2021 Graduate Award Winners for the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences

Graduate College Research Excellence Award and MRSS Medal in Physics – Dr Xue Haoran

The Graduate College Research Excellence Award and Materials Research Society Medal in Physics was awarded to Dr Xue Haoran of the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, who graduated with a PhD in Physics earlier this year.

The Graduate College awards are given annually to graduating NTU graduate students who have achieved outstanding accomplishments during their studies. The Research Excellence Award and Materials Research Society Medal, which comes with a cash prize of $2,000 and $1,715 respectively, recognises students who have performed original, creative and widely disseminated research with significant impact on their field or society.

Explaining his research, Haoran said: “Light and sound are everywhere around us. People have been studying how to manipulate them for centuries. My research involves performing light and sound manipulation based on topology, a mathematical concept originally introduced to describe the physics of exotic materials known as topological insulators.

“We brought topology into photonics and acoustics by realizing ‘topological insulators’ for light and sound. One of our studies demonstrated that a properly designed photonic lattice, called a valley photonic crystal, can serve as a robust waveguide to channel light around bends without reflection. In another studies, we showed how to trap sound at the corners of an acoustic lattice.”

Congratulations to Dr Xue for bagging two awards!

Dr and Mrs Alex Tang Pang Kee Gold Medal – Dr Wang Zhimin

The Dr and Mrs Alex Tang Pang Kee is awarded each year to the most outstanding graduating PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) student in Chemistry and Biological Chemistry. This year, it was awarded to Dr Wang Zhimin.

Dr Wang’s PhD research focused on the development of smart infrared optical imaging platforms for monitoring and regulating biological processes and diseases. One of the aims of this line of research is to detect and monitor liver diseases and their treatment.

The Gold Medal award comes with a cash prize of $5,355.

Singapore Mathematical Society Medal in Mathematical Sciences Award – Dr Wang Haoyang

The SMS Medal in Mathematical Sciences, endowed by the Society in 2016, is awarded annually to a graduate student with the best PhD thesis in Mathematical Sciences and comes with cash prize of $915. The winner for this year is Dr Wang Haoyang, who did research on block ciphers and other subjects in the field of cryptography. Since graduating, Dr Wang has joined Shanghai Jiao Tong University as an Assistant Professor.

SPMS would like to congratulate all the winners!

Xue Haoran (left) won the Graduate College Research Excellence Award and Materials Research Society Medal. (Right) Winner of Dr and Mrs Alex Tang Pang Kee Gold Medal Award – Wang Zhimin.