EVENTS & OTHER HAPPENINGS
CDE Commencement 2025
CDE Commencement Stories
Victoria Liew Yi Xuan, graduating with a Master of Architecture, developed a d/Deaf-inclusive design toolkit for her thesis, shaped by her lived experience and direct input from the d/Deaf community.
From navigating a pandemic freshman year to advancing inclusive design, her journey is one of grit, growth, and giving back.
“Some participants had never considered that the built environment could contribute to their challenges,” she shares. “Many thought these issues could only be solved with tech or medicine, but that’s not necessarily true.”
Watch Victoria's story here
As part of the Biomedical Engineering for Good (bGood) initiative, Edwin Chuah, Dylan Ee, and Roshen Sidhu developed assistive tech solutions to improve mobility and independence for persons with disabilities.
For his course project, Edwin created ARMovin, a robotic exoskeleton that attaches to a wheelchair and helps users with muscular disorders perform simple tasks like tapping an EZ-Link card. Dylan and Roshen developed WheeLift, a height-adjustable wheelchair to improve accessibility.
The trio now plan to launch a social enterprise to bring affordable, customisable assistive devices to those who need them.
Learn more about their experience here
Read their feature on Lianhe Zaobao
At 59, Haja Mohideen traded his safety helmet for lecture notes several evenings a week. A Lead Resident Engineer at Surbana Jurong, he already held two degrees and a graduate certificate but returned to pursue the Master of Science (Civil Engineering) at CDE in 2023.
The programme’s focus on advanced construction techniques and site evaluation proved immediately useful at work. Labs sharpened his software skills, and support from staff helped him balance work and study.
As the oldest in his cohort, Haja shared industry insights while learning tech skills from younger peers. “Every step you take to improve yourself puts you in control of your future,” he says.
Learn more about his story here
Dean's Message for Commencement 2025
CDE Commencement Class of 2025
CDE Commencement Guest Speakers
“Your ability to stay curious, adaptable, and open to new ideas will be one of your greatest assets…Your insights and experiences can guide and inspire those who come after you. Your leadership and ideas can help shape the future of our fields.”
At Commencement 2025, Prof Teo Kie Leong, Dean of CDE, encouraged our Class of 2025 to keep learning, embrace different perspectives and constantly push boundaries to seek out growth.
Across our ceremonies, CDE was fortunate to be joined by a distinguished line-up of guest speakers, who shared valuable insights with our graduates as they embarked on the next chapters of their careers.
Thank you to:
- Ms Eng Se-Hsieng, Chief Sales Officer, nami.ai and Member of CDE’s Advisory Board
- Mr Alex Teo, CEO, Managing Director & Vice-President Southeast Asia, Siemens Digital Industries Software
- Mr Jeffrey Tiong, Founder and CEO, PatSnap
- Madam Hwang Yu-Ning, CEO, NParks
- Mr Ajay Bhattacharya, Managing Director, Fortrec Chemicals and Petroleum Pte Ltd
- Mr Lee Aik Seng, Managing Director, Obayashi Singapore Private Limited
- Colonel Mohamed Feroz Akber, Head of Army Safety Inspectorate, Singapore Army
- Ms Ngiam Le Na, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Operations), DSO National Laboratories
- Dr Keagan Chee, Director/Senior Consultant, NING Research
CDE Valedictorians 2025
CDE Commencement Celebration Parties
“Graduation means the start of the next chapter,” said Theo Rajan Terence, valedictorian of Chemical Engineering, capturing the spirit of CDE Commencement 2025. With gowns on and cameras ready, our graduates filled the campus with smiles and joy across several days of celebration, marking this milestone with friends and family.
Jerald Seu, graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical Engineering), reflected on his time at CDE with gratitude. “I enjoyed serving Electrical and Computer Engineering as an ambassador, giving presentations at roadshows and engaging with polytechnic and secondary school students,” he said. “CDE equipped me with strong technical skills in electrical engineering and also helped me grow in communicating complex ideas to different audiences.” This August, Jerald will begin his Master’s in Energy Systems at CDE.
For Simonne Pinto, graduating with her Master of Science in Management of Technology and Innovation was a dream realised. She said, “This graduation means a lot to me as I’ve grown by interacting with peers and faculty from diverse backgrounds.” Her mother, present to cheer her on, shared a heartfelt message: “Simonne, pursue your dreams and fly high. You’re born for greater things.”
Congratulations to the Class of 2025! Your journey continues, and CDE will always be here cheering you on every step of the way.
International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE) 2025
From 30 June to 4 July 2025, over 650 researchers and academics congregated in NUS for a lively conference by the International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE) in a growing field involving the study of the nature of how energy and material stocks flow in and through a socio-economic system.
A field of growing significance, ISIE boasts a membership where over two-thirds of its members are young researchers and academics.
Among them was Alvin Ee, a PhD student from the Department of the Built Environment, who presented his doctoral research on the life cycle assessment of applying biochar to concrete.
Events such as ISIE 2025 allow young researchers to share their work with experts from the industry and other institutions, to gather feedback to develop their research further. ISIE also provided a platform for them to learn and understand the latest trends and methodologies that can be incorporated into their work.
Alvin shared, “It felt daunting at first, but the insights provided help us further our research or improve the clarity of our presentations and findings.”
Read more about the conference here.
AkiVAL 2025 - a celebration of student innovation from the Department of Architecture
“We need to find a strong purpose in our roles as architects, especially in this moment in time. As you go around SDE3 and view the exhibition, you will see a lot of ideas that deal with issues like climate and societal changes. These are issues that are close to our students’ hearts, and you will see the unique vision they bring to the profession when addressing these challenges.” – Professor Jeffrey Hou (Head, Department of Architecture) at the opening of AkiVAL 2025.
