FACULTY AND STAFF UPDATES
New Faculty and Staff
Assistant Professor Zheng Chu
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Asst Prof Chu Zheng received his PhD in Chemistry from Stanford University under the mentorship of Professor Steven Boxer and a BSc in Chemistry from Tsinghua University. During his doctoral research, he developed vibrational probes to measure molecular electric fields using vibrational Stark effect spectroscopy. By combining spectroscopy with computational simulations, he showed that electrostatic catalysis provides a unified physical framework for understanding diverse molecular interactions in enzyme catalysis. This framework enables the rational design of enzyme variants with substantially improved catalytic activity. Following his PhD, he joined Professor Peter Kim’s laboratory as a Stanford School of Medicine Dean’s Postdoctoral Fellow, where he investigated how antigen structure shapes antibody responses, providing new molecular insights into vaccine design and antibody engineering. At NUS, his laboratory focuses on understanding protein structure-function relationships and integrating physical principles with data-driven models to design highly active and stable enzymes and therapeutic proteins for next-generation biotechnologies.
Miss Thoo Wan Ping
Laboratory Executive, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Miss Thoo Wan Ping joins Professor Yang’s research team as Laboratory Executive. She will oversee the day-to-day operations of the laboratory, including serving as its safety officer, managing purchasing, and helping maintain a safe and appropriate research environment for the team.
She brings more than 14 years of experience in biomedical research, diagnostic testing, and laboratory operations, including experience in flow cytometry, cell culture, and managing teaching laboratories. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences from NTU and is pursuing an MSc in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at the University of Portsmouth.
Mr Mark Kevin Lejano Martinez
Laboratory Technologist, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Mr Mark Kevin Lejano Martinez holds a Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) degree. Mark has hands-on experience in laboratory testing, equipment setup, troubleshooting, maintenance, and safety management.
Miss Celine Lim Xuan Ying
Executive, Department of Architecture
Miss Celine Lim Xuan Ying joins the Department of Architecture as Executive (Programme Administration), supporting the Department's graduate programmes, Continuing Education and Training (CET) initiatives, and short courses, with key aspects of programme administration across the student and academic lifecycle. Prior to joining the Department, Celine gained experience in education management and campus operations, where she was involved in student services and academic coordination. We look forward to her contributions in supporting the Department's academic programmes and administrative operations.
Miss Denise See Jia Jun
Executive, Department of the Built Environment
Miss Denise See joins the Department of the Built Environment as Programme Administrator for the MSc (Building Performance & Sustainability) programme, overseeing the end-to-end administration. She will also support CET courses, outreach and publicity activities, as well as internship and career events. In her role, she will work closely with faculty, students, industry partners and other stakeholders.
Miss Nur Amalina Binte Mohamad Youssoff
Executive, NUS Cities, Dean’s Office
With several years of experience in higher education administration and coordination, Miss Nur Amalina brings her strong interest in supporting people, processes, and institutional priorities. She particularly enjoys working behind the scenes to help things run smoothly and being someone others can rely on. Outside of work, she enjoys travelling, exploring new places, discovering good food and spending time with family and friends.
Promotions
| Name of Staff | Department/Division | Promotion |
| Associate Professor He Xiaogang | Civil and Environmental Engineering | Associate Professor with tenure, effective 1 January 2027 |