CDE Dean's Message - 062025 - EVENTS & OTHER HAPPENINGS

Dean's Message ▏ISSUE 06 2025

EVENTS & OTHER HAPPENINGS

CDE Commencement 2025

As Commencement approaches, we are sharing curated stories of our graduating students from the Class of 2025. These profiles highlight the diverse paths and accomplishments of our undergraduates and graduates across CDE.

1) Teo Swee Yin and Loh Yi Zhi, Industrial Design, Class of 2025

Expand to read about Teo Swee Yin and Loh Yi Zhi

Meet Teo Swee Yin and Loh Yi Zhi (Daniel), graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Design with Honours were part of the four-man team behind Triage+, an award-winning project that reimagines how emergency responders triage patients during disasters.

Inspired by real-world challenges, their innovative handheld printer automatically detects vital signs and prints triage labels with real-time data, a game-changer for first responders and hospitals alike. This work earned them the prestigious Red Dot Design Award: Design Concept 2024 (Next Gen category).

Since graduating, Swee Yin has stepped into the public sector as a UI/UX Designer, enhancing digital learning platforms through empathetic, user-centred design. Meanwhile, Yi Zhi has joined a consulting firm but continues to approach his work through the lens of design thinking, always focused on “designing solutions for people.” Empathy remains central to his practice, especially in healthcare innovation. During his undergraduate studies, Yi Zhi collaborated with two teammates on REVO, a concept electric wheelchair designed to empower younger users with greater independence by helping them move faster and reach higher shelves. REVO was awarded the iF Student Design Award 2025, a recognition of the team’s user-focused innovation and thoughtful design approach.

Though their career paths differ, both remain driven by empathy and practical innovation, using design to create meaningful, real-world impact.

2) Ian Tay Rongde, Materials Science & Engineering, Class of 2025

Expand to read about Ian Tay Rongde

Ian Tay Rongde, graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering (Materials Science and Engineering) with Honours and a minor in Statistics, is an E-Scholar passionate about the semiconductor industry. His journey at CDE combined rigorous coursework, such as Microfabrication Process and Technology and Advanced Materials for Microelectronics, with hands-on research, including a final-year project on Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording, a cutting-edge technology for high-density data storage.

Outside the classroom, Ian pursued his interests through research. During a winter break early in his studies, Ian authored a review article on characterisation techniques for zinc-ion batteries, mentored by Dr Vincent Lee and Associate Professor Xue Junmin. Published in Advanced Science and recognised as a Top Viewed Article, this experience deepened his research interest and confidence.

Ian’s internships at Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Company (SSMC) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) gave him valuable industry experience in chip testing and process integration. He also served as Vice President of the NUS Semiconductor Club, helping to foster a vibrant student community.

Preparing for an upcoming internship at TSMC, Ian credits his academic and practical training at CDE for equipping him with the skills to tackle real-world challenges in semiconductor characterisation. After this, he will pursue a Master of Science in Semiconductor Technology and Operations at NUS, further aligning with his career goals in process integration and technology development.

Ian’s story highlights how strong academic foundations, research, and industry exposure combine to build a clear career path in a fast-evolving field.

3) Dr Yang Xingyi, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Class of 2025

Expand to read about Dr Yang Xingyi

Dr Yang Xingyi did not set out to become an AI expert. His journey into the field unfolded through a series of unexpected detours, challenges, and opportunities. Over time, and through persistence, he developed a deep expertise in generative AI during his PhD at CDE.

Initially aiming to study automation or electronics, Dr Yang was instead placed in computer science during his undergraduate years at Southeast University. A chance opportunity in a machine vision lab led to a research internship in Canada and sparked his interest in the field. He later completed a master’s in computer vision at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), before joining NUS CDE for his PhD in AI.

At CDE, his research focuses on improving large generative AI models, such as those behind tools like ChatGPT and DALL·E, by making them faster, more adaptable, and better suited for real-world applications. “These models are powerful but often too specialised to adapt easily,” he explains. “My work helps transform them into versatile tools capable of understanding and generating complex content.”

This work has broad applications, including helping architects and designers quickly prototype and visualise ideas, enabling autonomous robots to adapt in real time to unfamiliar environments, and building AI models that run efficiently on mobile devices of all sizes. By making AI faster, more adaptable, and scalable, Xingyi is bringing it closer to everyday use, from design studios to smartphones.

Dr Yang will next take up a tenure-track role as Assistant Professor at the Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He credits CDE for its strong academic foundation, international exposure, including a visit to Oxford, and a collaborative research environment.

Outside the lab, Dr Yang was also an active member of Geyao, a student music performance group. He describes it as a refreshing, creative outlet and a reminder to stay curious and open in all aspects of life. His advice to future students is simple: “Follow your heart and take things as they come.”

