Talented research visionaries drawn to NTU
Three rising research stars share why NTU is the place to be for their academic careers.
Assoc Prof Hortense Le Ferrand was drawn to NTU by its cutting-edge research in biomimetic materials when she first came to the University as a visiting postdoctoral fellow from Switzerland. As almost half of the world’s population lives in the tropics, she also saw an untapped opportunity and urgent need to develop solutions tailored for these regions.
A recent innovation of hers to solve overheating is a fungi-based tile that cools buildings without consuming energy. Made from mycelium, the network of filaments that make up a fungus, the tiles have a bumpy, elephant skin-like texture that helps with temperature regulation.
The tiles were created in collaboration with local ecology and biomimicry design firm bioSEA. Beyond this, Assoc Prof Le Ferrand is working with several companies to bring other prototypes closer to commercial use.
It is through such industry partnerships that NTU enables researchers to translate scientific breakthroughs into real world applications.
Assoc Prof Le Ferrand clinched the Singapore National Research Foundation (NRF) Fellowship, one of Singapore’s most competitive grants, which supported her research in developing microstructured composites inspired by nature.
As a Nanyang Assistant Professor, she was also on NTU’s elite faculty recruitment scheme.
Other accolades that Assoc Prof Le Ferrand has received include the Inspiring Women in Science Award presented by Nature in partnership with The Estée Lauder Companies, and the Nanyang Research Award for Young Investigators – the highest university award for young researchers.
In 2023, Assoc Prof Le Ferrand was named one of MIT Technology Review’s Innovators under 35.
“I find NTU and Singapore very supportive and welcoming for young researchers. The research ecosystem here is strongly innovation-driven, and the access to top-notch equipment at NTU is unique,” she says.
Assoc Prof Hortense Le Ferrand, 35, develops bioinspired materials for sustainable manufacturing. She is with NTU’s School of Materials Science and Engineering and School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
Where innovation meets industry
Assoc Prof Hyeokkoo Eric Kwon, 35, of NTU’s Nanyang Business School explores how consumer behaviour towards technological innovations informs business decisions.
The close ties that NTU has with industry were also key to Assoc Prof Hyeokkoo Eric Kwon’s decision to build his academic career at the University.
“Choosing NTU was an easy and natural decision for me. Its strategic location in Asia places me at the heart of collaboration with leading tech companies, which facilitates the close industry connections essential for my research,” he remarks.
Assoc Prof Kwon studies how users interact with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, and how companies and policymakers can apply these insights to market new products or shape regulatory frameworks.
He provides consulting and strategic advice to leading companies across diverse sectors, including healthcare, telecommunications and banking.
Like Assoc Prof Le Ferrand, Assoc Prof Kwon has been recognised with the Nanyang Research Award for Young Investigators. He has also received two prestigious early career awards in the field of information systems – the INFORMS Information Systems Society Gordon B. Davis Young Scholar Award and the Association for Information Systems Early Career Award.
Collaborating with a leading healthcare app provider, Assoc Prof Kwon found that well-designed philanthropic models that tie users’ efforts to charitable contributions could be more effective at encouraging healthy behaviours than financial incentives. This research won the Best Paper Award from the International Conference on Information Systems.
In another study, Assoc Prof Kwon found that video streaming subscriptions increase offline cinema attendance, especially in people with high social and hedonic needs. This work won the Best Paper Award from the Academy of Management.
Cultivating homegrown talent
Nanyang Asst Prof Leow Wan Ru, 36, of NTU’s School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology devises eco-friendly electrochemical reactions to synthesise high-value industrial chemicals.
For scientist Leow Wan Ru, her NTU journey began as an undergraduate. Now a Nanyang Assistant Professor and NRF Fellow, she develops strategies to synthesise important chemicals using green energy to reduce the carbon footprint of the chemical industry.
Findings from her work are paving the way for renewable electricity to power the synthesis of a key raw material used in plastics manufacturing.
Inspired by her former NTU supervisor, eminent materials scientist Prof Chen Xiaodong, who champions research that resonates with the everyday person, Nanyang Asst Prof Leow strives to make science both impactful and accessible.
For her pioneering research at the intersection of chemical engineering and sustainability, Nanyang Asst Prof Leow was named an Innovator under 35 by MIT Technology Review in 2024. She also won the 2023 L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science Singapore Award.
“At the same time, the support of the vibrant NTU community, including the dedicated administrative staff, enables me to focus on my research. So many people here have contributed to my success,” she says.
Strong support for stellar young faculty
- Designed to provide early-career researchers with exceptional startup grants and the opportunity to lead independent research at NTU, the Nanyang Assistant Professorship offers up to S$1.5 million (US$ 1.1 million) in research funding and scholarships for hiring PhD students. Out of hundreds of applications each year, only the top 5 to 10% are offered this highly competitive tenure-track position at NTU.
- The NRF Fellowship, a Singapore government scheme, provides up to S$3.25 million (US$ 2.4 million) over five years to support early-career researchers in conducting independent research.
The article appeared first in NTU's research & innovation magazine Pushing Frontiers (issue #25, August 2025).
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