Two CDE faculty members, Assistant Professor Hou Yi and Professor Yan Ning, have been honoured at the annual NUS University Awards.
At a ceremony held at the University Cultural Centre Theatre on 12 September 2025, Asst Prof Hou received the Young Researcher Award while Prof Yan was presented with the Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award.
The annual University Awards celebrate members of the NUS community, whose dedication and work have made a lasting impact on research, education, and the broader community.
The Young Researcher Award is presented to researchers under the age of 40 in recognition of outstanding research achievements, with a focus on both quality and impact. The Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award acknowledges excellence in graduate supervision and recognises the vital role mentors play in nurturing the next generation of scholars and leaders.
Young Researcher Award: Asst Prof Hou Yi
Asst Prof Hou’s award recognises his contributions to perovskite solar cell technology, which have set new standards for efficiency and stability. His research has gained international recognition, with publications in high-impact journals and accolades including an MIT Innovators Under 35 (Asia-Pacific) listing and designation as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher from 2022 to 2024. He also founded Singfilm Solar, an NUS spinoff focused on translating solar innovations into market-ready technologies.
Asst Prof Hou said: “I am deeply honoured to receive the NUS Young Researcher Award 2025. This recognition strengthens my resolve to advance green energy research and accelerate the translation of perovskite photovoltaics from laboratory innovation to real-world impact. I am grateful to my students, colleagues, and collaborators whose creativity and dedication have made this journey possible. Looking ahead, I will continue striving to deliver sustainable and transformative energy solutions that empower our shared future.”
Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award: Prof Yan Ning
Prof Yan’s award recognises his deep and sustained commitment to graduate mentorship which has propelled his mentees towards greater heights. A global expert in catalysis, particularly in converting waste biomass into valuable chemicals, he is also known for empowering students to develop independent thinking and long-term research vision. He previously received the NUS Young Researcher Award in 2019.
Prof Yan said: “To me, mentorship is about planting seeds of curiosity, guiding them through challenges, and watching them bloom into independent thinkers and leaders. As a researcher, his or her individual discoveries are certainly important, but it is through empowering many students - and the generations they in turn will mentor - that science and technology advances most profoundly.”
Congratulating Prof Yan, one of his former PhD students, Dr Maxim Dickieson, now a postdoctoral researcher, credited his own success in academia to Prof Yan's ability to recognise and build on individual strengths. “Prof Yan is an embodiment of what it means to lead by example,” Dr Dickieson said. “He is the hardest working person I know and has inspired me, as well as countless other students, to be the best version of myself that I can be.”
‘Spirit of innovation’
Both award winners are from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at CDE. Professor Saif Khan, Head of Department, said: “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Asst Prof Hou Yi and Prof Yan Ning on receiving these prestigious awards. Hou Yi’s Young Researcher Award reflects his pioneering advances in perovskite solar cell technology and his success in bringing breakthrough research from the laboratory into practical applications. Yan Ning’s Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award recognises not only his ground-breaking contributions in catalysis but also his deep commitment to nurturing students, many of whom have gone on to excel themselves. Their achievements and dedication embody the excellence and spirit of innovation that define our department, and I am immensely proud of their accomplishments.”
In his address at the awards ceremony, NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye acknowledged the significance of the occasion, held in the University's 120th anniversary year. Commending the award recipients for their dedication, he highlighted the importance of mentorship, innovation, and the University's shared responsibility to shape the future through education and research.
"In pouring their hearts and souls into their endeavours, our award winners inspire us to renew our purpose and determination to strive for quality and excellence," Prof Tan said.
In total seven individuals, five of them NUS faculty, were honoured at the University Awards 2025. Read more here.
