FACULTY AND STAFF UPDATES
New Faculty and Staff
Dr Xu Jinying
Assistant Professor, Department of The Built Environment
Dr Xu Jinying was a Marie Skłodowska–Curie Fellow at the Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge before joining NUS. She holds a PhD from the University of Hong Kong, a Master of Management Science from Tongji University, and both a BEng and LLB from Harbin Institute of Technology.
Dr Xu’s research bridges digitalisation, automation, and artificial intelligence technologies with integrated management theories to advance sustainable, decarbonised and climate-resilient infrastructure and building projects. Her work adopts both data science and systems engineering approaches, and she is passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle complex challenges in the engineering and management of the built environment.
Dr Rahul Prasanna Misra
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Dr Rahul Prasanna Misra joined the Department as an Assistant Professor under the NUS Presidential Young Professorship. Dr Misra received his Bachelor of Technology degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India, and his MSc and PhD in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA.
At MIT, under the supervision of Professor Daniel Blankschtein, he developed multiscale frameworks to uncover how electronic polarisation effects—originating from the electric fields of polar molecules and charged species at nanomaterial–water interfaces—influence fluid thermodynamics and transport.
During his postdoctoral research, he expanded this work in collaboration with experimental researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy-funded Centre for Enhanced Nanofluidic Transport (CENT), addressing fundamental knowledge gaps in nanoscale fluid behaviour. At NUS, his vision is to harness molecular-level insights and advanced modelling to drive innovative solutions for clean water, sustainable energy, and membrane separations.
Dr Zhu Guanzhou
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Dr Zhu Guanzhou joined the Department as an Assistant Professor under the NUS Presidential Young Professorship. Dr Zhu received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with Summa Cum Laude and departmental highest honour from the University of California, Los Angeles (2016), and his PhD in Chemistry from Stanford University (2022).
During his PhD, he worked under the supervision of Professor Hongjie Dai on rechargeable batteries, including aluminium-, magnesium-, sodium-, and lithium-ion batteries. He was also the recipient of the Bits & Watts Graduate Fellowship from the Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford University.
After his PhD, he continued his research on batteries as a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University. In September 2023, he joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a postdoctoral associate, working with Professor Ju Li and Professor Yang Shao-Horn to continue his research on rechargeable batteries.
Dr Rajat Rajendra Talak
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dr Rajat Rajendra Talak's research interests are in Robot Perception, Optimisation and Learning, and Autonomous Systems. He was a Research Scientist (2022-25) and a Postdoctoral Associate (2020-2022) in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr Rajat Talak received his PhD from the Laboratory of Information and Decision Systems at MIT in 2020.
He serves as the Associate Editor of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L) and the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2026. He has also served as the Technical Program Committee Member for the Age of Information and Age and Semantics of Information Workshops at Infocom (2022-2025).
Dr Talak has led and organised many workshops at the Robotics: Science and Systems Conference (RSS), IEEE / CVF Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Conference (CVPR), and International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) on the topics of Safe Autonomy, Space Robotics, and Long-term Autonomy. He is also the recipient of ACM MobiHoc 2018 best paper award.
Ms Helen Nuo Xu
Teaching Assistant, NUS Cities, Dean’s Office
Ms Helen Nuo Xu received her Master of Philosophy in Planning, Growth and Regeneration from the Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge. She has gained research and project experience in urban planning and analytics through her work with institutions such as UN-Habitat and Urban China. She looks forward to contributing to NUS Cities’ mission of advancing education, research, and advisory for more liveable, inclusive, and sustainable cities.
Mr Darshan Jayeshkumar Lineswala
Teaching Assistant, NUS Cities, Dean’s Office
Mr Darshan Jayeshkumar Lineswala was an architect and urban planner who recently completed his Master of Urban Planning at NUS. He has professional experience in India, contributing to large-scale projects such as the Pune Metro and Azim Premji University.
His research interests centre on the relationship between spatial form, sensory comfort, and well-being in dense urban environments. At NUS Cities, he looks forward to supporting teaching and research that advance more liveable and resilient urban futures.
Ms Evonne Liew Mei Teng
Senior Manager, Office of Graduate Programmes, Dean’s Office
Ms Evonne Liew Mei Teng joins CDE with over 20 years of experience in education, training, and strategic programme management. She previously served at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, where she was responsible for centre operations, donor engagement, postgraduate programmes, and the successful launch of new academic offerings.
She brings extensive expertise in instructional design, digital marketing, and stakeholder engagement, with a strong track record of leading cross-functional teams and delivering large-scale initiatives. She will support the College in advancing its strategic goals with a focus on graduate programme development, partnerships, and operational excellence.
Ms Tan Pei Wen
Assistant Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives and Operations, Dean’s Office
Prior to joining CDE, Ms Tan Pei Wen was a pivotal member of a Healthtech company, where she built a high-performing operations team from scratch, driving operational efficiency, optimising business processes, and delivering exceptional customer experiences.
With over 15 years of experience across Banking, Healthcare and Technology, she specialises in Client Services, Account Management, Data Protection and Company Operations. She brings valuable skills in analytical thinking, strategic planning, leadership, and stakeholder engagement, which enable her to communicate effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
In her current role, she will spearhead strategic initiatives to drive operational efficiency within the Dean’s Office. Outside of work, she enjoys travelling and spending quality time with her loved ones.
Mr Lawrence Lim Soon Teck
Manager, Department of the Built Environment
Mr Lawrence Lim Soon Teck will primarily be responsible for coordinating and managing student admission and promotional activities for the BEng (Infrastructure and Project Management) programme in the Department of the Built Environment. Prior to joining NUS, he was a Business Development Manager in several professional membership bodies.
Ms Mariska Tan
Executive, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Ms Mariska Tan primarily supports the Master of Science in Safety, Health and Environmental Technology (MSc SHE)-Corporate programme and other MSc SHE-related activities. Prior to joining ChBE, Mariska has worked with companies specialising in logistics, stakeholder communication, event organisation, and administration.
Ms Teo Xin Mei
Executive, Office of Graduate Programmes, Dean’s Office
Ms Teo Xin Mei will be supporting the Postgraduate Coursework team in the Office of Graduate Programmes. Prior to this, she was a Project Coordinator who was involved in data collection for dashboards and improving project management processes.
Mr Firoz Khan Bin Amir Khan
Laboratory Technologist, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Mr Firoz Khan Bin Amir Khan joined the E6NanoFab team as a Lab Technologist, bringing with him over 15 years of hands-on experience in wafer processing equipment maintenance, having worked in both wafer fabrication and cleanroom environments.
He has a background in electronics, and over the years, he has taken on roles involving fault diagnosis, troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, and project support. Mr Firoz will also serve as a backup member of our Emergency Response Team (ERT), supporting the safety of the lab.
Ms Princess Alalyn Torres Mariano
Laboratory Technologist, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Ms Princess Alalyn Torres Mariano previously worked as a Project Officer at Nanyang Technological University and as an Order Engineer at Emerson. She holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National University of Singapore (2022). To prepare for her new role, she is presently undergoing training in laboratory operations.
Management Updates
| Name | Update |
| Associate Professor Lau Siu Kit | Assoc Prof Lau Siu Kit appointed as Vice Dean (Graduate Programmes) effective 1 October 2025. |
| Associate Professor Chai Kah Hin | Assoc Prof Chai Kah Hin has stepped down as Vice Dean (Graduate Programmes) with effect from 1 October 2025. The College would like to extend our deepest appreciation to Assoc Prof Chai for his contributions. |