| Name | Research Interests |
| Assoc Prof Aravind Babu Dasari | Dr Dasari’s major research emphasis is on the development of in-depth understanding of the various facets of processing-structure-property relations in hybrid polymer nanocomposites to achieve synergistic properties for different end applications. These facets include:
1. Thermal stability and flame retardancy (with eco-benign agents)
2. Functional properties (electrical/thermal conductivities, biodegradability and UV shielding)
3. Electrospinning techniques
4. Wear/scratch damage at different scales (macro/micro/nano)
5. Deformation and Fracture mechanisms
6. Active food packaging |
| Assoc Prof Cai Wenjian | Prof Cai's areas of expertise are system modelling, control and optimization, multivariable system identification and control, sensor and instrumentation, mechanical system simulation and design, and intelligent systems. His current research works focus on industry applications in building HVAC processes, renewable energy processes and environmental processes. |
| Assoc Prof Cao Bin | Biofilms in natural and engineered systems
Biofilm-mediated environmental bioprocesses
Biofilm biology-informed biofilm engineering
Biofilm-enabled biotechnological applications |
| Prof Chiew Yee Meng | He has had more than 25 years of research experience in many aspects of fluvial, hydraulic, coastal and offshore engineering. His particular research interest is in the area of erosion, sediment transport and turbulence. In addition to his research activities, Dr Chiew provides extensive consulting services to the engineering industries, both internationally and in Singapore. He was the Chairman of the 2nd International Conference on Scour and Erosion (ICSE-2) that was held in Singapore in November 2004.
SELECTED PUBLICATION LIST
1. Chiew, Y. M. "Mechanics of Local Scour Around Submarine Pipelines" Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 116, no. 4, 515-529, 1990.
2. Chiew, Y. M. "Scour Protection at Bridge Piers" Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 118, no. 9, 1260-1269, 1992.
3. Chiew, Y. M. and Parker, G. "Incipient Sediment Transport on Non-Horizontal Slopes" Journal of Hydraulic Research, IAHR, vol. 32, no. 5, 649-660, 1994.
4. Chiew, Y. M. "Mechanics of Riprap Failure at Bridge Piers" Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 121, no. 9, 635-643, 1995.
5. Song, T. and Chiew, Y. M. and Chin, C. O. "Effect of Bedload Movement on Flow Friction Factor" Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 124, no. 2, 165-175, 1998.
6. Cheng, N. S. and Chiew, Y. M. "Turbulent Open-Channel Flow with Upward Seepage" Journal of Hydraulic Research, IAHR, vol. 36, no. 3, 415-431, 1998.
7. Melville, B. W. and Chiew, Y. M. "Time Scale for Local Scour at Bridge Piers" Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 125, no. 1, 59-65, 1999.
8. Cheng, N. S. and Chiew, Y. M. "Incipient Sediment Motion with Upward Seepage" Journal of Hydraulic Research, IAHR, vol. 37, no. 5, 665-681, 1999.
9. Ming, D. H. and Chiew, Y. M. "Experimental study for shoreline changes behind a detached breakwater" Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering, ASCE, vol. 126, no. 2, 63-70, 2000.
10. Chiew, Y. M. and Lim F. H. "Failure behavior of riprap layer at bridge piers under live-bed conditions" Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 126, no. 1, 43-55, 2000.
11. Song, T. and Chiew, Y. M. "Turbulence Measurement in Non-Uniform Open Channel Flow Using an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV)". Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, vol. 127, no. 3, 219-232, 2001.
12. Chiew, Y.M. "Failure Mechanisms of Riprap Layer around Bridge Piers". Invited Paper (Plenary Section) in Proc. of First Int. Conf. on Scour of Foundations (ICSF-1), Vol. 1, 70-91, 2002.
13. Chen, X. W. and Chiew, Y. M. "Response of Velocity and Reynolds Stress Profiles to Sudden Change of Bed Roughness in Open-Channel Flow". Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 129, no. 1, 35-43, 2003.
14. Chen, X. W. and Chiew, Y. M. "Velocity Distribution of Turbulent Open Channel Flow with Bed Suction". Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 130, no. 2, 140-148, 2004.
15. Chiew, Y. M. "Local Scour and Riprap Stability at Bridge Piers in a Degrading Channel". Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 130, no. 3, 218-226, 2004.
16. Lu, Y., Chiew, Y.M. and Cheng, N. S. "Review of seepage effects on turbulent open-channel flow and sediment entrainment". Journal of Hydraulic Research, IAHR, 46(4), 476-488, 2008. |
| Assoc Prof Chong Tzyy Haur | Membrane Process Intensification: Engineering for Efficiency and Sustainability in Water-Energy-Environment Nexus
• Desalination and reclamation, water and wastewater treatment, industrial applications
• Membrane fouling mechanisms, control strategies and fouling sensors
• Process intensification, enhanced module and system design
• Hybrid membrane chemical and bio-reactors |
| Prof David Wardle | David Wardle’s research explores the links between aboveground and belowground communities, and how these in turn drive the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. A large proportion of this work is field based and in natural ecosystems, including in forested ecosystems around the world as well as subarctic and subalpine tundra. Current projects focus on the community and ecosystem effects of invasive animals and plants; the ecological consequences of wildfire; ecosystem changes across successional, retrogressive and elevational gradients; aspects of island ecology; and the ecological role of forest understory vegetation.
