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.  

Dr Susmita Bandyopadhyay is currently Senior Lecturer (Industry) at the School of Applied Science in Republic Polytechnic, leading a dynamic research team in her department. She has over 20 years of research experience in synthesis, analysis and formulation of novel chemical compounds for various applications such as antimicrobial, insecticidal, feed, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, with special interest in the development of light-activated compounds. Her research interests include natural antimicrobial agents for various applications including food, packaging, paint, coating, fabric, and other consumer products; formulation of feed from agro-biproducts; formulation of pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals; and functional product development for applications such as mosquito larvae control, insect repellent. As Principal Investigator, she has secured numerous research grants and is actively involved in scientific research addressing global and national issues related to public health, such as creating a more affordable treatment for cancer for the public, more effective and safer control of mosquitoes to fight against the mosquito-borne diseases, and novel disinfection technology for high contact surfaces. Her invention was granted a PCT patent in Singapore and Australia. Dr Susmita shares her knowledge and expertise with local SMEs to help them develop innovative products or solutions through consultancy projects and technology licensing. Her projects have won several external and internal awards such as MOE Innergy Award and Republic Polytechnic’s Most Innovative Project Award. She is also a recipient of “Outstanding Innovator Award 2018” from MOE. Dr Susmita holds a PhD in Chemistry and has postdoctoral research experience at University of California (Santa Barbara).

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 Sun Guang Wen is Lecturer at School of Applied Science, Republic Polytechnic with 15 years of experience in biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, immunology and microbiology. His current research interests include regulation of antibody response, production of recombinant antibodies, and development of quality assurance assays. In addition to education, Dr Sun is also an industrial consultant and provide advice in product development and quality assurance.  Prior to joining Republic Polytechnic, Dr Sun was Research Fellow at National University of Singapore and was involved in cutting edge research in emerging infectious diseases. His PhD and postdoctoral research were on the molecular and genetic basis of bacterial pathogenesis. His research experience also includes antibody engineering; gene knockout using CRISPR-Cas9; product quality analysis based on biochemical and molecular assays; and development of real-time PCR based human DNA detection method.  Dr Sun obtained his PhD in Microbiology and Immunology and BSc in Biochemistry from National University of Singapore.  

Dr Gabriel Lee is currently Senior Lecturer in the School of Applied Science at Republic Polytechnic (RP). He is actively involved in the New Materials Technology Centre (NMTC), 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.  

Yashna M. Harjani is currently the Founder and Director of  VeVeva Nutrition Pte Ltd, a nutrition consultancy in Singapore. She works closely with the food and beverage industry in the Asia Middle East and North Africa region, to guide nutrition innovations from ideation to launch phase and beyond. She supports concept development; guides product design, claims and communication; chalks out research and communication road maps; and defines influencer and advocacy strategy. She is also collaborating with other food industry experts to roll out training programs, to support capability building in the nutrition food and beverage space.  With more than 25 years of experience with NGOs, the food industry and the consultancy world, Yashna brings to the table considerable experience. Prior to setting up her consultancy in Singapore, Yashna worked with PepsiCo for 14 years in Bangkok, Shanghai and Dubai. She led internal nutrition innovation, product design, product renovation strategy; defined claims & communication road maps; and drove research and external influencer strategy for Pepsico in Asia, Middle East and North Africa markets. Having lived and worked in different countries, Yashna thinks multi-country opportunities. Yashna has worked with multiple big brands e.g. Pepsi, Lays, Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Sunbites, Aquafina, Sting and Herbalife, supporting a wide portfolio of food and beverage products - carbonated beverages, snacks, grain-based foods especially oats, sports drinks, juices, dairy, soy milk and other soy products, energy drinks, weight loss supplements, tea, tuna, vitamin and herbal waters. She is especially passionate about plant-based nutrition and the power of beans. 

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 Sharon Lim is a Senior Lecturer and Principal Investigator specializing in cancer research to identify non-invasive biomarker with therapeutic and prognostic value, and develop rapid diagnostic platform. She has more than 14 years of research experience in cell culture, drug discovery and cell based assay, animal model work, molecular cloning and stem cells research. She is also experienced in drug discovery and has played an active role in pre-clinical trial testing, including in vitro cell based assay to assess efficacy of potential anti-cancer drug candidate, and setting up in vivo animal model to assess shortlisted drugs. She has active collaborations with Cancer Science Institute (CSI) and NUHS in cancer drug discovery. Her research includes a drug that advanced into first-in-man trials. Sharon holds a PhD in Biochemistry from National University of Singapore. She has authored 8 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals and holds a patent for drug invention.

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.