AsianScientist (Mar. 18, 2022) – Asian Scientist Magazine has named 15 winning laboratory technicians of the 2021 Asian Scientist Lab Tech of the Year awards for their outstanding dedication to keep science moving forward. The award ceremony was held on March 18, 2022 at the Flower Dome’s Flower Field Hall at Gardens By The Bay, Singapore.
Guest-of-honor Mr. Alvin Tan—Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and Ministry of Trade and Industry—will grace the ceremony, which took place from 5:30 to 7 pm local time on Friday. The prizes are sponsored by Singapore-based biotech company MiRXES, Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts, Abcam and World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd.
First launched by Asian Scientist Magazine in 2019, the Asian Scientist Lab Tech of the Year award shines a spotlight on the laboratory technicians who work fervently behind-the-scenes in Singapore’s STEM and healthcare ecosystem.
Now on its second run, the one-of-its-kind non-profit national competition expanded to 10 distinct categories in recognition of lab technicians’ diverse roles, from the Science Communicator Award to the Mountain Mover Award. In addition to these categories, five individuals were honored for their relentless support of Singapore’s fight against the pandemic through the special MiRXES COVID-19 Hero Award.
Out of more than 100 nominees, 15 winners (please refer to Annex A for the full list of winners) were handpicked by a panel of judges consisting of:
- Professor Andy Hor, Deputy Chief Executive (Research) of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
- Dr. Leah Vardy, Director of Research Operations of the Skin Research Institute of Singapore (SRIS) at A*STAR, Covering Executive Director of A*STAR Skin Research Laboratory
- Dr. Benjamin Seet, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer (Education and Research) and Group Chief Research Officer of the National Healthcare Group
- Dr. Zhou Lihan, Co-founder and CEO of MiRXES
- Dr. Juliana Chan, CEO of Wildtype Media Group and Publisher of Asian Scientist Magazine
Each lab tech was awarded with a S$500 cash prize, a certificate of recognition and an Asian Scientist Magazine goodie bag. Their respective supervisors also received S$500 in book vouchers from World Scientific Publishing and S$300 lab vouchers from global life sciences company Abcam. In addition, the five MiRXES COVID-19 Hero awardees won a Banyan Tree Spa gift certificate, courtesy of Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts.
“We are inspired by the all the nominees not only for their manifold contributions in the lab but also their outstanding qualities such as creativity and leadership. These are no doubt vital to the continued advancement of research and innovation,” said Chan. “In showcasing scientific talent from Asia to the world, we remain committed to celebrating these unsung heroes of science.”
For more information, please visit: https://www.asianscientist.com/labtech/ or write to [email protected].
Annex A – Award Categories and Winners of Asian Scientist Lab Tech of the Year 2021
- Science Communicator Award – Lim Zi Lin (Genome Institute of Singapore, A*STAR)
- Long Service Award – Connie Foo (National University of Singapore)
- Rookie Rockstar Award – Franciscus Chandra (Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology)
- Mountain Mover Award – Teo Shi Jie (Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR)
- Super Mentor Award – Pek Li Ting (Khoo Teck Puat Hospital)
- Walking Encyclopedia Award – Loh Wei Wei (Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR)
- Super Fixer Award – Phon Kin Sheng (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)
- Congeniality Award – Chan Chia Ching (Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology)
- Innovator Award – Chai Jian Wei (Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR)
- Ace Award – Karen Chung (Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)
- MiRXES COVID-19 Hero Awards
- Zheng Zi Hao (Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR)
- Kamini Kunasegaran (Duke-NUS Medical School)
- Koh Xueqi (Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR)
- Siti Naqiah Amrun (Infectious Disease Labs, A*STAR)
- Poon Kok Siong (National University Hospital)
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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