A full list of publications can be found at: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Nvu7BxYAAAAJ&hl=sv |
| Assoc Prof Dong Zhili | Dr. Dong has more than twenty years experience in transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction of materials. His research interests include open-framework materials, nanostructured functional materials, advanced coatings and materials synthesis. |
| Assoc Prof Du Hejun | His research interests mainly include three areas: 1) numerical and computational methods for engineering applications; 2) MEMS sensors and actuators and micro-fluidics; 3) smart materials and their engineering applications. |
| Assoc Prof Emma Mary Hill | Geodesy, SAR, GPS, tide gauges, satellite gravity, natural hazards, earthquakes, sea level, natural disasters, tectonics, machine learning |
| Asst Prof Faizah Binte Zakaria | I am currently working on a book manuscript based on my PhD dissertation titled, "Spiritual Anthropocene: Ecology of Conversion in Maritime Southeast Asian Uplands." The book is under contract with University of Washington Press (anticipated publication, 2021).
My project uses the North Sumatran highlands as a case study to examine how mass religious conversion from animism to monotheism was catalyzed by the transformation of the environment as well as large- scale migration working as a holistic system embedded in global networks. I am building on this research to develop a monograph that demonstrates how religious beliefs about the natural world have a dialectical impact on environmental management due to this interconnected global network. Of central interest are the following questions: how do religious beliefs shape a maritime Southeast Asian environmentalism? Conversely, how do changes to our local environments impact religious thought? The project will also further interrogate the idea of the Anthropocene to examine how the concept goes beyond geology and material landscapes as well as time by factoring in how sacred landscapes overlay natural ones.
With support from various grants, I am also developing new projects on the history of charismatic megafauna as well as multi-faceted, long-term impacts of volcanic eruptions in the Southeast Asia region.
More broadly, my research interests sits at the nexus of history and anthropology, including: world and imperial history, indigenous peoples and religions, environmental justice and sustainability, mass violence, human rights and the Anthropocene. |
| Assoc Prof Federico Lauro | Dr Lauro has an aptitude matched with a passion, to discover the ways in which microorganisms evolve, adapt and function to drive the ecological processes that are critical for sustaining the health of global marine environments. He has purposefully developed skills in both experimental and computational sciences – in particular, deep-sea microbiology, and the latest “omic” technologies that are essential for deriving a clear and thorough understanding of microbial communities and ecosystem function. Importantly, Lauro has also gained an expert level of proficiency in microbial genomics – this has been achieved through the pursuit of creating bioinformatic tools for analyzing and modelling large datasets, involving a broad range of PERL-programming and implementation of open-source software. Along with his pursuit of marine microbial environments, Lauro is extending his exploration of microbial environments to that of the air microbiome. |
| Asst Prof Grzegorz Lisak | Environmental chemistry with focus of novel analytical protocols for determination of pollutants in environment.
Analytical chemistry with focus on electroanalysis.
Electrochemistry with focus on conducting materials, e.g. conducting polymers.
Novel materials for the use in sensor technology.
Electro stimulated transport of species across membranes.
On-line determination of toxic metals bioavailability in various samples, e.g. soil. |
| Prof Hu Xiao | Composites and Nanocomposites
Functional Polymers: Synthesis and Assembly
Nanocrystals Synthesis and Modification (including rods, dots and tubes)
Organic-inorganic Hybrid Materials |
| Assoc Prof Jason Xu Zhichuan | • Electrocatalysis
• Electrochemical energy storage
• Electrochemical interfaces
• Electrochemical sensors
• Magnetic nanomaterials
• Chemistry for materials recycle |
| Mr Jeffrey Hong Yan Jack | Transportation Vehicle Design
Wearable Technology
Interaction Design - interactive objects, environments, and experiences.
Form exploration using Generative Modeling techniques.
3D Laser scanning and reverse engineering.
Human perception, spatial cognition, and interaction within Virtual Environments.
