I am an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In November 2003, I was selected to receive the 2004 M. Eugene Merchant Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, where I am the 1st ASEAN female to have received this award since the award was 1st established. I am also a recipient of the 2004 Singapore Youth Award for the Science & Technology Category. In 2005, I was elected an Associate Member of CIRP, The International Academy for Production Engineering, one of the most exclusive associations for manufacturing researchers in the world, I am the first female person in the Asia Pacific region to be elected. In August 2012, I was elected a Fellow of CIRP, where I am the first from the Asia region and the 4th female fellow in the world to be elected. In March 2006, I was awarded The Outstanding Young Person of Singapore Award for the Science & Technology Category. I was awarded the 2009 Emerging Leaders Award in Academia by the US Society for Women Engineers and I am the first Singaporean to have received this award since the award was established. In 2013, I was awarded the Singapore Youth Award Medal of Commendation for attaining significantly higher levels of achievements and contributions to society after the conferment of my SYA Award in 2004.
I have served as the staff advisor to the Faculty’s Students Engineering Club, chairperson for the Faculty Students’ Color Award Committee, as well as chairperson of the Student Self-Development Advisory Committee for more than 10 years until 2006. I have served as a member of the NUS University Senate Delegacy from April 2005 to June 2006, 1 July to 30 June 2011, 1 July 2011 to 30 Jun 2013, July 2014 to June 2016, and July 2016 to June 2018. I have served on the NUS Board of Disciplinary from 1 July 2011 – 30 Jun 2013 and July 2015 – 30 June 2017. I am currently a Faculty Member of the NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering.
I was appointed by Singapore President SR Nathan to serve as a Nominated Member of the Singapore Parliament for a term of 2 ½ years from 2nd January 2005. I served as NMP from 2nd January 2005 to 19th April 2006. I was the only NMP in the last batch of 9 NMPs to have raised an adjournment motion in the Parliament. The topic of my motion was Singapore’s National Research and Development Strategic Thrusts. I was a Resource Panel Member of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Resource Panel for advising Women’s Workgroups on Women and Leadership, Work, Life Skills and Socio-Community Development, and a member of the Assistive Technology Workgroup, Singapore Society for Physically Disabled.
I am an Asia Society Asia 21 Young Leader. In 2006, I was elected to join a new generation of leaders representing a broad range of disciplines and 23 countries from across the Asia-Pacific region and the U.S.
I am currently a member of the Advisory Panel and an ambassador for STEM programme for United Women Singapore and the UN Women Singapore Women Committee, from January 2014. I am a member of the founding committee for the Society of Women Engineers Singapore.
I am a pioneer Pathfinder for the Singapore Ministry of Education’s Programme on Community of Pathfinders in Action (COMPACT), from September 2015.