Education

• PhD. University of Cambridge, UK.

• BEng (First Class Hon). NUS.
   

Research Interest

1. Human disease mechanobiology

2. Microfluidic biomedical technologies

3. 2D materials for biomedical applications

4. Soft wearable technologies
 

Technopreneurship & Startups

1. Co-founder, Microtube Technologies

2. Co-founder, Flexosense

3. Co-founder, Clearbridge mFluidics

4. Co-founder, Clearbridge NanoMedics

5. Co-founder, Biolidics Ltd (previously known as Clearbridge BioMedics)

6. Co-founder and Affiliated Partner, Clearbridge Accelerator

7. Co-founder, Robust Dynamics
 

Selected Awards & Honours

1.Nature Award for Mentoring in Science (Lifetime Achievement) 2022

2. IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2022

3. Elected Fellow, International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine 2022

4. IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2021

5. Asia’s Most Influential Scientist, Fortune Times, 2021

6. Highly Cited Researcher 2021

7. Elected Fellow, ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology 2021

8. Highly Cited Author, Royal Society of Chemistry journals, 2020

9. Finalist, “Science Breakthroughs of the Year” Falling Walls Remote, Berlin, 2020

10. Elected Fellow, US National Academy of Inventors

11. Elected Fellow, Singapore National Academy of Science 2020

12. IP Champion, IPOS-WIPO IP Awards 2019

13. HFSP Award 2018

14. Most Innovative Award, Engineering Medical Innovation Global Competition, 2017

15. Winner, IDTechEx Launchpad, Berlin, Germany, 2017

16. NUSS Professor, 2017 to present

17. International Precision Medicine Conference (IPMC) Prize 2017

18. Winner, Modern Aging Singapore 2016

19. ASEAN Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award 2016

20. 14 Inspiring Innovators From Asia, Asian Scientist, 2016

21. Elected Fellow, International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering

22. IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2016

23. JT Award, TechPlanter Singapore, 2016

24. Seven Singaporean Scientists to Watch, Asian Scientist, 2016

25. Asian Scientist Top 100 List 2016

26. Elected Fellow, American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering,2015

27. Elected Fellow, Academy of Engineering, Singapore, 2015

28. Vladimir K. Zworykin Award, International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering 2015

29. Provost’s Chair Professorship, 2014 – 2017

30. Outstanding Researcher Award, NUS University Awards 2014

31. Outstanding Innovator Award, NUS Innovation & Enterprise Awards 2014

32. TIE50 Award, TIEcon 2014

33. Credit Suisse Technopreneur of the Year Award 2012

34. Wall Street Journal Asian Innovation Audience Choice Awards 2012

35. Gold, Wall Street Journal Asian Innovation Awards 2012

36. TechVenture Most Disruptive Technology Award 2012

37. First Prize, Asian Entrepreneurship Award 2012

38. InnovFest Promising Start-Up Award 2012

39. HFSP Award 2012

40. NGS Excellent Mentoring Award 2011/2012.

41. Rising Star Innovator Award, TechVenture 2011

42. President’s Technology Award 2011

43. Faculty Research Award 2011

44. Elected Council Member, World Council of Biomechanics 2010 – present

45. Most Cited Article, Acta Biomaterialia, 2006 – 2010

46. IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2010

47. Most Cited Author 2005-2008, Acta Biomaterialia

48. Cited in MIT Technology Review: 10 Emerging Technologies and their impact, 2006

49. MRS Outstanding Paper Award, MRS Fall Meeting 2004
 

Membership in Scientific/Professional Organization

• Fellow, International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine

• Fellow, ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology

• Fellow, US National Academy of Inventors

• Fellow, Singapore National Academy of Science

• Fellow, American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering

• Fellow, International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering

• Fellow, Academy of Engineering, Singapore

• Council Member, World Council of Biomechanics

• Council Board Member, World Association for Chinese Biomedical Engineers

• Executive Member, Biomedical Engineering Society, Singapore

• Executive Committee Member, Global Enterprise on Micro Mechanics & Molecular Medicine (GEM4)

• Associate Editor and Editorial Board Member of 20 international journals
   

Selected Journal Publications

1. Chen, S W, et al, Wearable flexible microfluidic sensing technologies, Nature Reviews Bioengineering, 2023. (in press)

2. Chen, S W, et al , Ultrahigh Strain-insensitive Integrated Hybrid Electronics Using Highly Stretchable Bilayer Liquid Metal based Conductor, Advanced Materials, 35, 5, e2208569, 2023.

3. Glentis, A, et al, The Emergence of Spontaneous Coordinated Epithelial Rotation on Cylindrical Curved Surfaces, Science Advances, 8, 37, eabn5406, 2022.

4. Saw, T B, et al, Transepithelial potential difference governs epithelial fate by electromechanics, Nature Physics, 18, 1122–1128， 2022.

