PSA honours individuals who made significant scientific contributions that were generally acknowledged by other S&T practitioners in the same field as being impactful. 

Two rising NUS research stars received the Young Scientist Award (YSA) from Mr Heng Swee Keat, Chairman of NRF. Administered by the Singapore National Academy of Science, the YSA is presented to researchers aged 40 and below, who are actively engaged in R&D in Singapore, and who have shown great potential to be world-class researchers in their respective research fields. These accomplished researchers are: Assistant Professor Andy Tay, Presidential Young Professor at CDE’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and Principal Investigator at iHealthtech and NUS Tissue Engineering Programme, as well as Assistant Professor Wang Xinchao, Presidential Young Professor at CDE’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

NUS President Prof Tan Eng Chye (right) was lauded for his visionary leadership and lifelong dedication to driving science and technology at NUS and in Singapore. Photo Credit: National Research Foundation (NRF)

2025 President’s Science & Technology Medal Recipient: Professor Tan Eng Chye

Prof Tan Eng Chye was conferred the President’s Science and Technology Medal (PSTM) for his transformative contributions in advancing Singapore’s research and innovation landscape through interdisciplinary education, international partnerships, deep tech innovation and ecosystem building. He was also recognised for his achievements in nurturing future leaders and elevating Singapore’s global standing in science and technology.

Prof Tan substantially advanced the recruitment and development of top talent and brought NUS research to new levels of world-class excellence. In education, he instituted far-reaching reforms that have shaped S&T education in Singapore. Recognising the need for graduates with broad perspectives and technical depth, he led NUS to evolve from a disciplinary model towards one that is more flexible and interdisciplinary. This is exemplified by the curricula of the College of Humanities and Sciences, College of Design and Engineering and NUS College.

With an eye for talent, Prof Tan pioneered and developed schemes to recruit and nurture scientific talent for Singapore. This included bringing in eminent scientists to lead programmes in strategic areas and appointing outstanding directors to helm the Research Centres of Excellence (RCEs) at NUS. He also championed multiple talent and research initiatives, such as the NUS Overseas Graduate Scholarships, Overseas Postdoctoral Fellowships and Presidential Young Professorship scheme to attract and cultivate future academic leaders.

Prof Tan shaped a deeply collaborative culture within NUS and pushed for stronger partnerships between NUS and research groups across Singapore as well as with leading centres worldwide. Under his stewardship, translational research and research commercialisation at NUS took off strongly. In tandem, he also enhanced NUS’ global engagement, with a special focus on Southeast Asia.

Prof Tan has also played a significant role in shaping Singapore’s S&T ecosystem through his leadership capacities across national agencies, including the NRF, Singapore Economic Development Board, National University Health System, NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), Defence Science and Technology Agency, and Defence Science Organisation.

Prof Tan’s visionary leadership and lifelong dedication have been pivotal in placing Singapore’s S&T capabilities and achievements firmly on the world map.

“The large part of my education and career has been at NUS when I was only 20 years old. It fills me with both awe and pride watching the transformation of NUS from a modest teaching university in the 1980s into a comprehensive and globally recognised institution,” said Prof Tan.

“I feel privileged to have contributed to this journey. It has felt, at times, like climbing a mountain. The path has been steep and challenging. But when you pause and look back, you get a different perspective. You see the distance covered, the obstacles overcome, and the shared determination that has brought Singapore to where it is today,” he added.

Prof Lim Chwee Teck (right) was recognised for his pioneering contributions to cancer research. Photo Credit: National Research Foundation (NRF)

2025 President’s Science Award Recipient: Professor Lim Chwee Teck

Professor Lim Chwee Teck was awarded the President’s Science Award (PSA) for his pioneering contributions to cancer research through innovative mechanobiology approaches, successfully bridging engineering, biological sciences and medicine to foster a deeper understanding of cancer metastasis.

Prof Lim’s trailblazing research resulted in a paradigm shift in our understanding of cancer metastasis – the spread of cancer from the primary tumour site to other parts of the body – which is the leading cause of cancer mortality. His work introduced the concept of “mechanoresilience”, unveiling why only a small population of cancer cells survive the treacherous journey through the blood circulatory system. Using custom-made microfluidic platforms to simulate the extreme physical and mechanical conditions, Prof Lim and his team identified the distinctive characteristics of these mechanoresilient cancer cells that confer survival advantage and treatment resistance. These revolutionary findings pave the way for more innovative and effective cancer treatment and better diagnostic tools to predict and address metastatic risk.

Prof Lim shared, “The President’s Science Award is a profound honour that recognises not only my team’s work, but also equally important, reinforces our commitment to push the frontiers of science, mentor the next generation, and translate discoveries into tangible benefits for society.”

Highly decorated with numerous local and international awards, Prof Lim is also an elected fellow of 10 esteemed academies, reflecting global recognition of his contributions, leadership and impact. Beyond his scientific excellence, Prof Lim is also a serial entrepreneur, having co-founded six start-ups, including one that commercialised a cancer biochip and achieved a successful IPO in 2018. This cancer biochip earned him the President’s Technology Award in 2011.

At NUS, Prof Lim serves as Director of iHealthtech, where he leads multidisciplinary teams to drive advances in healthcare. He also holds appointments in multiple departments and units in the university, including the Department of Biomedical Engineering of CDE and Mechanobiology Institute.