Simulation and presentation of real-life phenomena through the use of computer graphics software. |
| Dr Ken Lee | Our research focuses on Chemical Technologies and how to translate academic discoveries into practical solutions in Synthesis, Sensing and Sustainability. In Synthesis, we are interested in high-throughput experimentation, automated synthesis using robots, flow chemistry and Chembeads technology. In Sensing, we are interested to develop rapid detection methods for water pathogens and other microorganisms. In Sustainability, we are interested to develop viable solutions in heterogeneous food waste recycling and biovalorisation of homogeneous discarded food processing by-products. |
| Assoc Prof Lam Siu Lee | Management, strategy and modelling for supply chains, shipping, ports and other related areas;
Development of integrated intelligent systems/ decision support systems;
Innovation, including data analytics, block chain;
Port competition and cooperation;
Energy;
Sustainable development;
Risk management;
Logistics and Supply chain management;
Econometrics;
Maritime and port policy;
Trade and maritime developments, especially for Asia, including Belt and Road Initiative |
| Prof Law Wing-Keung, Adrian | Research in environmental fluid mechanics with special emphasis on wastewater disposal and impact, environmental hydraulics in wastewater treatment processes, pollutant transport in coastal environment, and advanced laser imaging techniques for measurements. |
| Asst Prof Lee Ser Huay Janice Teresa | After having worked on a range of topics in conservation (wildlife trade, invertebrate ecology, habitat fragmentation), I now focus on the conservation and development challenges faced in the context of commercial and small-scale agricultural expansion in the tropics. I am interested to pursue more research in the areas of conservation and development in the rural tropics, food security, sustainable certification of agro-commodities, as well as understanding how to curb the haze in Southeast Asia. |
| Prof Lim Teik Thye | My core research fields are:
Advanced oxidation processes for water and wastewater treatment
Environmental catalysis for wastewater treatment
Environmental nanomaterials for water decontamination
My secondary research field is:
Waste-to-energy and waste-to-materials
Brief summaries of my research projects are listed below.
Catalytic advanced oxidation processes (AOPs)
I have 15 years of research track records in redox technologies for surface water, wastewater and groundwater treatment. For the oxidation technologies, my research activities cover sulfate-radical based advanced oxidation process or SR-AOP (homogeneous and heterogeneous), UV-based AOP (homogeneous and heterogeneous), Fenton processes (heterogeneous), photocatalysis (heterogeneous), electrochemical oxidation, and sonochemical oxidation, and hybrid AOPs. On SR-AOP, my group has made significant contribution to the scientific community in terms of advancing the understanding of the mechanisms of the heterogeneous SR-AOP with metal oxides (monometallic oxide and bimetallic oxides) and carbonaceous materials as catalysts to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and peroxydisulfate (PDS). We have discussed our works in our numerous scientific papers and 3 critical reviews in the top journals. Specifically, we have provided insights into the radical and non-radical reaction pathways associated with transformation and mineralization of a wide range of organic emerging micropollutants such as antibiotics, cytostatic drugs, bisphenol A and industrial chemicals. On the homogeneous SR-AOP, our group is among the leading contributor to post-formation mitigation strategy for controlling iodinated disinfection by-products such as iodinated trihalomethanes and iodoacids in RO water. Our group also developed composite catalytic materials which comprise mixed metal oxides, bimetallic oxides, and catalyst-nanocarbon composites that exhibit multifunctional properties such as combined catalysis, adsorption-promoted catalysis, “switchable” catalysis, etc. Our iron-based catalytic composites can function as Fenton catalyst, photo-Fenton catalyst and photocatalyst, such that their applications can be switched over the day/night cycle. When irradiated with sunlight, they trigger sunlight-driven photocatalytic redox degradation of organic pollutants without any chemical addition. The materials can be recovered from the treated water using magnet. We have also developed a hybrid TiO2-activated carbon composites, which can be used as solar-driven photocatalyst or solar-regenerable adsorbent. This invention has been approved for PCT filing as a recognition of our intellectual property.
Catalytic ceramic membrane for removing recalcitrant organics
Over the last 10 years, my group has advanced the research of coupling catalytic oxidation and membrane separation process. The synergistic processes were enabled through our catalytic ceramic membrane research. We developed three types of such hybrid membranes: (1) photocatalytic membrane, (2) catalytic sulfate-radical oxidation membrane, and (3) catalytic ozonation ceramic membrane. One of our inventions, Ag-decorated photocatalytic TiO2-coated alumina membrane, has three functionalities: antibacterial and antibiofouling property, photocatalytic activity, and separation function with membrane pore sizes down to 4 nm.
The details of my research activities and publications are available at https://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/cttlim/ |
| Assoc Prof Liu Bin | Architected nanomaterials for solar-to-fuel and solar-to-electric conversion.
Photocatalysis for air and water treatment.
Nanocomposites.