5. Hong, J H, et al, Point-of-care diagnostic tests for active tuberculosis, Science Translational Medicine, 2021. (in press)

6. Chakraborty S, et al, Agrin-Matrix Metalloproteinase-12 axis confers a mechanically competent microenvironment in skin wound healing, Nature Communications, 2021. (in press)

7. Xiong, Z, et al, A wireless and battery-free wound infection sensor based on DNA hydrogel, Science Advances, 2021. (in press)

8. Gao, Y J, et al, A wearable multifunctional immunosensor for the monitoring of chronic wounds, Science Advances, 7, 21, eabg9614, 2021.

9. Gaston, C,  et al, EpCAM promotes endosomal modulation of the cortical RhoA zone for epithelial organization, Nature Communications, 12 1, 1-22, 2021

10. Phuong Le, et al, Adhesion-mediated heterogeneous actin organization governs apoptotic cell extrusion, Nature Communications, 12,397,2021

11. Doss, B L et al, Cell response to substrate rigidity is regulated by active and passive cytoskeletal stress, PNAS, 117, 23, 12817-12825 2020.

12. Jain, S et al, The role of single cell mechanical behavior and polarity in driving collective cell migration, Nature Physics, 1-8, 2020.

13. Sun, A X Y, et al,  Potassium channel dysfunction in human neuronal models of Angelman syndrome, Science, 366, 6472, 1486-1492, 2019.

14. Lim, S B et al, Addressing cellular heterogeneity in tumor and circulation for refined prognostication, PNAS, 116, 36, 17957-17962, 2019.

15. Xi, W et al, Material Approaches to Active Tissue Mechanics, Nature Reviews Materials, 4, 23–44, 2019.

16. Ding, X G et al, Defect Engineered Bioactive Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Quantum Dots, Nature Communications, 10, 41, 2019.

17. Saw, T B, W Xi, B Ladoux, C T Lim, Biological tissues as active nematic liquid crystals, Advanced Materials, 30, 47, 2018.

18. Chaudhuri, P K et al, Mechanobiology of Tumor Growth, Chemical Reviews, 118, 14, 6499-6515, 2018. (F1000 recommended as being of special significance)

19. Sun, S Y et al, Flagellum couples cell shape to motility in Trypanosoma brucei, PNAS, 201722618, 2018.

20. Sreekanth, K V et al, Biosensing with the singular phase of an ultrathin metal-dielectric nanophotonic cavity, Nature Communications, 9, 369, 2018.

21. Khoo, B L et al, Expansion of patient-derived circulating tumor cells from liquid biopsies using a CTC microfluidic culture device, Nature Protocols, 13, 34-58, 2018.

22. Kenry et al, When stem cells meet graphene: Opportunities and challenges in regenerative medicine, Biomaterials, 155, 236-250, 2018.

23. Lim, S B et al, An extracellular matrix-related prognostic and predictive indicator for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer, Nature Communications, 8, 1734, 2017.

24. Xi, W et al., Soft tubular microfluidics for 2D and 3D applications, PNAS, 114, 40, 10590–10595, 2017.

25. Saw, T B et al, Topological defects in epithelia govern cell death and extrusion, Nature, 544, 212-216, 2017.

26. Khoo, B L et al, Liquid biopsy and therapeutic response: Circulating tumor cell cultures for uation of anticancer treatment. Science Advances, 2, 7, e1600274, 2016.

27. Yeo, J C et al, Flexible and stretchable strain sensing actuator for wearable soft robotics application, Advanced Materials Technologies, 1, 3, 2016.

28. Yeo, T et al, Microfluidic enrichment for the single cell analysis of circulating tumor cells, Scientific Reports, 6, 22076, 2016.

29. Warkiani, M E, et al, Ultra-fast, label-free isolation of circulating tumor cells from blood using spiral microfluidics, Nature Protocols, 14, 1, 128-37, 2016.

30. Wang, J et al, Haem-activated promiscuous targeting of artemisinin in Plasmodium falciparum, Nature Communications, 6, 10111, 2015.

31. Gupta, M et al, Adaptive rheology and ordering of cell cytoskeleton govern matrix rigidity sensing, Nature Communications, 6, 7525, 2015.

32. Vedula, S R K et al, Mechanics of epithelial closure over non-adherent environments, Nature Communications, 6, 6111, 2015.

33. Lee, W C et al, Multivariate biophysical markers predictive of mesenchymal stromal cell multi potency, PNAS, 111, 42, E4409-18, 2014.

34. Yao, M et al, Force-dependent conformational switch of a-catenin controls vinculin binding, Nature Communications, 5, 4525, 2014.

35. Vedula, S R K et al, Epithelial bridges maintain tissue integrity during collective cell migration, Nature Materials, 13, 87-96, 2014.

36. Hou H W et al, Isolation and retri of circulating tumor cells using centrifugal forces, Scientific Reports, 3, 1259, 2013.

37. Thiery, J P, C T Lim, Tumor dissemination: An EMT affair, Cancer Cell, 23, 3, 272-273, 2013.

38. Vedula, S R K et al, Emerging modes of collective cell migration induced by geometrical constraints, PNAS, 109, 32, 12974-12979, 2012. (F1000 recommended as being of special significance)

39. Lee, W C et al, The origin of enhanced stem cell growth and differentiation on graphene and graphene oxide, ACS Nano, 5, 9, 7334-7341, 2011.