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R e s e a r c h C e n t r e s 5 5

Centre for Advanced Media Technology

Institute of Defence and Strategic StudiesDirector: Mr. Barry Desker

The Institute of Defence and Strategic

Studies (IDSS) was established as an

autonomous research institute within the

Nanyang Technological University. Besides

doing research in subjects pertaining to

security, geo-politics and international

relations, the centre provides general and

graduate education in strategic studies,

international relations and international

political economy, as well as organises

seminars/conferences on topics salient to

the strategic and policy communities of the

Asia-Pacific.

Director: Assoc. Prof. WolfgangMueller-Wittig

CAMTech (Centre for Advanced Media

Technology) is a joint research and

development centre between the

Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics

(IGD) of Darmstadt, Germany and the

Nanyang Technological University (NTU)

of Singapore that looks into multimedia in

education & commerce, scientific &

medical visualisation, virtual engineering,

virtual & augmented environments for

medical applications, and new media for

cultural heritage.

Director: Prof. Cham Tao Soon

The Centre for Research on Small Enterprise Development was set

up to focus on the development of the Small and Medium

Enterprises (SMEs) which form the majority of companies in

Singapore. The centre also looks into training and education

requirements of staff and owner-entrepreneurs, information and

marketing requirements, and the role of incubators. It has links to

the Nanyang Business School, the College of Engineering and the

Technopreneurship Development Centre.

Centre for Research on Small Enterprise Development


5 6 R e s e a r c h i n N T U

Brigadier-General (NS) George Yeo, Minister for Information

and the Arts(right), and Mr Wee Cho Yaw, Founding

Chairman of the Chinese Heritage Centre Board opening the

Centre on 17 May 1995.

Chinese Heritage Centre

Director: Assoc. Prof. Tan Teng Kee

Nanyang Technopreneurship Center,

together with Innovation and Technology

Transfer Office, offers an integrated

system that promotes an entrepreneurial

culture by planting the seeds for new

ventures, preparing entrepreneurs through

technopreneurship education, and

providing the infrastructure to perpetuate

and support new start-ups and venture.

Nanyang Technopreneurship Centre

Director: Prof. Ng Chin Keong

The Chinese Heritage Centre was established to advance the

knowledge and understanding of the Chinese communities spread

throughout the world. The communities of Chinese outside China

are linked not only by common ancestry but also by common

traditions, memories, beliefs, customs, manners and even skills.

These elements form an integral part of the 'Heritage' to which the

name of the Centre refers. The centre’s mission is to be a leading

research and resource centre on the Chinese outside China.

Network of

Start-Ups.

Director: Assoc. Prof. Lee Guan Kin

The Centre for Chinese Language and Culture (CCLC) was set up

primarily to promote excellence in teaching and research of the

Chinese language and culture. Since September 2003, the Centre

has transferred its teaching responsibility to the Division of

Chinese, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and continued

to strive for excellence in research in Chinese language and

cultural issues of interest to the Chinese communities, mainly in

the areas of Southeast Asian Chinese Language and Dialects,

Southeast Asian Literature in Chinese, Southeast Asian Chinese

History and Folklore, and Literary & Social Traditions in the

Chinese World. Most of the research projects result in

publications/monographs.

The Centre has been producing two major publications, the

Nantah Journal of Chinese Language and Culture (the “Journal”)

Centre for Chinese Language & Culture

and the Nantah Chinese Language and Culture Series (the

“Series”). To date, the Centre has published 6 volumes (11 issues)

of the Journal and 19 academic monographs under the Series

since 1996.


Director & CEO : Prof. Tay Joo Hwa

The Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering (IESE),

under the College of Engineering at Nanyang Technological

University (NTU), has been created as a centre of research

excellence to integrate environmental R&D. IESE is a private

entity wholly owned by NTU and supported by the Singapore

Economic Development Board providing value-added research,

development and deployment of Environmental Technology (ET)

through its four research centres - Water & Membrane, Clean

Energy, Marine & Resource Recovery, and Environmental

Engineering. The aim of IESE is to create, innovate and conduct

basic research to accelerate commercialisation that will establish

Singapore as an ET hub for the advancement of environmental

science and engineering.

Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering

One of NTU’s strengths is in the use of

biotechnology to solve environmental

engineering problems such as in the

biological wastewater treatment area.

Under the leadership of Professor Tay Joo

Hwa, director of IESE (Institute of

Environmental Science and Engineering), a

new technology using microbial granules

for high-performance biological

Grease-guzzling Bacillus naphthovorans.

(scale bar represents 2 microns)

Environmental Engineering Research CentreDirector: Assoc. Prof. Stephen Tay

The Environmental Engineering Research Centre (EERC) is a multi-disciplinary

research and development centre jointly established in 1999 by the Nanyang

Technological University (NTU) and the then Ministry of the Environment (ENV)

(now Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources [MEWR]). EERC's active

research and training activities in environmental engineering contribute significantly

towards establishing an 'Environmental Business and Technology Hub' in Singapore.


Biogranulation for wastewater treatment

wastewater treatment has been developed. These granules are

dense and compact aggregates of many different bacteria. They

are cultivated in column-type bioreactors fed with different types

of wastewaters. The granules offer many advantages such as:

rapid start-up retention of high amounts of biomass in the

bioreactor high tolerance to chemical toxicity ability to handle high

wastewater loads and small reactor footprint. Some advanced

biotechnological methods also have been used for in-depth

studies of the granules such as DNA sequencing, DNA

fingerprinting, confocal laser scanning microscopy with fluorescent

in-situ (FISH) techniques.


One of the R&D projects at IESE (Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering) is

to develop techniques for rapid detection of microorganisms (bacteria and viruses) in

water. IESE uses flow cytometry technology in combination with flourescent probes to

detect and count single bacterial cells. The left photo shows a bench-top flow

cytometer. The middle picture shows a scatter plot of a flow cytometry experiment with

Escherichia coli in seawater. Each red dot represents a dead cell while each green dot

represents a viable cell. The right picture shows a scatter plot of a flow cytometry

experiment using a DNA probe specific for E coli. In this way, we can use specific

DNA probes to pick out specific pathogenic bacterial strains from a water sample that

contains a mixed population of bacteria. This is important in ensuring the safety of

public water supplies.

Rapid detection of microorganisms inwater

Membrane technology for sustainable waterIn the area of clean water reclamation, IESE (Institute of

Environmental Science and Engineering) in conjunction with the

Temasek Professor Program, are working together in the area of

Membrane Technology for Sustainable Water. The research

projects under this program deal with the use of membranes for

clean water production, the development of membrane bioreactors

and the treatment of liquid wastes. The use of submerged hollow

fiber membrane for low pressure microfiltration and ultrafiltration

has gained popularity due to the elimination of the pressure vessel

Flow cytometer.

Flow cytometer dot plot. Viability

assessment of a population of

Escherichia coli in seawater. Dead

population is in red and live population

in green.

Flow cytometer contour plot. Specific

detection of a population of Escherichia

coil by fluorescence in situ hibridation.

and the high

specific membrane

area possible. The

performance of a

hollow fiber

system can be

enhanced by gas sparging with fouling much reduced by the hydrodynamic interactions

between the air bubbles and the loose hollow fiber bundle.


Director: Prof. Shang Huai Min

Temasek Laboratories at NTU (TL@NTU)

is a partnership between Nanyang

Technological University (NTU) and

Defence Science & Technology Agency

(DSTA). This partnership aims to explore

the frontiers in science and develop

strategic technology that will deliver

effective solutions to enhance the defence

and security of Singapore.

TemasekLaboratories @NTU

Neuron cell.

Director: Assoc. Prof. Lim Chu Sing

The Biomedical Engineering Research Centre (BMERC) facilitates

multi-disciplinary research at NTU to meet the biomedical

challenges of the future. BMERC works closely with hospitals and

the biomedical-related industry to create new technologies for

enhancing disease control, patient diagnostics and therapy.

Biomedical Engineering Research Centre

Bioremediation of petroleum-contaminatedenvironments

Diversity of naphthalene-

degrading isolates. (Phase

contrast, bar = 5 mm)

The R&D activities in IESE (Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering) and EERC

(Environmental Engineering Research Centre) cover Singapore’s coastal environment, which faces the

risk of petroleum contamination because Singapore has one of the busiest ports in the world and has

the world’s third largest oil-refining centre. The possible oil spill accidents motivated us to investigate

if bacteria can be effectively used to clean up oil spills in Singapore’s coastal waters. Using

biotechnology methods, we

successfully isolated different

strains of naphthalene-

degrading bacteria.

