FACULTY AND STAFF UPDATES
New Faculty and Staff
Professor Li Lain-Jong, Lance
Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Professor Lance Li served as the Chair Professor at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), concentrating his research on addressing major challenges in the use of low-dimensional materials for scalable electronics and monolithic 3D integration. Before joining HKU, Prof Li was the Director of Corporate Research at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) from 2017 to 2020, where he led a team in developing essential technologies for integrating low-dimensional materials with existing micro/nanoelectronics. From 2014 to 2017, he was a Professor at KAUST in Saudi Arabia, a research fellow at Academia Sinica in Taiwan from 2010 to 2014, and an Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore from 2006 to 2009. He obtained his PhD in condensed matter physics from Oxford University in 2006 and both his MSc and BSc degrees in Chemistry from National Taiwan University. His research interests include the fundamentals of low-dimensional crystal growth and their potential applications in advanced electronics.
Dr Zhang Pin
Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Dr Zhang Pin joined the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering as an Assistant Professor under the Presidential Young Professorship award scheme. Before joining NUS, Dr Zhang worked at the University of Cambridge as the Royal Society Newton International Fellow, Department teacher and Wolfson College research associate. He earned his PhD from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2022, including one year at the University of Oxford as a visiting scholar. His Master's and Bachelor’s degrees were from Hunan University in 2019 and Hefei University of Technology in 2016, respectively. His expertise is in explainable AI for science, intelligent computational mechanics, uncertainty quantification and complex systems, micro and macro-scale granular mechanics, coastal infrastructure resilience and digital twins.
Dr Gabriel Elijah Lipkowitz
Assistant Professor, Division of Industrial Design
Dr Gabriel (Gabe) Lipkowitz received his PhD from Stanford University and specialises in interactive 3D design technology. His research interests include spatial computing design, generative 3D design, and 3D UI/UX design, aiming to develop computational tools and systems that translate innovative design concepts into impactful interactive 3D experiences for users. Born in New York, Gabriel received a MSc in Computational Science and Engineering from Imperial College London and an AB from Princeton University, where his background in the natural sciences drives his transdisciplinary approach to the study of interactive design technologies today.
Dr Wang Si
Lecturer, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dr Wang Si joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering as a Lecturer. She received her BEng degree (First Class Hons) and PhD from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, in 2016 and 2021, respectively. She was a research fellow at NTU before joining NUS. Her research areas include deep learning security issues such as adversarial attacks, backdoor attacks and intellectual property theft.
Ms Zhang Min (Nola)
Assistant Manager, Department of Architecture
Before rejoining NUS, Zhang Min (Nola) led a team overseeing an NTU Master’s programme and was previously responsible for admissions, procurement, finance, and alumni relations for the EMBAC programme at NUS Business School. With extensive experience in teaching, marketing, and management in China and Singapore, she is keen to provide strong support for admission and programme operations. Nola holds a Master’s degree from Nanyang Technological University and is good at multi-tasking, teamwork, and collaboration. She will serve as Assistant Manager covering end-to-end processing of PhD and Master by Research in Architecture programmes, grant administration and management, Academic Visitors, Graduate Assistantship Programme (GAP) and other research-related matters.
Promotions
| Name of Staff | Department/Division | Promotion |
| Lee Poh Seng | Mechanical Engineering | Promotion to full Professor with retrospective effect from 1 July 2024 |
Appointments
| Name of Staff | Department/Division | Appointment |
| Simone Fatichi | Civil and Environmental Engineering | Appointed Deputy Director of Research for the Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute (CFI) Singapore from November 2024 |