Electrocatalysis. |
| Assoc Prof Liu Erjia | Thin films and coatings; Carbon based materials; Nanocomposites; Nanotribology; Electrochemistry. |
| Dr Liu Shukui | (1) Marine Hydrodynamics
(2) Ship Design and Optimization
(3) Fuel and Environmental Performance Analysis
(4) Dynamics of a ship in Seaways
(5) Ship Stability |
| Asst Prof Liu Wen Paul | Chemical looping applications
Selective methane conversion
Carbon capture and utilisation |
| Prof Liu Yu | Dr. Liu has about 20 years of experience in environmental biotechnology, and has the interests in biological nutrient removal, biogranulation and biofilm technology, molecular mechanism and cellular signaling of biogranulation, granular sludge membrane bioreactor, enhanced anaerobic process for low-strength organic wastewater treatment and integrated approach for water reclamation. |
| Assoc Prof Lo Yat-Man, Edmond | Hydrodynamics; Urban flood modelling; City growth dynamics |
| Prof Lua Aik Chong | Professor Lua's areas of expertise are the development of activated carbons for adsorbing gaseous and aqueous pollutants and measurement of flow rates. His current research activities are the preparation and characterization of activated carbons, adsorption technology for air pollution and water filtration, development of polymeric membranes for gas separation, measurement of flow rates using fluidic flowmeters and measurements of particulates and gas emissions from diesel engines. |
| Asst Prof Marek Mutwil | Dr. Marek Mutwil and his research group combine computational and experimental biology to obtain a genome-wide understanding of gene function in plants. Despite decades of intensive research, only ~15% of genes of the most popular model plant Arabidopsis thaliana have been functionally characterized. To remedy this paucity of functional information, which prevents us from tailoring plants to our needs, the group produces large-scale transcriptomic (in form of RNA sequencing) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) data with the aim to build gene co-function networks. These networks can reveal genes that operate together in the same metabolic pathway, protein complex or regulatory circuit which makes them powerful tools to understand how gene products work together in the cell. The group uses gene co-function networks to answer three questions:
1) What are the functions of plant genes? To generate cutting edge gene function predictions we utilize our own and publicly available large-scale biological data, together with state-of-the-art ensemble prediction algorithms. We make these predictions publicly available with our popular online databases, such as GeneCAT and PlaNet.
2) How are biological networks evolving? Biological features (e.g. secondary metabolites or disease resistance) are encoded by polygenic gene modules, which often cannot be identified by genomics. To uncover them, we use a massively multiplexed protein-protein interaction assay which allows rapid elucidation of genome-wide PPI networks. By constructing and comparing networks of green algae, mosses, vascular-, seed- and flowering plants, we will gain a systems-level, kingdom-wide understanding of when these modules appear and how they change in plant evolution.
3) Which gene modules biosynthesize high-value compounds found in plants? Co-function networks based on RNA sequencing data are a proven tool to identify genes involved in biosynthesis of plant secondary metabolites. The group will focus on elucidating module-metabolite relationships with a special focus on plants of importance to Singapore and the bioprospecting of the rainforest. The functions of the elucidated modules, i.e. production of the secondary metabolites, will be tested by expression in heterologous systems, such as bacteria and/or yeast. |
| Asst Prof Michelle Lim | Contemporary Art
Exhibition Histories
Contemporary Curating
Sustainable Ecologies in the Anthropocene
Art History (East Asia) |
| Assoc Prof Miles Alexander Powell | My areas of expertise and interest include environmental history, world history, indigenous history, the history of the North American West, and U.S. history. |
| Dr Natasha Bhatia | Dr Bhatia's research interests are centered around understanding the interactions between environmental economics and the marine environment. Through the identification and valuation of ecosystem services, policy and management decisions can be made in a way which promotes the sustainable use of the environment, something which impacts us all. Specific projects have previously included socio-economic valuation of Special Areas of Conservation along the east coast of England; Non-market modelling of the changing value of coastal ecosystem services in the wake of the 2013 UK storm surge; the FP7 project ‘VECTORS’ which investigated the drivers, pressures and vectors of change in marine life and its impact on marine economic sectors; and the EU project ‘DEVOTES’ which aimed to develop innovative tools for understanding marine biodiversity and the assessment of good environmental status, as well as creating conceptual models for the effects these pressures have on society. |
| Prof Ng Wun Jern | NG WUN JERN's research interests are largely in the area of water, wastewater, and sludge and agri-wastes management, with recovery of useful materials and energy. The focus of his efforts has been on investigations into water quality, treatment science, and development of treatment technologies and systems. These investigations span the water quality spectrum - ranging from ultra-pure water to high strength and inhibitory wastewaters, and organic sludges to agri-wastes management for recovery of soil fertility and crop yields.
His research output may be found in some 400 publications. These include journal papers, conference presentations, book chapters and monographs, reports, and patents. His latest book publications are titled "Industrial Wastewater Treatment" (Imperial College Press) and "Wetlands for Tropical Applications" (Imperial College Press).
Current R&D interests revolve around effluent treatment and include dehalogenation under bioreductive conditions. Of particular interest are the chloro-compounds and dehalogenation under acidic conditions with biomass sculptured into granules.
The interest in bioreductive (instead of bio-oxidative) processes stems from concern over energy costs and carbon footprints of treatment processes. Anaerobic processes are therefore of interest when used to manage strong wastewaters and slurries from industrial and agro-industrial sources. R&D interest is on hydrolysis, staged and phased anaerobic processes, process stability and kinetics, gas productivities and quality, and recovery of resources. Conceptually there is a shift from viewing the anaerobic process as a wastewater pretreatment device to one which is intended to recover resources.