4) Dr Yang Chen, Industrial Design, Class of 2025

Expand to read about Dr Yang Chen

Dr Yang Chen’s journey into Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) began with a simple yet powerful idea: technology should serve humanity. Her interest deepened while working as a research assistant at NUS, where she contributed to projects such as AI-supported lifestyle assistants for diabetes prevention and text-to-speech editing on optical head-mounted displays.

Drawn to the intersection of behavioural science, design, and emerging technologies, Dr Chen pursued a PhD focusing on eating behaviours. Her research explored how interactive systems, such as smart utensils and wearable devices, can support healthier habits and tackle issues like overeating and obesity. “It may seem like a narrow topic,” she said, “but eating is such a fundamental part of wellbeing. It’s an entry point for supporting better health in everyday life.” Under the supervision of Associate Professor Ching Chiuan Yen, the Co-Director of Keio-NUS CUTE Centre, she examined how design-led interventions can be used to tackle real-world health challenges and support everyday behavioural change.

During her PhD, Dr Chen co-authored several research papers, with some receiving international recognition, such as Honourable Mention Awards at CHI 2025. These included projects exploring XR for disaster management training and reimagining screen-based dining through mindful eating.

The journey, however, was not without challenges. “Being rejected multiple times was one of the hardest parts,” she said. “But I learned to understand reviewers’ comments, adapt accordingly, and constantly seek feedback from professors and peers. More importantly, it taught me to be humble and persistent.”

Dr Chen is now a Research Fellow at the Keio-NUS CUTE Centre, continuing her work on multisensory interventions for childhood obesity. She credits her time at CDE for equipping her with both research expertise and the confidence to lead interdisciplinary projects. “I’ve grown into the person I hoped I could become,” she said. Her advice to future students and junior researchers is simple: “Be confident, stay curious, and don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone.”

This is just a glimpse! Follow us on Instagram to see more from the Class of 2025, with new profiles being shared in the lead-up to Commencement.

CDE Art x Tech 2025 Workshop

How do the fields of design and engineering unite to inspire and create sustainable solutions for the built environment?

This was explored by 40 pre-university students from 16 different schools at CDE Art x Tech 2025, held from 3 - 6 June 2025 in collaboration with the James Dyson Foundation and The Architecture Society.

Art x Tech 2025 was organised to provide students with the opportunity to reimagine the built environment through creative and technical problem-solving.

Through highly interactive and integrated sessions, students were taught fundamentals of building structures and skills such as design thinking and model making. They also spent time learning about renewable energy, clean technologies, and the strategies that go into designing buildings to achieve net-zero energy consumption.

The students were then challenged to apply their newfound knowledge and skills by designing their own self-sustaining housing systems, creating concepts of HDB apartments that integrated sustainable technologies such as wind turbines and water harvesting systems.

Check out the video to see what went down at Art x Tech 2025! Big thanks to everyone who made Art x Tech 2025 possible!

Postdoctoral researcher and PhD students from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering present their research at the 6th SONDRA Workshop in La Grande Motte

Postdoctoral researcher Michaël Dell’aiera (Electrical and Computer Engineering) presenting his research on applying deep learning to radar imagery.

“From informal conversations to structured meetings, I was constantly exposed to new perspectives, in science, communication, and research traditions,” said Michaël Dell’aiera, a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, who participated in the 6th SONDRA Workshop in La Grande Motte. “We are fortunate to live in an era where international exchange is increasingly accessible, allowing researchers from different parts of the world to connect, collaborate and grow together.”

SONDRA is a Franco-Singapore research alliance involving CDE, DSO National Laboratories, and French institutions CentraleSupélec (previously Supélec) and ONERA - The French Aerospace Lab.

The workshop brought together 114 participants and 50 papers across three days of talks and poster sessions, focused on Artificial Intelligence in Signal Processing and Quantum Technologies for radar. Experts, researchers, students, and industry professionals gathered to share knowledge and foster collaborations.

PhD students Xie Linran and Luan Haoze, along with postdoctoral researcher Michaël, all from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, contributed to the workshop through their active participation and research.

Michaël presented his research on applying deep learning to radar imagery. Unlike regular photos captured with visible light, radar images are created using invisible electromagnetic waves, offering a different yet complementary view of the world. His presentation addressed a major challenge: how to accurately align radar and optical images, a process known as image registration. This is a crucial step toward combining data from different sensors to create richer, more complete scene representations. His work introduced new methods for multi-modal image registration, laying the groundwork for future advances in sensor fusion.

After the workshop, Michaël spent several days at the SONDRA Laboratory in Paris, where he had in-depth technical discussions on multi-modal image analysis and deep learning. These exchanges opened promising directions for future academic collaboration, from joint projects and co-authored publications to student exchanges.

