PSTA 2024 Programme Booklet

\27 SEPTEMBER 2024

PROGRAMME

6.15pm

Arrival of Guest-of-Honour, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of The Republic of Singapore

6.35pm

Welcome Address by Mr Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister, CoordinaƟng Minister for Economic Policies, and Chairman, NaƟonal Research FoundaƟon

PresentaƟon of Young ScienƟst Awards

6.45pm

Dinner RecepƟon Commences

7.00pm

PresentaƟon of President’s Science & Technology Awards

7.30pm

Dinner RecepƟon Resumes

8.00pm

8.30pm

Departure of Guest-of-Honour

PRESIDENT’S FOREWoRD

Tharman Shanmugaratnam President of The Republic of Singapore

The President’s Science and Technology Awards recognises outstanding achievements in our scienƟfic community, with the potenƟal to tackle the challenges of our Ɵmes and touch many lives.

This year’s awardees once again exemplify the spirit of innovaƟon. From shaping our R&D landscape, to nurturing talent and fostering interdisciplinary collaboraƟons. From transforming the management of cardio-respiratory diseases, to resolving a mystery in organic luminescent materials that have stumped scienƟsts for decades, enabling the design of high-performance materials with important new applicaƟons. Our Young ScienƟst Award recipients themselves reflect the growing depth and diversity of Singapore’s R&D talent pipeline. Their contribuƟons span across advancing arƟficial intelligence, designing green catalysts for sustainable manufacturing, developing computaƟonal methods for ribonucleic acid research, and improving eye health. I look forward to seeing them and other young scienƟsts make even greater impacts in the years to come.

My warmest congratulaƟons to each of this year’s recipients of the President’s Science and Technology Awards!

PRESIDENT’S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AWARDS

The President’s Science & Technology Awards (PSTA) are the country’s top honour for research scienƟsts and engineers in Singapore. Given annually, the PSTA recognises individuals and teams that have made excepƟonal contribuƟons in pushing the boundaries of the Science and Technology landscape in Singapore.

There are three disƟnct awards – the President’s Science & Technology Medal , the President’s Science Award, and the President’s Technology Award.

PRESIDENT’S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY MEDAL The President’s Science & Technology Medal (PSTM) is awarded to individuals who have made disƟnguished, sustained and excepƟonal contribuƟons, and played a strategic role in advancing Singapore’s development through promoƟon and management of Science and Technology.

PRESIDENT’S SCIENCE AWARD The President’s Science Award (PSA) is awarded to individuals or teams for outstanding contribuƟons that have had a transformaƟve effect on one or more Science and Technology fields.

PRESIDENT’S TECHNOLOGY AWARD The President’s Technology Award (PTA) is awarded to individuals or teams for outstanding contribuƟon to R&D resulƟng in significant new technology or innovaƟve use of established technology.

PRESIDENT’S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY MEDAL

“ For his profound impact on the science and technology landscape in Singapore, especially in nurturing a pipeline of top talent, fostering interdisciplinary research, and building naƟonal R&D ecosystems. ”

Ho Teck Hua President Nanyang Technological University Nominated by Mr Peter Ho

PRESIDENT’S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY MEDAL

“ For his outstanding contribuƟons in sƟmulaƟng the establishment of corporate R&D capabiliƟes in Singapore, leadership in bringing companies and research insƟtuƟons together for the benefit of Singapore, and for promoƟng internaƟonal collaboraƟon in research and technology. ”

Richard Parker Chairman Singapore Aerospace Programme Agency for Science, Technology and Research Nominated by Professor Lim Keng Hui

PRESIDENT’S SCIENCE AWARD

“ For her discovery of the role of carbazole isomers in room temperature phosphorescence of carbazole, and subsequent revelaƟon of the transformaƟve impact of isostructural doping on the opƟcal properƟes of organic semiconductors, opening new avenues of study and applicaƟon. ”

Liu Bin Tan Chin Tuan Centennial Professor NaƟonal University Singapore Nominated by Professor John Wang

Malini Olivo DisƟnguished Principal ScienƟst TranslaƟonal Biophotonics Lab, A * STAR Skin Research Labs Agency for Science, Technology and Research Gurpreet Singh S/O Santokh Singh CEO and Founder Respiree Pte Ltd Principal ScienƟst TranslaƟonal Biophotonics Lab, A * STAR Skin Research Labs Agency for Science, Technology and Research Renzhe Bi Principal ScienƟst TranslaƟonal Biophotonics Lab, A * STAR Skin Research Labs Agency for Science, Technology and Research AugusƟne Tee Chairman, Division of Medicine Senior Consultant, Department of Respiratory & CriƟcal Care Medicine Changi General Hospital, SingHealth PRESIDENT’S TECHNOLOGY AWARD “ For their innovaƟve integraƟon of biophotonics, machine learning and clinical data to create Respiree, a healthcare soluƟon which has demonstrated the potenƟal to transform cardio-respiratory disease management in real-world seƫngs. ”

Nominated by Professor Tan Sze Wee

YOUNG SCIENTIST AWARD

The PSTA also celebrates the Young ScienƟst Award (YSA) which is administered by the Singapore NaƟonal Academy of Science (SNAS) and supported by the NaƟonal Research FoundaƟon, Singapore (NRF). The YSA recognises young researchers who acƟvely engage in R&D in Singapore, and who have shown great potenƟal to be world-class researchers in their fields of experƟse.

YOUNG SCIENTIST AWARD Biological and Biomedical Sciences

“ For his pioneering work in developing computaƟonal methods for long-read RNA sequencing data that have enabled the profiling of RNA transcripƟon and modificaƟons at unprecedented resoluƟon and accuracy. ”

Jonathan Göke Senior Principal ScienƟst I Laboratory of ComputaƟonal Transcriptomics, Genome InsƟtute of Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research

YOUNG SCIENTIST AWARD Biological and Biomedical Sciences

“ For his significant contribuƟons to AI in ophthalmology and healthcare,

and his pioneering work in deep learning, generaƟve AI, and trustworthy AI, advancing global ocular health. ”

Daniel Ting Shu Wei Senior Consultant (Surgical ReƟna) Chief Data and Digital Officer Singapore NaƟonal Eye Centre

Director AI Office SingHealth

YOUNG SCIENTIST AWARD Physical, Engineering & Information Sciences

“ For his innovaƟve work on the mathemaƟcal foundaƟons of deep lear ning, its connecƟons with dynamical systems, and applicaƟons in AI for science. ”

Li Qianxiao PresidenƟal Young Professor Department of MathemaƟcs NaƟonal University of Singapore

YOUNG SCIENTIST AWARD Physical, Engineering & Information Sciences

“ For his groundbreaking work in developing next-generaƟon dynamic atomic-precision catalysts that are reshaping the current landscape of sustainable manufacturing processes in the fine chemicals and pharmaceuƟcal industries . ”

Lu Jiong Dean’s Chair Associate Professor Department of Chemistry NaƟonal University of Singapore

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

President's Science and Technology Awards (PSTA) 2024 Main CommiƩee

President's Science Award (PSA) 2024 SelecƟon CommiƩee

President's Technology Award (PTA) 2024 SelecƟon CommiƩee

Singapore NaƟonal Academy of Science (SNAS)