Extending this interest is the work on biosorption where sorption is used to concentrate carbonaceous material from low strength wastewaters prior to anaerobic degradation of the sorbent with gas recovery. This approach deviates from the conventional approach of using anaerobic processes such as the UASB or anaerobic filter to address low strength wastewaters. Laboratory studies typically use the cyclic process configuration although larger scale studies can be with the cyclic or continuous flow configuration.
In aerobic treatment, there is interest in the MBR applied with granulated biomass. The interest is on biofouling mitigation using this modified biomass morphology. There is also interest in using the MBR and the concept of "back seeding" to achieve better nutrients removal and degradation of resistant organics (eg textile dyes). Aerobic processes are also used to produce enzymes, phytohormones, and beneficial microbial consortia from horti-and agri-wastes.
NG now leads his own research group, the Environmental Bio-innovations Group (EBiG), which as its name would suggest has focus on solutions which can be applied on the issues faced in the region. While not limited to bioprocesses, there are more numerous such solutions with intention to achieving more sustainable and circular approaches. |
| Assoc Prof Oliver Martin Mueller-Cajar | Photosynthetic organisms provide us with food and other materials by using light energy from the sun to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to make usable sugars. Almost all CO2 enters the biosphere via the enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase (Rubisco). In spite of the crucial importance of this process Rubisco is non-specific and slow, which has forced nature to hugely overexpress the protein, or to use tricks such as biochemical or biophysical carbon concentrating mechanisms to saturate the enzyme with substrate.
The recent explosion of available sequence data has uncovered that Nature possesses a great diversity of Rubiscos and associated protein machinery to perform the task of CO2 capture, much of it poorly characterized. Research in my laboratory aims to mechanistically describe the biochemistry of CO2-fixation related machinery. By increasing our understanding of the sophisticated mechanisms that have evolved in remote branches of the tree of life, we hope to provide knowledge that can later be applied to improving the photosynthetic efficiency of crop species.
The journey has led from experiments exploring the artificial or directed evolution of Rubisco in E. coli to detailed structural and mechanistic investigations into molecular chaperones, so called Rubisco activases, that repair inactivated Rubiscos. Recently we have entered the realm of soft matter physics (liquid liquid phase separation) by exploring the manner by which microalgae compartmentalize the enzyme in a small volume to enable an increase of local carbon dioxide concentrations to be achieved.
Towards translating our interests we have also turned our attention towards the potential use of eukaryotic microalgae as a synthetic biology platform. This involves both the utilization and implementation of heterologous CO2 fixation machinery, as well as the potential to channel the photosynthate towards compounds of scientific and commercial interest.
We are always interested in hosting promising young scientists that have a clear idea in how their future plans intersect with the group's interests. For more information please also check our laboratory homepage: https://blogs.ntu.edu.sg/omclab/ |
| Ms Patricia Lorenz | As an educator Patricia’s research interest focuses largely on various aspects of teaching philosophies, pedagogy, and creative assessment strategies. As such, she is mainly researching the concept of student empowerment in the educational process, which includes engaging students in content creation and curriculum design. In addition, she is examining the use of peer support through eStudentMentors and social media in the learning process. Moreover, Patricia is exploring Blended Learning and Flipped Classroom through pre-class eLessons and post-class eWorksheets, which are digital content produced in order to create a more dynamic F2F classroom experience. Additionally, she is researching the feasibility of eAssessments of grammatical content as part of a feed-forward continuous assessment strategy. She argues, that to assure fair and adequate grading of open book eAssessments the quiz design, timing, and settings are decisive. Lastly, Patricia is researching on the incorporation of large concepts, such as sustainability, into all levels of foreign language learning, in order to evaluate possible cultural learning or mind-set changes.
Current research projects are:
> Student Empowerment
> Learners as Partners
> Blended Learning: including Flipped Classroom
> Cross-disciplinary content in foreign language learning
> Assessment Design and Strategies
> eAssessmets |
| Asst Prof Perrine Hamel | Perrine’s research focuses on the services provided by natural infrastructure in urban and rural environments, with a particular interest in hydrologic services. She has extensive experience in urban hydrologic modelling and has led the development of several ecosystem services models that support management decisions, now incorporated into the InVEST (integrated valuation of ecosystem services and tradeoffs) software. She has conducted natural capital assessments in partnership with environmental NGOs and public and private actors around the world, most recently in Latin America and Southeast Asia. Her research on Southeast Asian cities focuses on three broad themes: i) natural infrastructure for integrated urban water management, ii) climate vulnerability and urban resilience; and iii) incorporation of ecosystem-based management approaches into urban planning. |
| Assoc Prof Qin Xiaosheng | Research interests:
- Water resources and flood risk management
- Surface water quality modeling and control
- Climate change impact assessment and adaptation planning
- Groundwater modeling, risk assessment and site remediation
- Air quality control and solid waste management |
| Assoc Prof Rohit Bhatnagar | Dr. Bhatnagar’s research encompasses two broad areas (1) Supply Chain Planning and Design with focus on third party logistics services providers, and (2) Planning and Design of Manufacturing Systems with focus on production and inventory planning within a multi-plant context.