Naphthalene is a common

component found in petroleum

and some of our bacteria are

able to degrade naphthalene

very rapidly.

Cleaning the marine oil.


A research team, led by Assoc. Profs Tay Beng

Kang and Lau Shu Ping at Nanoscience and

Nanotechnology Cluster, has successfully developed

carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for applications in

molecular electronics. Depending on diameter and

helicity, CNTs may represent the ideal material for

molecular and nanoelectronic devices by virtue of

their excellent electrical current handling capability,

high thermal conductivity and high mechanical

toughness.

Development of carbon nanotubes

Arrays of vertically aligned

Carbon nanotubes.

The research group, led by Assoc. Prof. Pey

Kin Leong at Nanoscience and

Nanotechnology Corridor, looks into the

fundamental/intrinsic electronic structures

and chemistry at atomic resolution of the

interfaces of start-of-the-art Metal-Oxide

(high-k & SiON)-Semiconductor (MOS)

structures, the basic breakdown

mechanisms and reliability physics in

ultrathin gate dielectrics at atomic

resolution, and the breakdown

characteristics in ultra-thin dielectrics at

nano-scale resolution.

Reliability & interfacial characterization of breakdown innano-gate stack structures

New failure defects in ultrathin gate oxide (1.6-3.3nm) breakdown.

Director: Assoc. Prof. Bryan, Ngoi Kok Ann

The NanoScience & Nanotechnology Corridor (NNC) is a

university-based facility for promoting inter- and multi-

disciplinary nanotechnology research. It aims to draw

together nano research groups within Singapore and the

world by turning scientific know-how into viable

nanotechnology-enabled products and manufacturing

processes. The common laboratory is available for use by

university and industrial personnel from across the nation.

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Corridor

Building of Technoplaza.



Diamond-like carbon for micro andnano systems

Integration of micro-opticalelements with single-modefibers via Focused Ion BeamtechnologyThe research group, led by Assoc. Prof. Bryan, Ngoi Kok Ann at

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Corridor, developed a novel

one-step method of integration between micro-optical elements

and single mode fibers by aid of Focused Ion Beam Milling

(FIBM). The micro-optical elements can be directly fabricated on

top-end of the cleaved optical fibers using our FIBM. This

technique will be helpful to realize miniaturization of optical

systems for the usage of optical communication, biochemistry

analysis, sensing/detecting, etc.

A variant of Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films called tetrahedral amorphous carbon

(ta-C) is interesting since they fulfill some special requirements due to their unique

materials properties, such as chemically inert, corrosion resistant, ultra-hard, wear

resistant and low coefficient of friction as well as excellent adhesion at the film/

substrate interface. Investigator (Assoc. Prof. Tay Beng Kang at Nanoscience and

Nanotechnology Cluster) has developed the thinnest 2-D free-standing devices made

from such ta-C films.

SEM micrograph of the fabricated micro-blazed grating on

top-end of the single-mode optical fiber with core diameter of

8.2 mm. The outside wrapped is copper tape to avoid

charging during the milling due to the insulate material of

quartz. Period of the blaze grating is 3.1 mm.

Arrays of 25nm thick free-standing microbridge,

dimensions of bridge range from 20 to 240µm (L) and

20µm (W) (Ratio 12:1 to 1:1). The thickness of these

microbridges are approximately 20nm or 0.02mm.


Director: Assoc. Prof. Tan Soon Keat

The Maritime Research Centre is a multi-disciplinary research and

development centre established jointly by the Nanyang

Technological University (NTU) and the Maritime and Port

Authority of Singapore (MPA). The Centre initiates and undertakes

research to develop technologies and IT applications in the port

and maritime field. It serves to coordinate research and

development efforts among various local and international

organisations. The centre research thrust focuses on sediment

transport in the coastal and sea environment, hydrodynamics of

single and multiple objects, and numerical simulations such as 2-D

tidal simulation and 3-D simulation of large body of waters such

as the South China Sea.

