Artificial intelligence (AI) may have more to offer science than accurate predictions. The patterns it learns could point researchers towards new, testable explanations of how complex systems function. A new Perspective co-authored by Assistant Professor Gianmarco Mengaldo from the Department of Mechanical Engineering under the College of Design and Engineering at the National University of Singap
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Technology & InnovationNational University of Singapore
Prof Ong hopes the AI Foundry can compress discovery cycles for new materials from months or years to weeks. Professor Shyue Ping Ong wants AI to do more than predict whether a material might work. His vision is a discovery system that can propose new materials for a specific purpose, identify the most useful experiments to run, learn from every result and help scientists understand why a material
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Prof Yang's research has driven new approaches to microscopy, produced technologies adopted by industry, and opened new possibilities for imaging and controlling light inside biological tissue. From diagnosing disease to understanding how cells behave, much of biomedical science depends on our ability to see biological structures in ever greater detail. Professor Yang Changhuei ( Department of Ele
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Asst Prof Andrew Holle (left) and PhD student Nicole Lee Jia Wen (right) in the laboratory. Cells in our bodies squeeze through dense tissue channels, thread past neighbouring cells and navigate every nook and cranny within the extracellular matrix — the mesh-like network that surrounds and supports cells. How well they do this can shape a wide range of physiological processes, from wound repair t
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As part of National Engineers Day (NED) 2026, student innovators from CDE put their ideas to the test at the Engineering Innovation Challenge (EIC), a national platform that encourages students to apply engineering knowledge to real-world problems. Held on 14 August, NED brought together engineers, educators, students and industry professionals to celebrate the role of engineering in shaping Singa
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Technology & InnovationNational University of Singapore
From left to right: Dr Artem Grebenko, Dr Alena Alekseeva, and Prof Barbaros Oezyilmaz, checking the positioning of the wafer within the UV laser-assisted CVD set-up used for the growth of ultra-low-k amorphous carbon. As transistors inside microchips continue to shrink, the metal wiring that connects them is becoming a growing obstacle to faster, more energy-efficient chips. Narrower wires have g
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Environment & ClimateNational University of Singapore
Mr Ngo Minh Quang Phan (left), first author of the study, and Assoc Prof Duong Hai Minh, who led the research, with a carbon fibre epoxy aerogel developed by the research team. Researchers from CDE have developed a method to turn waste from the tough, lightweight composites used in aircraft and other high-performance structures into aerogels that could be used for thermal insulation, sound absorpt
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Researchers led by Assoc Prof Rudi Stouffs from the Department of Architecture, have developed a deep learning framework that completes missing and under-mapped flood hazard zones across the contiguous United States. Official flood maps shape disaster preparedness, insurance decisions and urban planning, but large parts of the United States remain unmapped or under-mapped. This means some communit
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Environment & ClimateNational University of Singapore
Asst Prof Tan Yu Jun, and her team's research on a new electrolyte paired with a redesigned electrode architecture triples the brightness of electrochemiluminescent devices. UBECL solutions are shown under ambient light (upper figure) and under UV irradiation (λ = 365 nm, lower figure). From a skin patch that changes colour to flag abnormal blood sugar, to a diver’s sleeve display that stays reada
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Associate Professor Poh Chueh Loo (right) and Linus Tan Yu Han (left) engineered baker’s yeast to sense and respond to different colours of light, enabling new ways to control cellular behaviour with red and blue light. Baker’s yeast is one of biotechnology’s most important microorganisms. It has long been used to leaven bread and ferment beer. More recently, advances in synthetic biology have ena
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Environment & ClimateNational University of Singapore
Prof Heng Chye Kiang (7th from the right), Dr Xue Xuan, first author of the paper (8th from right), and Prof TC Chang, fourth author of the paper (9th from right) at a presentation of their research. Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) College of Design and Engineering (CDE), led by Professor Heng Chye Kiang ( Department of Architecture ), have developed a computational fra
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NUS CDE researchers, Asst Prof Liu Yuxin (right) and Dr Wu Xiaodong developed an epidermal sensor that can monitor electrocardiography, electromyography, radial pulse, and force myography from a single output channel. Wearable health monitors have grown increasingly capable, but most are still limited by the fact that tracking different types of body signals still requires separate sensors, each w
