04
April
2019
|
20:25
Asia/Singapore

Blazing into Forbes’ 30 under 30 Asia list

Clockwise from left: Ms Germaine Tan, Dr Wan, Ms Quek, Dr Danesh, Ms Charmain Tan, Mr Goh, Dr Rajput, Dr Jia and Dr Yap

Dr Wan Chunfeng, Research Fellow from NUS Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering has made it to the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia list under the Industry, Manufacturing & Energy category. The young entrepreneurs, scientists and technologists featured in this category have developed innovations or disrupted industry to advance people’s well-being in fields ranging from energy to agriculture.

A specialist in water and energy research, Dr Wan won the American Institute of Chemical Engineers-Singapore Local Section Outstanding Young Researcher/Principal Investigator Award in 2018 for his research in Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) – a technique that uses osmotic pressure to generate energy. He then went on to secure a million-dollar grant to develop the PRO process in NUS.

Eight NUS alumni are also showcased in the list. One of them is Dr Yap Hong Kai, NUS Engineering alumnus and Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Rocesco Technologies. Dr Yap’s medtech startup produces EsoGlove, a hand rehabilitation and exoskeleton device for stroke patients and people who have lost their hand functions — a device he had co-developed as part of an NUS research project. Another name featured is NUS Arts and Social Sciences alumna Ms Christel Quek, who co-founded BOLT — a mobile entertainment app focused on bringing creative content to emerging markets.

Other NUS alumni featured in Forbes’ list are as follows:

  • NUS Engineering Dr Mohammad Danesh, CTO and Co-Founder, Transcelestial Technologies
  • NUS Computing Dr Jia Yaoqi, CTO and Co-Founder, Zilliqa
  • NUS Science and NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) Ms Charmain Tan, Founder, QuickDesk
  • NUS Business and NOC Ms Germaine Inez Tan, Head of Corporate Development and Innovation, Found8
  • NUS Engineering Dr Kuldeep Singh Rajput, Founder and CEO, Biofourmis
  • NUS Arts and Social Sciences and NOC Mr Jake Goh, CEO of RateX

Now in its fourth year, the annual Forbes 30 under 30 Asia list highlights 300 young disruptors, innovators and entrepreneurs under the age of 30 who are challenging conventional wisdom, re-inventing their industries and driving change across the region in 10 categories — Finance & Venture Capital; Enterprise Technology; Consumer Technology; Industry, Manufacturing & Energy; Media, Marketing & Advertising; Retail & E-commerce; Healthcare & Science; Social Entrepreneurs; Entertainment & Sports; and The Arts.