AkiVAL is an annual exhibition that celebrates the work of students from the Department of Architecture over the past year. From understanding spaces in their formative years to exploring how they can reshape spaces through design studios in their final year, visitors can see the full design journey our students take during their time in Architecture through the projects on display.
A recurring theme you will see in some of these projects is how our students take different experiences or influences to take an alternative look at how architecture can be shaped. Check out a couple of the highlights:
Where The Mass Settles by Bryan Lee Jia En (Year 4, Architecture)
This project questions how capitalism has evolved in its contribution to modern architecture. Once a driving force for growth, what role does capitalism play now that its very foundations are questioned? Sean tries to answer this question by looking at the reuse of industrial debris, not just through traditional recycling, but looking at how it can be woven in as an integral part of the city’s fabric.
Reflecting on his project, Bryan says, “Instead of just looking at the space, I looked at how the material processes shaped the spaces. Industrial debris is usually hidden from plain sight in the construction process, but through my design discovery, I wanted to explore the forms that could come from the debris.”
Cross-Species Erudition by Sean Ho (Year 4, Landscape Architecture)
Focusing on the Dairy Farm Nature Park, Sean traced how granite mining affected the landscape and ecology in the surrounding area. Drawing on “cross-species erudition” from Haraway and Tsing, Sean explored how nature adapts to human-made remnants and how species learn through unplanned interactions.
Commenting on his design journey, Sean mentions, “For this design studio, I looked at decentralising the human perspective. Through the concept of cross-species erudition, I wanted to use nature and ecology as the main viewpoint, and in essence, rethinking the design process to take into consideration these ecological perspectives.”
UWS STEM Fest 2025 - Empowering young women in Engineering
“It’s truly touching to see young girls in awe of BoxBunny! We hope our project showed how passion and knowledge can come together to build something meaningful,” said Jeanette Sim (Year 3, Engineering Science with a second major in Innovation and Design).
As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting women in engineering, CDE was once again present at this year’s United Women Singapore (UWS) STEM Fest, held on 5 July 2025 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.This year’s theme of “Dream. Discover. Disrupt.” aimed to capture the journey of young women in STEM, from aspiration to transformation. With over 1,000 attendees, the event brought together students, parents, educators, and professionals to explore future possibilities in STEM.
Jeanette was amongst a team of women from CDE who were eager to share their passion for engineering with the young ladies in attendance. These included:
- Jeanette and Ramie Lim (Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2025): part of the team behind BoxBunny, an intelligent robot that mimics realistic boxing sparring.
- PhD candidate Zhu Yinling (Biomedical Engineering), who presented a multi-scale, physics-informed cardiac digital twin that rapidly simulates the haemodynamic and structural impact of tricuspid valve disease across varying severity levels.
- Research Fellow Huan Ting Ong (NUS Mechanobiology Institute), who showcased research exploring how physical changes in the ovary due to ageing can affect fertility and women’s health.
- PhD candidate Raageshwari Arulselvam (Biomedical Engineering), who introduced hydrogels that mimic breast tissue stiffness to investigate how ECM stiffness and ligand spacing influence breast cancer cell responses.
We were honoured by the presence of Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and National Development, who visited our booth and engaged meaningfully with our students and researchers.
CDE is proud to continue playing a part in inspiring the next generation of innovators and changemakers through STEM.
Freshman Welcome 2025- Hello, Class of 2029!
As we wave goodbye to the Class of 2025, we warmly welcome our incoming students at the CDE Freshman Welcome 2025. "This is your time to discover who you are. So go beyond the classroom, build friendships, explore your passions, and find ways to contribute to a greater good,” said Professor Teo Kie Leong, CDE Dean, at the event.
We were excited to meet over 400 incoming students as they took their first steps as part of the College of Design and Engineering. The day began with a sharing on student and college life by Associate Professor Darren Chian (Vice Dean, Student Life). This was followed by a curriculum overview delivered by Associate Professor Teo Chiang Juay (Vice Dean, Undergraduate Programmes) and Dr Elliot Law (Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Programmes), helping students get a head start in planning their academic journey.
Students also met CDE student competition teams such as Bumblebee, FSAE, and Calibur Robotics, gaining insights into the projects and opportunities available at CDE. They then broke out into their respective departments for introductory briefings, where they connected with faculty and got a glimpse into their academic journey ahead.
“I want to try going on an overseas programme,” said Min Thu Hlaing, an incoming Year 1 Chemical Engineering undergraduate, after attending the curriculum briefing and hearing about the global opportunities available at CDE.
Here’s to a fresh start and an exciting journey ahead. Welcome to the CDE family!
SCALE x CDE SkillsFuture workshop - The AI-Powered Workforce: Fundamentals and Applications of Generative AI
On the morning of Saturday, 12 July 2025, alumni from CDE gathered for the workshop, "The AI-Powered Workforce: Fundamentals and Applications of Generative AI." This event was a key feature of the back-to-school initiative, a collaboration between the NUS School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (SCALE) and CDE.
During the interactive, hands-on session, attendees were equipped with practical Generative AI skills, covering essential topics like prompt engineering and its diverse applications to prepare them for the modern workplace. Ultimately, the workshop was a perfect mix of reunion and revelation, giving everyone a chance to gain new perspectives through the vibrant discussions and a valuable opportunity to reconnect with their faculty.
HIGHLIGHTS
UPCOMING AND ONGOING EVENTS!