Adj Prof Lisa Ng (right) was commended for her groundbreaking work in viral infection immunology and advancing global pandemic management. Photo Credit: National Research Foundation (NRF)

2025 President’s Science Award Recipient: Adjunct Professor Lisa Ng

Adjunct Professor Lisa Ng, who is also Executive Director at A*STAR’s Infectious Disease Labs and Biomedical Research Council, earned the President’s Science Award (PSA) for her pioneering contributions to viral infection immunology and advancing global pandemic management through groundbreaking research on Arboviruses, in particular, Chikungunya.

Chikungunya virus is an Arbovirus, a type of virus transmitted by arthropods such as mosquitoes. Initially overshadowed by dengue, Prof Ng was amongst the first to underscore the threat of Chikungunya. Her team’s work revealed the viral mechanism that explained patients’ conflicting reactions to the infection and identified immune profiles that predict disease outcomes. These valuable insights opened the door to improved immune-based diagnostics, vaccines and host-based therapeutics to better tackle the spread of Chikungunya.

Prior to Chikungunya, Prof Ng also developed PCR-based tests for the 2003 SARS outbreaks, and H5N1 during the 2005–2006 bird flu outbreaks. Her molecular and immunoassays for multiple pathogens have been shared globally. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her team’s work guided national vaccination strategies and safety measures.

Prof Ng is a leading advocate for pandemic preparedness who translates lab discoveries into real‑world solutions through her close collaborations with academia, public health agencies, industry and global research networks. Her leadership has strengthened surveillance systems, informed vaccine pipelines and advanced international cooperation. Committed to mentorship, Prof Ng has supervised more than 20 PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, many of whom are now leading their own research programmes worldwide.

“This award is an honour that reflects the collective efforts of my colleagues and collaborators,” shared Prof Ng. “The various outbreaks, epidemics and COVID-19 pandemic reminded me how resilience and partnerships are vital in science. To young researchers, let curiosity guide you, and see every challenge as a chance to grow.”

Asst Prof Andy Tay (right) received recognition for his innovative work in regenerative medicine driven by biomaterial-based therapies. Photo Credit: National Research Foundation (NRF)

2025 Young Scientist Award Recipient: Assistant Prof Andy Tay

Assistant Professor Andy Tay was presented the Young Scientist Award (YSA) for advancing biomaterial-based therapies that modulate immune responses to improve diabetic wound healing and enhance cancer immunotherapy outcomes.

To promote wound healing in diabetic patients, Asst Prof Tay’s team established a 4R (Remove, Reprogram, Replace, Reimagine) strategy that generates an optimal amount of an essential immune cell. In preclinical models, this 4R strategy demonstrated accelerated wound healing by up to 200% compared to existing therapies.

As for the development of cancer immunotherapies, Asst Prof Tay’s lab team engineered nanostraws – hollow tubes about 10,000 times smaller than a grain of rice – to deliver proteins, RNA and DNA that genetically enhance the ability of immune T cells to detect and destroy cancer cells.

A prolific scientist and devoted educator, Asst Prof Tay has garnered more than S$8.5 million in research funding as the sole principal investigator, filed 7 invention disclosures, and published 32 research papers as the corresponding author. Meanwhile, his lab has trained 19 postdoctoral researchers and research assistants, 22 graduate students and 40 undergraduate students.

When asked to give advice to young, aspiring researchers, Asst Prof Tay, who also teaches at NUS College, said, “Ask lots of questions. Students may be scared to ask questions because they may appear insignificant, but honestly, even basic questions like cell density and molecule concentration can make such a big impact on research outcome.” And he emphasized, “No question is too small.”

Asst Prof Wang Xinchao (right) was honoured for his work in developing ways to train compact AI models with limited resources while keeping high performance. Photo Credit: National Research Foundation (NRF)

2025 Young Scientist Award Recipient: Assistant Professor Wang Xinchao

Assistant Professor Wang Xinchao received the Young Scientist Award (YSA) for advancing machine learning techniques that train compact Artificial Intelligence (AI) models using limited resources, while achieving the capabilities of larger AI systems.

Asst Prof Wang’s research addresses the complex challenges that advanced AI models face through three interconnected domains: efficient strategies, efficient models and efficient data.  In efficient strategies, he built DepGraph, automating time-consuming laborious work with just three lines of code. Torch-pruning, DepGraph’s open-source counterpart, gained widespread popularity, exceeding 290,000 downloads, and has been integrated into NVIDIA’s commercial products. In efficient models, Asst Prof Wang designed MetaFormer, which greatly reduces computational cost and model size while preserving or even improving performance. In efficient data, he conceived approaches to shrink huge datasets into smaller, representative datasets that cut down computational burden yet maintain or boost model performance.

Asst Prof Wang’s innovative outputs have tremendously lowered computational and financial barriers to AI development, enabling smaller laboratories, start-ups and even individuals to train competitive models despite limited hardware as well as computational and memory constraints. The impact of his contributions also been recognised through other prestigious honours such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) AI’s 10 to Watch and the NUS’ Young Researcher Award.

“To young researchers in the field, I would like to share a simple yet powerful piece of advice from my postdoctoral supervisor, the late Professor Thomas S. Huang: “Just be yourself.” In a field that moves rapidly and is often filled with noise, staying true to your values, your curiosity and your unique perspective is both grounding and empowering.” Asst Prof Wang elaborated, “Trust your instincts, embrace the unknown, and remember that meaningful contributions often come from perseverance, not perfection.”