National University of Singapore, Faculty of Science

19/10/2026

💳 Building digital payments using data!

From tracking grades in university to shaping real user experiences, Data Science and Analytics (DSA) alumna Fiona Zeng shares what it truly means to be work-ready.

🔁 She quickly discovered the differences in culture and expectations as she transitioned from university to corporate life.

“In university, if you mess up, you bear the consequences. At work, if you mess up, the users who trust you bear them,” reflects Fiona. “You take complete ownership of the work you do.”

✍️ Her time in NUS gave her a head start with preparations, through both local and overseas opportunities that encouraged her to think independently. Her internships at Accenture and the Ministry of Defence gave her valuable exposure to the inner workings of two very diverse organisations - private consulting and national defence, respectively.

✨ Fiona’s corporate experience is proof that technical skills combined with adaptability are must-have attributes for navigating the workplace.

Read more about her story in our links section 🔗

16/10/2026

🥩 What if we could cultivate meat with less reliance on animals?
Traditional meat production is under pressure - from climate change to disease and supply chain disruptions. For consumers, these pressures can mean uncertain supply and concerns over the long-term availability of protein.

🌎 World Food Day is a timely reminder that feeding a growing world sustainably calls for new ways of producing food.

At the NUS Department of Food Science and Technology, Prof Zhou Weibiao’s team is studying an intriguing alternative to combat this challenge: cultivating animal muscle cells using plant proteins to develop alternative sources of meat.

👀 Here’s a sneak peek at how this is done, as this may soon be on your plates! 🍽️

🔬 Discover how science is reimagining how meat can be made.

And watch this space for the full story!

16/10/2026

🔬 Inspiring the next generation through science!

🏆 Huge congratulations to NUS Biological Sciences alumna Kong Man Jing – otherwise known as Biogirl MJ - for winning the 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 award!

Co-founder of the popular channel Just Keep Thinking, she paves the way for science and environmental conservation awareness through her creative, high-energy content.

✨ Driven by her passion for sustainability, she bridges the gap between complex science and public understanding through a range of initiatives and programmes.

“I hope we can continue inspiring people to care, advocate and make a difference,” says Man Jing.

✨ Congratulations, Man Jing! Your passion and dedication are an inspiration to us, let’s all keep thinking! 💡💙

🔗 Learn more about her award win in our links section!

15/10/2026

Climate change is putting Southeast Asia’s food systems at risk, with extreme weather events and changes in growing seasons threatening rice and other major crops.

Assoc Prof Roman Carrasco from NUS Biological Sciences and his collaborators from the Illinois Advanced Research Center at Singapore (Illinois ARCS) are developing digital twins of agricultural systems and international trade to simulate how crops may respond to changing conditions. The new programme, Advancing Knowledge-guided AI to Develop Agricultural Digital Twins for Singapore’s Climate Resilience (KGAI4Ag), brings together researchers from Singapore and the United States to develop foundational AI technologies that integrate real-world agricultural observations with virtual models.

These AI-powered models are continually updated with satellite and ground-sensor data to provide reliable forecasts of crop growth and trade flows. This S$10 million initiative will help farmers and policymakers make smarter planting decisions and secure resilient food sources, strengthening food security for Singapore and the region.

Assoc Prof Carrasco says, “Our work will connect ecological, spatial and socioeconomic models to evaluate the broader impacts of different strategies and identify opportunities to strengthen both agricultural resilience and environmental sustainability.”

12/10/2026

🧪 From conducting research to enabling health innovation at the national level!

Important data often exists across hospitals, research programmes and government databases, but accessing and linking it for research can be slow and challenging.

Life Sciences (NUS Biological Sciences) alumnus Ms Koh Mingshi’s work is changing that. As Executive Director of TRUST, she helped establish a national platform and governance framework for secure health data sharing.

💡 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗦𝗧:

• Collaboration: A single, secure platform to access previously fragmented health datasets, enabling research collaboration across healthcare.
• Impact beyond Singapore: Strengthens biomedical research datasets to benefit under-represented Asian populations.
• Data security: Sharing of anonymous patient data potentially holds the key to developing new treatments and health programmes.