His work in the first area – supply chain planning and design with focus on third party logistics services providers – has evolved as part of his agenda to conduct research in collaboration with the local industry. He has specifically sought collaborative tie-ups with Singapore based companies such as YCH Logistics, Hewlett-Packard, UPS, Motorola, Caterpillar Logistics, DHL and Dell Computers among others. His work in the second area – planning and design of manufacturing systems within a multi-plant context – was initially inspired by his doctoral training and later reinforced by his tie-ups with Singapore based manufacturing firms such as Apple Computers and Keppel-Fels. Since his research work has been carried out in rich real-life contexts, and in close collaboration with the local logistics and manufacturing industry, many of the research findings and insights have been shared and implemented in these firms. This is a significant impact of his research. Another important impact has been the development of robust analytical research methods with broad applications in real life settings. |
| Prof Shane Allen Snyder | • Advanced oxidation processes for water treatment
• Analytical and bioanalytical methods for emerging environmental contaminants
• Novel sensor systems and networks for water treatment
• Water treatment process engineering and optimization
• In vitro bioassay systems for evaluating environmental mixtures
• Characterization of organic matter and disinfection byproducts |
| Asst Prof She Qianhong | Separation technologies for environmental sustainability and circular economy.
Dr She is working on the development of separation technologies to tackle pressing environmental issues, produce clean water via desalination and wastewater reclamation, separate chemical/biological products, and transform waste into value-added resources or clean energy. The main research interest in his group is on various membrane separation processes driven by hydraulic pressure, osmotic pressure, temperature and electrochemical potential. His group is also researching other separation processes (such as ion exchange, adsorption, extraction and distillation) and their integration with membrane separation. The objective is to improve the performance and reduce the energy consumption for separation. Currently, he is working on the following topics.
• Integrated system for energy-efficient separation
• Fundamental understanding of fouling and mass transport in separation processes
• Antifouling membrane development |
| Assoc Prof Soo Han Sen | The overarching theme of my research program is artificial photosynthesis. I developed a novel and unique form of artificial photosynthesis including original research in the critical functions of light absorption, charge separation, and multielectron reduction and oxidation catalysis. My current interests include the development of molecular photosensitizers and catalysts to harvest sunlight for proton reduction to produce solar fuels and chemicals.My team is also preparing photocatalysts and mesoporous materials derived from earth-abundant elements to valorize biomass lignin and degrade environmental pollutants by ambient condition C-C bond activation. I recently received the Asian and Oceanian Photochemistry Association Prize for Young Scientists 2016 in recognition of my team’s early contributions to artificial photosynthesis. |
| Prof Staffan Kjelleberg | Kjelleberg is internationally recognized for his studies of bacterial adaptive responses, signalling based communication between bacteria, bacterial biofilm biology, and chemically mediated interactions between bacteria and marine sessile organisms. His research approach includes molecular based studies of the mechanisms by which bacteria respond to prevailing conditions as well as environmental genomics of the biodiversity and function of natural microbial consortia. Kjelleberg has published more than 240 original papers in international refereed scientific journals and 30 books or book chapters. On the basis of strong collaborative research across microbiology, marine ecology and chemistry, and applied studies of the strategies employed by bacteria to build biofilms and communicate, substantial intellectual property has been established and utilized in biotechnology industries. Kjelleberg and his colleagues at the CMB also serve as a major research provider to several companies and organizations, including the Australian based Environmental Biotechnology Cooperative Research Centre. |
| Prof Stefan Wuertz | The basic task of an environmental engineer engaged in water quality management is the maintenance of adequate water supplies for the benefit of society. Aspects of both quality and quantity of water are very much at the forefront of today’s challenges in the face of a changing climate and diminishing resources. For example, being able to determine the origins of fecal pollution in urban waterways is becoming increasingly important as we aim to respond to natural and man-made disasters. Knowledge about the sources of microbial and other contaminants can help mitigate their impacts and facilitate risk assessment of exposure to drinking and recreational waters, Similarly, treatment of used water requires increasingly stringent and innovative technologies that build on the discovery and exploitation of microbiological processes, such as those found in the N and P cycle.
Through the development of new tools in the life sciences it has become possible to complete whole genome analyses of microorganisms in a short period of time. Bioinformatics tools, while lagging behind in the development of technical solutions to fast and” deep” sequencing technology, are being readied to accommodate the growing need of data compilation, management and interpretation. Across the developed world engineers have begun to interact with their counterparts in the natural sciences in a search for knowledge that can result in new technology for the treatment of water and used water.
