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Scientists, researchers also making a splash on world stage with patents
Singapore is finally reaping the benefits of the millions of dollars it has pumped into the research and development industry.
The Republic’s best and brightest research scholars are returning to its R&D sectors with a slew of achievements under their belts.
Almost twice as many scientists and researchers worked in Singapore in 2008 compared with the number eight years earlier – from 14,400 in 2000 to 25,700 in 2008 – according to the most recent statistics from the National Survey of R&D in Singapore.
They are the beneficiaries of scholarships and study grants given by the Government and research institutes since 2000 to boost the R&D industry.
In 2000, 2,069 PhD researchers here were Singaporeans or permanent residents. Eight years on, the number more than doubled to 4,209.
A 2005 parliamentary budget debate said that grooming PhD scholars from their undergraduate days costs up to $1 million each. This estimate does not include the $13.6 billion the Government has invested in the R&D sector over the past five years.
The quality of returning scholars, says research institute Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), has improved.
Not only is there more local talent doing research in the R&D industry, but many of these scholars are making a
splash in the international arena as well.
Dr Joel Yang, 32, is one such high-flier; he received his doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science last year under the A*Star National Science Scholarship and already has three patents related to his research. He has received $1.5 million in grants to study plasmonics and the storing of energy in small spaces, by transmitting light energy onto the surface of metal wires.
Of the 1,000 researchers given study grants, 240 PhD scholars from A*Star have completed their studies and are now back in Singapore.
“(These) returning A*Star scholars are already distinguishing themselves,” said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.
“A growing pool of scholars are taking up joint appointments in the universities, or crossing into industries where they are received with much enthusiasm,” he added, in a speech at this year’s A*Star Scholarship Award Ceremony on Tuesday.
The contributions these returning scholars make are twofold. First, in terms of academic breakthroughs credited to scientists in Singapore; and second, in terms of financial profit earned from marketing their ideas to private companies.
Tapping into the global nutrition industry, Dr Low Yen Ling, 33, a clinical scientist, is currently working with Abbott Nutrition, with a research focus on health products and diet.
She was involved in securing a $25 million grant to study how pregnancy and early childhood behaviour increase the risk of chronic metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, later in life. This sort of research gets a lot of attention today as more people become conscious of how diet affects their quality of life, said Dr Low.
For Dr Yang, the scholarship grants and achievements he has racked up so far are less important than the interest he has in his work.
“The grant is a validation that we are on the right path, that our efforts are being recognised,” he said. “But I don’t chase funding or achievements. I just do things that keep me happy, because it helps keep my passion for science alive.”
What three are working on now
HERE are three researchers now earning their keep in Singapore’s R&D industry. They have received between $200,000 and $1 million worth of scholarships.
Dr Joel Yang, 32
Research scientist, A*Star Institute of Materials Research and Engineering;
PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009
Dr Yang is currently involved in what he calls “building little things”.
Nanolithography is a method of printing nano-sized structures (such as metal particles) onto a surface, and it can be used to build super-fast computers, biosensors and data storage devices.
Dr Yang pioneered a process using table salt. This makes it possible for structures made using nanolithography to be more detailed, thanks to more densely packed metal particles.
Assistant Professor Ho Han Kiat, 34
Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore;
PhD, University of Washington, 2005
Dr Ho was in the A*Star Institute of Medical Biology after he got his PhD. He joined NUS last year, where he now heads a research laboratory comprising five other scientists and students.
He is currently studying hepatitis and liver cancer, an area he believes is poorly studied because liver disease is more common in Asian societies than Western ones.
His research combines two fields – medical biology and toxicology. He aims to find out how cancer drugs affect liver function, and how doctors can improve the way they prescribe medicine to patients based on a better understanding of the way a mixture of drugs reacts in the human body.
 Dr Chow Keat Theng, 33
Senior manager, SPN International, Research fellow,
A*Star Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences;
PhD, NUS, 2001
Dr Chow is heading a team that is trying to address the problem of computer hard disks crashing due to wear and tear.
Using her expertise in chemical engineering, she is trying to find a chemical which can coat the metal casing that protects hard disks from external damage.
As the casings break down from damage over time, the particles they shed will be sealed off by this coat, thus not contaminating the storage device itself. This means hard disks can last longer and possibly crash less frequently.
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