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Assoc Prof Mario Lanza (left) and Dr Sebastian Pazos (right), whose team integrated 2D materials on gallium nitride microchips to develop high-frequency switches for 5G and 6G telecommunication. Our mobile phones today handle far more wireless signals and services than earlier generations. The same is true of the sophisticated equipment behind mobile networks, such as base stations, and emerging t
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Asst Prof Tan Yu Jun (left), PhD student Mr Zhou Jinrun (right), and their team developed a self-healing electronic skin that can detect touch and damage, repair itself even under water, and enable more durable underwater devices. Underwater environments are among the harshest operating conditions for electronic devices. Divers and underwater robots depend on sensors to navigate, communicate and h
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The agreement was signed by SHINE Director Prof Aaron Voon-Yew Thean Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost (left), and STATS ChipPAC CEO Li Zheng (right). On 6 July 2026, Singapore Hybrid-Integrated Next-Generation µ-Electronics Centre (SHINE) at CDE has signed a Research Collaboration Agreement with STATS ChipPAC to advance photonic packaging technologies that could power the next gener
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Environment & ClimateNational University of Singapore
Congratulations to our students who received the CDE Innovation and Research Award and the NUS Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Prize for AY2025/2026! Each year, CDE recognises the College’s strongest student research projects through the CDE Innovation and Research Award (IRA). From these outstanding projects, the top ten IRA recipients are nominated for the university-level Outstanding Under
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Technology & InnovationNational University of Singapore
Assoc Prof Mario Lanza (right) with first author of the research, Dr Yue Yuan (left). The researchers’ findings could help guide the development of future electronic components that are smaller, thinner and more energy-efficient. Researchers at CDE have identified a key design principle for building reliable electronics from materials only one atomic layer thick, giving engineers a clearer way to
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Lead researchers Prof Benjamin Tee (right) and Prof Cecilia Laschi (left) with co-first author of the paper, Research Fellow Yu Kelu (centre), holding samples of the soft sensor. Built from flexible, compliant materials, soft robots are gaining relevance for tasks ranging from minimally invasive surgery to deep-sea exploration but remain held back by a fundamental constraint. To sense their surrou
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Environment & ClimateNational University of Singapore
Prof Teo Kie Leong, Dean of CDE, opened the symposium saying he hoped it would open the door to "many more collaborations between NUS and Tsinghua researchers in the years ahead". Spanning fields from AI and urban planning to advanced manufacturing and materials innovation, researchers from NUS and China’s Tsinghua University came together to share progress from projects supported under the two un
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Technology & InnovationNational University of Singapore
Prof Yang Hyunsoo’s research explores how spintronic hardware could open new paths to more efficient computing for complex real-world problems. Solving complex optimisation problems is central to many modern technologies, from logistics and financial modelling to chip design, communications and artificial intelligence (AI). However, as these problems grow in size, conventional computers often requ
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Jellybot was developed by Afham Shahril, Darrel Yu, Navin Siva and Wallace Wee (NUS Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering). From coral reefs to clinical care to infant feeding, three CDE student projects have emerged as the inaugural winners of the James Dyson Foundation Innovation and Design Prize. Recognising outstanding projects that combine the best of design and engineering, the p
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Environment & ClimateNational University of Singapore
Assoc Prof Yu Liya at a rooftop air-quality monitoring station used in her research to study the chemical clues carried in Singapore’s air. Singapore and Southeast Asia have been put on red alert for a high risk of severe haze in the second half of the year, as El Niño conditions and related weather patterns threaten to bring hotter and drier weather to the region. For those who recall the severe
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Environment & ClimateNational University of Singapore
Organised by Boeing in partnership with NUS Enterprise , the BUILD Programme supports innovators tackling real-world challenges in areas such as advanced technology, sustainability, and social and cultural impact. Winners were selected from ten finalist teams after a week-long bootcamp and a demonstration day. The top three teams each received USD 10,000 in funding and three months of incubation s
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After months of collaboration, experimentation and rapid prototyping, NUS CDE students have completed their final showcase at Stanford University as part of the Stanford Global Engineering Design Innovation (GEDI) programme, bringing their projects to an international stage. Building on work first developed under CDE4301 Innovation & Design Capstone — offered by the Innovation and Design Programme
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