Maritime Research Centre Annual Mean

Salinity (psu)

and Current

Pattern of

South China

Sea.


Concrete under blast

loading and break-up.

Director: Prof. Pan Tso-Chien

The Protective Technology Research Centre (PTRC) is an inter-

disciplinary research centre jointly funded by NTU and the Ministry of

Defence (MINDEF). Hosted in the School of Civil and Environmental

Engineering, the Centre provides the necessary focus for joint R&D

efforts in dynamics and protective engineering to meet the national

needs in weapons and defense system.

NTU-MINDEF ProtectiveTechnology Research Centre

Director: Assoc. Prof. Shum Ping

The Network Technology Research Centre

(NTRC) is a partnership with Digital

Equipment Singapore Pte Ltd. The

establishment of NTRC within NTU

provides a focal point for coordinating and

deploying NTU's academic and research

staff with similar interest and expertise in

communications and computer

networking. The Centre spearheads R&D

activities in Networking Technology for

short-term and long- term benefits to

industry.

Network Technology Research Centre

Staff and students of NTRC

Director: Prof. Liew Kim Meow

Nanyang Centre for Supercomputing and Visualisation

(NCSV) is a cutting-edge R&D centre, hosted in the

School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. The main

task of the centre is to promote and develop infrastructure

and competencies in the areas of supercomputing and

visualisation. NCSV provides a research milieu to promote

information exchange and networking amongst life

sciences and engineering communities in NTU.

Nanyang Centre for Supercomputing and Visualisation

Nanyang Centre for Supercomputing and Visualisation.


Underwater robotic vehicle developed by RRC.

Robotics Research CentreDirector: Assoc. Prof. Seet Gim Lee, Gerald

The Robotics Research Centre (RRC) is jointly managed

and funded by the School of Computer Engineering

(SCE), the School of Mechanical & Aerospace

Engineering (MAE), and School of Electrical and

Electronic Engineering (EEE). The RRC is located in

MPE wing, with a total floor space of over 1000 square

metres. This includes the main laboratory and two

specialised laboratories focusing on intelligent vehicle

technology and medical robotics.

Director: Assoc. Prof. Ser Wee

The Centre for Signal Processing (CSP) has about 150

research staffs and students including more than 60

professors and researchers to spearhead the research and

development of digital signal processing technologies for

the future.

Centre for SignalProcessing

Dean: Prof. Allan Luke

The Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice (CRPP) is the

largest funded educational research centre in the Asia Pacific. It

was established in 2002 by the National Institute of Education

(NIE), Singapore’s sole teacher-training institution, and funded by

the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE).

Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice

CRPP staff members with Mrs Tan Ching Yee (Second Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education) and Professor Leo Tan (Director,

NIE).

The Centre brings together researchers, teachers and

administrators to explore and develop new and innovative ways of

teaching and learning, to help Singapore’s schools and students

address the complex challenges of new economies, cultures and

technologies.



Director: Assoc. Prof. Bryan NgoiKok Ann

Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology

(PEN) Centre, which is established by

School of Mechanical & Aerospace

Engineering, is one of the leading and

best-equipped research centres in the

region with state-of-the-art equipment

housed in a 10,000 square foot laboratory

with clean room facility. PEN Centre covers

the wide spectrum of research activities

that are backed by a formidable team of

over 50 highly qualified engineers from

high-tech industries and researchers from

top universities in the world. PEN Centre

Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology Centre

has the vision to create new knowledge in the strategic areas of next-generation microfabrication technology and nano-metrology and

subsequently imparting knowledge to industries through research collaborations and manpower training.

Director: Assoc. Prof. SubodhMhailsakar

The Advanced Materials Research Centre

(AMRC) is a joint effort of the Schools of

Materials Science & Engineering (MSE)

and Mechanical & Aerospace

Engineering (MAE). It has the purpose of

facilitating, developing and coordinating

the research activities of the two schools

in the areas of advanced materials

synthesis, processing, characterization

and innovation. The Centre channels the

combined expertise, capability and

Advanced Materials Research Centre

Multi-color OLEDs for flat

panel displays.


resources for research activities that extend beyond both schools

and has an extensive range of equipment to support materials

research.


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