TECH EXPERTS

Samuel Aw currently heads the Formulation & Nutrition Science Technology Centre at Republic Polytechnic. He possesses both academic and industrial expertise in food formulation, processing and packaging. He has worked with many food companies for the past 25 years in the area of product, process and packaging development. Samuel had set up the Food Packaging Laboratory for Singapore Polytechnic and was instrumental in the training of food packaging technologists in Singapore and ASEAN countries. He also worked in Nestle R&D Centre and Alfa Laval South East Asia, Convenience Foods & Packaging Division.   Samuel obtained an MSc in Packaging Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology, New York, USA. He was also a Kikkoman Award Prize winner under the Advanced Diploma in Food Technology, Singapore Polytechnic.  

Dawn has over twenty years of experience working in various industries including chemical industries, semi-conductor component assembly as well as flexible electronic circuits manufacturing prior to her teaching career with Republic Polytechnic. Having graduated with a Master’s Degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the National University of Singapore, she wishes to impart her knowledge and experience to inspire the young in the School of Applied Science. Her areas of expertise include product development of new materials, adhesive formulations, additive manufacturing of polymers and cementitious materials, fabrication of silk fiber reinforced composites and electrolytic and electroless surface passivation and electroplating. As a Conexus Senior Manager, Dawn works with various industry sectors to collaborate on projects related to sustainable materials, functional materials, additive manufacturing, and specialty chemicals as well as supporting students for industry immersion programs. Together with her students, she aims to solve problems by applying their knowledge and developing skills necessary to support industry partners.

Dr Gabriel Lee is currently Senior Lecturer in the School of Applied Science at Republic Polytechnic (RP). He is actively involved in the Chemicals and Materials Innovation Centre (CheMI Centre), where extensive research work is carried out on various aspects of materials and coatings innovation. He leads industrial research projects on the development of tunable surface solutions as well as smart materials to increase sustainability and functionality for the built environment.  He has more than 20 years of experience leading research and development efforts as well as product and technology development. His areas of research interest include nanostructured materials, carbonaceous materials, advanced composites, 2D materials, smart coatings, chemometrics, sustainability in the built environment and environmental degradation studies.  

Dr Gan Eng Seng is currently a lecturer at Republic Polytechnic and is responsible for driving plant research and growth system optimization, and developing curriculum related to agricultural technology. Prior to this, Eng Seng was with an AgTech company as a senior crop scientist, where he helped setup an R&D facility, and managed the core scientific research of increasing yield, reducing crop cycle and improving the quality of the produce. A plant molecular and developmental biologist by training, Eng Seng earned his PhD from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2015 and did his post-doctoral work at the Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL), focusing on the effects of environmental changes on plant growth and the molecular mechanisms underlying such responses. He believes that smart-farming involving automation, IoT and data analytics, is the way to go to feed the world, and hopes to tap on his expertise to contribute to these fields.

Dr May Sim is currently a Senior Lecturer (Industry) at the School of Applied Science in Republic Polytechnic.  She collaborates closely with the industry to conduct applied science based research projects in areas such as aerospace, transport, packaging, non-destructive techniques (NDT), composites and plastics. Upon graduation from Loughborough University with a PhD in Aeronautical Engineering, she joined SIMTech as a Senior Research Engineer to lead in various projects and providing consultancy services to industries related to material failure analysis, diagnostic methods, and X-ray inspection characterisation activities. As an Intellectual Property and Commercialisation Manager at the Industry Liaison Office of NUS,  she managed the university’s intellectual property in the areas of electronics and food technology before joining QSA Global as an International Sales Manager and solely oversaw the regional markets in China and Asia in the areas of gamma radiation sources and various NDT. She is a qualified Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment (ACTA) trainer and is currently certified by NEA to conduct the Licensing Basic Ionisation Radiation Safety Course. Together with her team, Dr May clinched the MOE Innergy commendation award in 2019 for a project on the ‘Development of E-Scooter Wheelchair’ and filed a Singapore Provisional Patent for her innovative efforts in design novelty and fabrication techniques. She also helmed a leadership role as the Programme Head for the ‘Specialist Diploma in Advanced Composites’ course. In 2020, she was awarded The Crescendas Medal and Prize for Outstanding Engineering Physics Teacher (Polytechnics/ITE) 2019 by the Institute of Physics Singapore.