As a researcher and educator steeped in both environmental engineering and life sciences disciplines, I strongly believe in studying fundamental biological and physico-chemical processes to develop new technology that is sustainable and market-ready in the long term. My vision for the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) along with the Singapore Center on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) is to train students in practical and theoretical aspects of what can truly be called environmental life sciences engineering (a new discipline coined by the directorate of SCELSE) and provide guidance to academic colleagues and postgraduate researchers at NTU.
In specific terms, my research program involves the following three thrusts:
a) Fundamental studies of biofilms and microbial communities in natural and engineered systems
The emphasis is on a complete spatial and temporal description of microbial aggregates involved in the removal of chemical constituents-of-concern using advanced imaging and pyrosequencing techniques.
b) Optimizing bioreactor treatment strategies
As chemical analytical techniques become more sophisticated, so does our knowledge about the occurrence of specific contaminants in the environment. The field of wastewater treatment has historically been based on general treatment goals using empirically derived methods in design. However, this system often fails to deliver specific treatment goals such as degradation of a specific contaminant without affecting general treatment performance. An ever increasing number of chemical contaminants are being detected in treated used water effluent and in biosolids. Therefore, knowledge of the removal mechanisms of specific contaminants as well as an in-depth understanding of overall microbial community dynamics and expression of functional genes in a reactor is necessary.
c) Protecting Public Health in Singapore
For several years I have been working on the quantitative detection of pathogens in natural (e.g. storm) waters and biosolids using procedures based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Much of this research is driven by the growing realization in the scientific and professional community that for a variety of reasons standard microbial indicators like E. coli, fecal coliforms and enterococci may be inadequate predictors of recent fecal contamination in recreational waters. |
| Prof Subodh Gautam Mhaisalkar | Prof Subodh’s main areas of research comprise semiconductor nanomaterials, photovoltaics, optoelectronics devices, and printed electronics. Common to these projects are methods of processing of semiconductors (perovskites, organic, nanocarbons, or oxide nanowires), fundamental device physics studies, and device integration. |
| Prof Sum Tze Chien | My research focuses on investigating light matter interactions; energy and charge transfer mechanisms; and probing carrier and quasi-particle dynamics in a broad range of emergent nanoscale light emitting and light harvesting systems using Femtosecond time-resolved spectroscopy. These can be categorized under two main research themes: (1) light emitters/lasing and (2) photovoltaics. I have also established a 3rd category: (3) Aspirational Areas to explore new ideas and concepts away from my two core research themes. Specifically, I seek to address the following three questions in these systems:
(a) Where did the energy go? That is the interplay of carrier/quasi-particle dynamics between the host energy levels, defect energy levels and the dopant energy levels.
(b) What are the underlying photo-physics and light-matter interactions that give this system its unique characteristics? That is the various processes such as carrier-carrier scattering, carrier-phonon scattering, radiative recombination and auger recombination etc.
(c) How can these properties/technologies be improved for practical applications? That is how the knowledge gained be used for the development of novel optoelectronic devices; nanolasers; and photovoltaic devices.
Today, my group tackles a broad spectrum of research problems in emergent materials (such as halide perovskites, 2D materials etc) ranging from novel photophysics, solar cells, LEDs, lasing, spin phenomena, hot-carrier phenomena and nonlinear properties.
(1) Light Emitters/Lasing: We seek to understand the interplay of carrier/quasi-particle dynamics between the host energy levels, defect energy levels and the dopant energy levels and the factors affecting amplified spontaneous emission or lasing in these II-VI nanostructures such as ZnO nanowires, CdS nanowires and even the mixed dimension CdSe dot/ CdS nanorod heterostructures and organic-inorganic halide perovskites.
(2) Photovoltaics: Ultrafast optical spectroscopy allows us to trace the fate of the carriers and quasi-particles in photovoltaic devices from genesis to the end with timescales spanning over ten orders of magnitude. Correlated with electrical characterization techniques, new insights into the mechanisms of charge generation, transfer, trapping, recombination and transport in novel PV materials can be gained through these studies.
(3) Aspirational Areas: Presently, we live in a highly competitive era of rapid technological changes and shortened innovation cycles, where a keen sense and nimbleness to seek out opportunities is key to sustaining economic growth and our quality of life. These aspirational areas on 2-D Materials, novel nonlinear optical properties and spin phenomena allow us to explore new ideas and concepts apart from our core research. |
| Assoc Prof Sun Delai, Darren | - TiO2 nanofibe/tube membrane for water and energy (H2 and solar cell) production
- Membrane fouling mechanism, control and prevention
- Multifunctional membrane module design
- Membrane bioreactor design
- Composite membranes and membrane modules for environmental applications
- Biofilms grown on liquid-permeable membranes
- Reutilization of waste into value-added product. |
| Dr Sze Chun Chau | Dr Sze Chun Chau has been involved in research related to bacterial gene regulation, biofilm biology, microorganisms in environmental engineering systems, bacteriology-engineering interface and residential and experiential learning. |
| Assoc Prof Tan Soon Keat | Dr Tan's research interests include application of geographical information system (GIS) in water resources, numerical simulation of flow for hydraulics and coastal engineering applications. His current research projects include hydrodynamic consideration of mega underwater structures and application of wetland technologies in the removal of pharmaceutical products from wastewater streams.