✨ We are proud to see how Mingshi’s passion for science has sparked transformative change across the scientific and healthcare ecosystem! 💙

Learn more in the links section on our page!

09/10/2026

Congratulations to Professor Koh Ming Joo from NUS Department of Chemistry who is the first Singaporean among 10 finalists selected for the Falling Walls Physical Sciences category this year.

🧪 Chemical manufacturing is fundamental to the global economy, yet conventional production methods often depend on scarce and costly precious metals and lengthy synthetic processes, generating significant waste and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. As supplies of precious metals are dwindling, developing sustainable alternatives is critical for a more sustainable chemical industry.

🔍 Prof Koh, renowned for his pioneering contributions to sustainable catalysis, has developed innovative, cost-effective and energy-efficient catalyst systems using abundant base metals such as iron and nickel. His research has also uncovered new reagents that enable chemical transformations to proceed more efficiently, reducing the number of synthetic steps and the resources required for chemical production. By replacing precious-metal catalysts with more abundant alternatives, his work addresses both the economic and environmental challenges associated with conventional chemical manufacturing.

🌱 His work could potentially revolutionise the way important chemicals are prepared in areas ranging from agriculture to therapeutics and plastic waste upcycling.
Prof Koh says, “This accolade would not have been possible without the passion, perseverance and hard work of my team.”

🗣️He adds, “As a team, we believe in finding creative and sustainable solutions to address critical problems in chemical synthesis, which would make an impact on our society. I hope this recognition serves as an inspiration for Singapore-based scientists to dream big and shine on the global stage. We’re excited about where this journey could lead us.”

The Falling Walls is an international platform and conference series that recognises the breaking down of walls in scientific research and innovation.

🔗 Find out more in our links section!

05/10/2026

🤺 Making history on the international stage!

🥈 Huge congratulations to National University of Singapore, Faculty of Science and NUS Department of Chemistry alumna Kiria Tikanah for clinching a historic silver medal in the women’s individual épée at the Asian Games - Singapore’s best-ever result in the Games!

🇸🇬 Serving as Team Singapore’s flag-bearer, Kiria displayed incredible grit and focus, battling through tight 15-14 thriller victories in the quarter- and semi-finals before advancing to the final bout.

“Today I really trusted myself, I didn't hold back... I decided what I wanted to do and just went for it,” says Kiria.

✨ We’re proud of you, Kiria! Keep soaring! ❤️

Learn more about her achievements here:
https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/fencer-kiria-tikanah-notches-spores-best-ever-result-at-asian-games-with-an-epee-silver

02/10/2026

“A risk score without information about its underlying structure can be like a list of cholera deaths without a map: informative, but incomplete.”

Complex biological data can hide important patterns in plain sight. Assoc Prof Zhigang Yao from Department of Statistics and Data Science, NUS uses manifold fitting to bring those hidden patterns into view. Rather than examining thousands of measurements separately, this technique looks at how they relate to one another.

Applied to medical data, this can reveal groups of people who may appear similar when assessed by conventional averages, but whose biological profiles are actually different.

For medical AI, this could make predictions easier to understand and question and ultimately more useful in guiding clinical decisions.

🛣️ Find out more at the link section on our page

02/10/2026

01/10/2026

📈🌎 It’s official, NUS is now ranked #15 in the world!

Huge congratulations National University of Singapore for climbing two spots to 15th in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings – a milestone made possible by the passion, ambition and collective efforts of our entire NUS community.

As NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye shared, “The accolade belongs to our faculty, researchers, staff, students and alumni.” 🧡💙

And this moment is about more than a number.

It reflects years of pushing boundaries – transforming how we learn, advancing research that makes a difference, building meaningful partnerships around the world, and preparing our students to thrive in a future shaped by technology and AI.

But what inspires us most is what comes next – The lives our graduates will impact, the possibilities our research will unlock. The better world we can help shape together.

World #15 is a milestone worth celebrating – and motivation to keep reaching higher. 💪

Visit nus.edu/THE27 to find out more!