Dr Goh Chee Keong is a Conexus Senior Manager at Republic Polytechnic’s (RP) Environmental Technology Centre. Dr Goh has more than 14 years of experience in leading research groups with extensive works in materials, energy and environmental applications. He is also author of numerous research publications on catalytic materials and environmental technologies. Dr Goh specialises in research, development, formulation and characterisation of functional materials for waste management solutions, petrochemical processing, renewable energy applications, aquaculture, agriculture and water treatment. He has secured high impact projects funded by various agencies including Ministry of Education (MOE) Translational R&D and Innovation Fund (TIF), National Environment Agency’s (NEA) Environment Technology Research Programme (ETRP) and Closing The Waste Loop (CTWL) initiatives and Tote Board. He also leads academic staff to propose, execute and facilitate the participation in multi-disciplinary technology development projects across the schools within RP.  Dr Goh currently focus on building close collaborative relationships with enterprises, research institutes and institute of higher learning for joint development projects. He is also active in providing technology consultancy services for local companies. He has been awarded the Outstanding Innovator Award at the MOE Innergy Award 2019 and Exemplary Innovator Award at the Public Sector Transformation (PST) Awards 2020.

Dr Teng Yin Ting is a Lecturer in Republic Polytechnic since 2016. She has more than 10 years of research experience in chemical additives, nanomaterials, battery materials and energy harvesting materials. As a principal investigator and co-principal investigator, she has supported companies in carrying out multiple R&D and industry projects and is actively involved in prototype development. When co-creating solutions with the industry, she has been focusing on projects relating to materials development, particularly in the area of sustainability. Prior to joining Republic Polytechnic, she held various research positions at Nanyang Technological University, TUM Create and A*STAR SIMTech, working on energy research, fluorine chemistry, and surface technology. Dr Teng Yin Ting obtained her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

Dr Ian Harris Sujae is a human movement science specialist by training. With more than 10 years of experience in Biomechanics, Physiology and Motor Control Learning, Ian synergizes movement science to understand human movement in an array of applications ranging from sports performance to ergonomic and ergogenic human factor research, health rehabilitation and injury prevention as well as gait patterns. Ian has worked with various industries in providing consultation services on commissioned research projects leveraging on complex evidence-based and ecological validity approach as well as technology. Currently, Ian is senior manager at ERGO Technology Centre, School of Sports Health and Leisure, Republic Polytechnic. In addition to academic responsibilities as a senior lecturer and mentor for student-led activities, Ian oversees human factor research projects with the industry and has worked on several commissioned projects and grants.  Ian sits in the Football Association of Singapore, Medical Committee, and continues to present his research work at the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports (ISBS) conference, which is the highest arena for sports biomechanist to present applied research in sports. He has also published in several peer-reviewed journals including the Sports Biomechanics Journal, International Journal of Sports Science and Performance Analysis as well as the Journal of Sports and Exercise Sciences. Ian is also a current member of ISB, ISBS as well as a life member with the Singapore Physical Education Association (SPEA).

Dr Alex Ong has been engaged in the education sector for more than 25 years. He is presently the principal lecturer in the School of Sports, Health and Leisure at Republic Polytechnic (Singapore). His research interest is in sports and health related to data science, computer vision, pattern recognition, and education technology in physical activities. He mentors principal investigators and oversees applied industry projects that have been successfully commissioned and are competitively funded by national agencies such as the National Research Foundation, Ministry of Education, Tote Board and National Additive Manufacturing – Innovation Cluster. His projects include: Markerless-tracking for gait analysis & multidisciplinary learning in physical activities 3D printed evidence-based orthopedic seat Algorithms for wearables for non-invasive monitoring of blood glucose, wrist-based SPO2/blood pressure continuous monitoring Dr Ong obtained his PhD in Education (Physical Education) from Deakins University (Australia) and has a Masters in Education from Durham University (UK) as well as a Masters of Science (Biomechanics) from the Faculty of Medicine at National University of Singapore.