Featured speaker

Prof. Chihiro Fushimi

Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan

Speech: Heat storage and discharge properties of microencapsulated phase change material in a fluidized bed for flexible power generation

He received B.S. M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from The University of Tokyo in 1999, 2001 and 2004, respectively. He worked at University of Hawaii, RITE, Japan and The University of Tokyo. He joined Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology as Associate Professor in October 2011 and was promoted to Full Professor in December 2020. He was Visiting Professor at Curtin University, Australia in 2019. His research topics are thermochemical conversion of carbonaceous materials, fluidized bed technologies, power generation, biomass conversion technologies, and process design and development. He has 87 peer-reviewed journal publications and 2 peer-reviewed review papers.

Keynote speaker

Prof. Yurong He 

Harbin Institute of Technology, China

Speech: Multiscale flow and heat mass transfer characteristics in application of particle system

Yurong He is a professor from Harbin Institute of Technology and a director of Heilongjiang Key Laboratory. She has been engaged in the research of multiphase flow and particle technology in the process of energy utilization. She received her Ph.D. in 2004 from Harbin Institute of Technology. As far, she has received funding from National Natural Science Foundation of China Outstanding Young Scholars, Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province Distinguished Young Scholars and Natural Science Foundation of Harbin Distinguished Young Scholars. She has published over 200 journal papers with SCI citations over 7000 times, and 13 papers have been selected as ESI highly cited papers, including 3 hot papers. Prof. Yurong He has been awarded as Highly Cited Chinese Researches by Elsevier since 2022.

Featured speaker

Prof. Jingai Shao

Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China

Speech: Recent advances in CO2 adsorption of biomass-based porous carbons

Dr. Jingai Shao is a Professor in the Department of New Energy Science and Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Working in the fields of renewable energy and environmental protection, she has authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal publications and holds more than 30 patents. Dr. Shao has been named among *Stanford University’s Top 2% Most-Cited Scientists* annually since 2023. Her research focuses on CO₂ capture, adsorption, and catalytic conversion; Biomass valorization for biofuels and chemicals; Bio-based materials and renewable energy systems; and Environmental pollutant control technologies. Dr. Shao’s work bridges fundamental science and industrial applications, advancing solutions for carbon neutrality and biomass utilization goals.

Featured speaker

Prof. Huiyan Zhang

Southeast University, China

Speech: Research Progress on the Oriented Conversion of Biomass to High-quality Liquid Fuels and Carbon Materials

Prof. Huiyan Zhang, the Chief Professor of Southeast University, focuses on the preparation of high-quality liquid fuels, carbon materials, syngas and chemicals from thermal conversion of biomass/organic solid waste. He has presided over 20 projects including the National Key Research and Development Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation for Distinguished Youth scholars of China, etc. Zhang has published more than 200 SCI papers in Science, PNAS, etc. with more than 12,000 citations, and has won the Most Cited Researchers of Elsevier in the last 5 years. His remarkable scientific achievements have been featured in Nature and compiled by the Chinese Academy of Sciences into the “Representative Selected Work of Chinese Scientists” in the Science and Technology Progress Report of China. Zhang has been awarded the First Prize of Technical Invention of the Ministry of Education (2022), China Patent Excellence Award (2022), Special Gold Medal of International Invention Exhibition in Geneva (2017).

AICHE SLS 10th Anniversary Speakers 

Tushar Poddar

4th AIChE-SLS President

Tushar, carries over 45 years strong professional experience from multinational companies viz, L’AIR Liquide – Paris & India; Shell-Hauge & Brunei; Bechtel-USA; IHI- USA & Japan; SembCorp Industries- Singapore etc. His holistic domain experience and competency is firmly anchored to global Energy & Infrastructure Industries. Professional journey crossed over important milestones, viz, Engineering Manager, Director project, Board Member, etc.

Several Industry-focused high-quality publications are cited in reputed journals and presented international Conferences. He is a member of the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) Committee, Gastech Conference Committee, Singapore LNG Bunkering Society, H2 & Fuel Cell Society of Singapore, IPI-Enterprise Singapore Tech Expert, etc. He has been the member of AICHE over 40 years, He is the past of AICHE – Global Local Sec on commi ee and AICHE- SLS. His contributions in AICHE and AICHE -SLS have been commendable. Currently he serves as Advisor/Strategic Consultant in a few companies; and mentor/promote Startups spin off NUS and NTU.