Division of Industrial Design Gradshow 2025 highlights thoughtful designs that make meaningful impact

From battling the hot weather, to medical training aids, or even rethinking Singapore’s bus stops, this year’s Division of Industrial Design (DID) Gradshow highlighted how thoughtful design can make a meaningful impact.

The DID Gradshow 2025 celebrated the graduating cohort’s creativity and growth, offering a platform to present their most impactful work from their four-year journey. Projects spanned areas such as product innovation, service transformation, and critical design inquiry, each exploring how design can shape more thoughtful experiences in our daily lives.

Here are a couple of highlights from the exhibition:

ThoraCue by Wang Yu Wei

Developed under the guidance of Assoc Prof Yen Ching-Chiuan, ThoraCue is a paediatric thoracostomy training manikin that’s designed to enhance realism and provide actionable feedback for medical personnel. The multisensorial feedback that ThoraCue provides helps build procedural confidence and prepares doctors to respond more effectively in high-pressure cases, where speed and precision are critical.

Yu Wei credits his time at DID for teaching him to break down a complex medical design problem into actionable insights. Being exposed to both interaction and product design projects allowed him to develop a hybrid skillset that enabled him to integrate sensors and feedback systems into ThoraCue to build a working physical product. Working closely with doctors at NUH and KKH, Yu Wei was able to observe training sessions, ask detailed questions, and test his prototypes. Their feedback shaped many design decisions, including the use of 3D scans for realism and simplifying certain features to focus on procedural accuracy.

Reflecting on his journey at DID, Yu Wei says, "If I could sum up my experience, I would tell myself that it's okay to not have all the answers, as long as you’re willing to fail fast and figure it out."

Turn by Eda Yasmin

Inspired by her mum, who is a work-from-home caregiver, Eda designed a solution to allow work-from-home caregivers to maintain routines while managing the boundaries between work and care. With a tactile click every time a task is completed, Turn transforms caregiving from a scattered set of tasks into a grounded routine that brings confidence and calm for caregivers.

Eda's journey through DID has taught her to be observant when understanding the problems that users may face, noticing small routines that could go easily unseen. This includes experiences from her earlier project that dealt with the routines of dementia patients. Under the guidance of her thesis supervisor Assoc Prof Song Kee Hong, Eda was pushed to develop the idea for her thesis by focusing on the human aspect of her project. Working closely with caregivers and nurses, Eda was able to learn from their experiences in shaping the final version of her thesis project.

"It felt straightforward at first to design for workload management. But designing for caregiving is different, as it is shaped by family dynamics and relationships that you can't design your way around," said Eda as she reflected on her design journey.

Visit https://cde.nus.edu.sg/did/gradshows/2025/ to learn more about the graduating students and their projects.

CFI Singapore spotlights coastal protection and flood resilience research at the IAHR2025

Professor Adrian Law, Executive Director, Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute (CFI) Singapore, based at the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, welcomed guests and the media at the CFI booth during the opening of the 41st International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research World Congress (IAHR2025).

He shared the latest developments from CFI Singapore. “Our 17 ongoing projects bring together coastal science, integrates, engineering, and nature-based solutions — reflecting the interdisciplinary approach needed to tackle real-world coastal protection and flood management challenges. This is just the beginning. At CFI Singapore, we are strengthening collaboration between academia and industry to drive innovations that will anchor a more resilient future for Singapore and beyond.”

The special session featuring 12 researchers working with CFI Singapore that wrapped up on 26 June 2025 at the Singapore Expo, featured presentations that spanned topics such as nature-based solutions, hydrodynamic modelling, early warning systems, infrastructure resilience, and more, all contributing to Singapore’s integrated approach to coastal protection and flood resilience.

To view more about the research and project highlights, visit their website at: https://cde.nus.edu.sg/cfisg/cfisg-iahr2025/.

CDE Staff Terrarium Workshop 2025

More than forty CDE staff members participated in a workshop where they designed their own tiny ecosystems. This hands-on experience allowed participants to create their own terrariums, encouraging creativity while promoting environmental awareness and sustainable practices. Attendees learned about plant care, design aesthetics, and the significance of green spaces.

CDE Amazing Race 2025

As part of the college's wellness initiative, the CDE Social Committee organised the first-ever CDE Amazing Race! Fifty CDE faculty and staff split into eight teams, were gathered on the afternoon of 27 June to connect with colleagues across the various departments, to take a break from work and get active.

Staff were met with an uphill task to race across the NUS campus and complete objectives across five locations. From the outskirts at Heng Mui Keng Terrace where staff had to do a ping pong ball relay with chopsticks, to UTown Lecture Theatre 52 where their palates were tested to guess a variety of spices and herbs in a blindfold test, staff were challenged not just physically, but were also tested on their quick wit.

The top five teams were awarded and the fastest team, Team 4, completed the challenge in just 110 minutes.

Look forward to the next event, the CDE Gala Dinner 2025, coming soon this 15 August 2025!