Dr Tan specilaises in urban water management, rainfall-runoff modeling as well as water quality modeling, flooding, drainage, urban response, climate change and future scenarios analysis. Managing surface water in terms of quantitative distribution, storage and transport, removal of water-borne contaminant, particularly trace quantity of drugs and pharmaceutical products from waste-water streams are challenges in the management of water resources, and in particular, supply of raw water in the face of climate change and rapid urbanisation. A viable and feasible solution is to employ wetland technology as a means to remove contaminants and management of peak runoff. Under the supervision of Dr Tan, a research team is carrying out a series of constructed wetlands experiments with raw water spiked with selected contaminants. The research work has produced meaningful results and highly cited publications since its inception in 2009.
Currently Dr Tan is leading research work on strategic development of coastal, urban scape and water resources, in response to climate change as well as developmental scenarios. |
| Assoc Prof Tiong Lee Kong, Robert | Areas of research interests:
1. catastrophe risk assessment and management
2. alternative risk transfer mechanisms and financing
3. catastrophe micro-insurance
4. sustainable development and systems,
5. impact of climate change, carbon finance and carbon emission reductions
6. integrated risk analysis |
| Assoc Prof Tran Anh Tuan | * Drop-surface interactions
* Thermal management using surface modification
* Boiling at microscales
* Microfluidics |
| Dr Tuti Mariana Lim | Dr. Lim's areas of expertise include resources recovery particularly for rare earth elements separation by solvent extraction which was her PhD research topic. She was also involved in clean energy research during her undergraduate study and her final year project was on the development of Vanadium Battery technology. She was the recipient of Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) summer vacation scholarship in 1990-1991 to investigate the effect of pressure and temperature on the solubility of natural gas in LPG.
Dr. Lim's current research interests include advanced oxidation technologies, hybrid membrane technologies and renewable energy technologies. She has done significant research work and published over 25 top quality international conferences and journal papers. |
| Prof Wang Peng | Power system planning and operation; Renewable energy planning; Solar/electricity convesion system; Power market; Power system reliability analysis. |
| Prof Wang Rong | Dr Wang's main research interests cover membrane science & technology, chemical & environmental engineering processes. She focuses on:
• Development of various novel membranes such as biomimetic/bio-programmable hollow fiber RO membrane, synthetic water channel-based RO membrane, organic solvent resistant and low pressure NF membrane, FO/pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) membranes, hydrophobic membrane distillation (MD) membranes, extractive membranes and mixed matrix membranes for membrane-based separation & purification processes for water and energy productions, and for wastewater treatment in industry;
• Membrane surface modification for fouling control in water & wastewater treatments; modification of microporous membranes to enhance membrane anti-wetting and anti-fouling properties for MD and membrane contactor applications; dynamic membrane and system development;
• Brine processing by membrane distillation crystallization and membrane distillation module design;
• Membrane gas separation for O2 enrichment;
• Simulation and optimization of various membrane processes for seawater desalination and CO2 capture in membrane contactors, etc.
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| Prof Wen Changyun | Prof Wen's areas of expertise are Adaptive Control,Switching and Impulsive Systems,Modeling and Design of Steam Ejector Based Air-Conditioning Systems,Modeling, Monitoring, Control and Optimization of Water Distribution Networks, Iterative Learning Control,Control of Nano-Systems, Control of Biomedical Systems,Optical signal Processing,Active Vision and Its Applications,Chaos-Based Secure Communication Systems,Robust Control,2-D Systems and Image Processing. Currently his current research works focus on Adaptive Control,Modeling and Design of Steam Ejector Based Air-Conditioning Systems,Modeling, Monitoring, Control and Optimization of Water Distribution Networks, Control of Nano-Systems, Control of Biomedical Systems,Chaos-Based Secure Communication Systems. |
| Prof Xu Rong | - Photocatalysis for reduction of carbon dioxide and hydrogen production by splitting water using visible light.
- Heterogeneous catalysis for environmental applications.
- Organic-inorganic layered materials (LDHs) for pharmaceutical applications.
- Development of artificial cornea (nanoparticle/polymer composite).
- Antimicrobial membrane for water treatment (Silver in microfiltration membrane).
- Immobilization of enzymes on inorganic solid support as scalable and reusable biocatalysts. |
| Asst Prof Zhan Shaohua | Economic sociology; Global development; Historical sociology; Labor migration; and China studies |
| Assoc Prof Zhou Yan | • Energy Efficient Water treatment and reclamation processes
• Sludge pretreatment and dewatering
• Nutrient recovery and reuse from biosolids
• Bioprocess enhancement by conductive materials/systems |