AICHE SLS 10th Anniversary Speakers 

Avijeet Mishra

NUS AIChE Student Chapter President

Avijeet Mishra is a Chemical Engineering undergraduate at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and currently serves as President and Head of the 11th Management Committee of the NUS AIChE Student Chapter since July 2024. Founded in 2014 as Singapore’s first AIChE-recognized student chapter, NUS AIChE is at the forefront of professional development and global outreach for chemical engineering students at NUS. Under Avi’s leadership, the chapter’s impact has grown by over 200%, connecting over 200 students and professionals through various engagements and forging first-of-their-kind partnerships with global corporations such as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Georg Fischer Piping Systems. An advocate for amplifying voices in underrepresented areas, Avi also used his platform to spearhead landmark initiatives like the AIChE Women in STEM series—the first of its kind in NUS Chemical Engineering. Today, NUS AIChE has positioned itself as a dynamic, connected and progressive community of passionate students driving excellence in chemical engineering education and industry engagement.

AICHE SLS 10th Anniversary Speakers 

Chi-Hwa Wang

3rd AIChE-SLS President

Dr. Chi-Hwa Wang is a Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the National University of Singapore. He received his PhD degree (in Chemical Engineering) from Princeton University. His current research interests include particle technology, drug delivery, biomass gasification, and waste to energy and resource. He serves in the editorial board/international advisory board of the following Elsevier journals: Applied Energy, Journal of Controlled Release, Powder Technology, Advanced Powder Technology (also Executive Editor 2009-2013) and Chemical Engineering Science (Executive Editor 2013-2022). Chi-Hwa is the recipient of a few awards such as AIChE Shining Star Award 2016, WSSET (World Society of Sustainable Energy Technologies) Award 2017, Bologna, Italy, 2017, AIChE Shell Thomas Baron Award, Pittsburgh, USA, 2018, AIChE Fellow 2019, WSSET Fellow 2020, Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher 2023, 2024.  Chi-Hwa is among one of the earliest volunteers to set up the AIChE Singapore Local Section.  He served as the third President for AIChE-Singapore Local Section during the period 2016-2018.

AICHE SLS 10th Anniversary Speakers 

Raymond Lau

5th AIChE-SLS President

Dr. Raymond Lau is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. He received his Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University.

Dr. Lau’s research primarily focuses on multiphase flow, where he studies the hydrodynamics and heat and mass transfer properties between gas-liquid and gas-liquid-solid systems. His recent projects include the design of reactors for microalgae cultivation for protein production, dehydrogenation of liquid organic hydrogen carrier, and conversion of biomass to low emission fuels.

Dr. Lau has been actively involved in professional organizations and have served as the President of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) – Singapore Local Section from 2021 to 2023.

AICHE SLS 10th Anniversary Speakers 

Lucas Ng Hong Kiang

2nd AIChE-SLS President

Er. Lucas Ng Hong Kiang is a distinguished chemical engineer with over four decades of experience in the hydrocarbon processing industry. He began his career at the Port of Singapore Authority in 1980 before joining Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore (PCS) in 1984. At PCS, he held various roles, culminating in his appointment as General Manager of Plant in July 2004. In this capacity, Er. Ng oversaw operations at PCS’s Ayer Merbau facilities on Jurong Island, supporting numerous downstream companies. He retired from PCS on December 31, 2023, after nearly 40 years of service.

Er. Ng is a registered Professional Engineer (Chemical) with the Professional Engineers Board Singapore and a Chartered Engineer (Chemical and Process) with The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES). He has been instrumental in promoting workplace safety and health, process safety management, asset reliability, energy efficiency, and water conservation within the industry.

Throughout his career, Er. Ng has actively contributed to various institutions and committees. He serves as Chair for both the Chemical Standards Committee and the Jurong Island Vision Zero (Cluster) Working Group. Additionally, he co-chairs the Pro-Tem Committee for Hydrogen on standards and the Chemical and Process Engineering Technical Committee of IES. His involvement extends to academic institutions, including membership on the Industry Advisory Boards for Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the National University of Singapore and Chemical & Pharmaceutical Engineering at the Singapore Institute of Technology. He was the 2^nd AIChE-SLS President.

Er. Ng’s dedication to fostering a culture of safety and continuous improvement has left a lasting impact on Singapore’s petrochemical sector.

AICHE SLS 10th Anniversary Speakers 

Kenny Yip

6th AIChE-SLS President

Mr. Kenny Yip is an accomplished chemical engineer with extensive experience in the field of polymer engineering and operations management. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, majoring in Polymer, and his Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University Technology of Malaysia.

A dedicated professional, Mr. Yip has been a Senior Member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) since 2005. His leadership skills and commitment to advancing the field were recognized when he was nominated as the President of the AIChE-Singapore Local Section for the 2023-2025 term.

With over 16 years of experience at Mitsui Chemicals, Mr. Yip specialized in Phenol and Bisphenol operations, gaining invaluable knowledge in the chemical manufacturing sector. His career path then led him to Stahl Asia Pacific, where he currently manages operations and supply chain activities focused on specialty coatings for flexible materials.