THE head of Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), Professor Jackie Ying, has been named one of the '100 Engineers of the Modern Era' by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

The list was drawn up to mark the group's 100th anniversary this year. It honours 100 engineers who have made significant contributions to the profession since World War II. They were divided into three areas: achievement, leadership and new frontiers.

For the selection committee, one of the things that made Prof Ying stand out in the new frontiers category was her ground-breaking work on nano-structures, particles and materials.

Prof Ying, 42, has been leading the research institute under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research since 2003. She came from the United States' Massachusetts Institute of Technology chemical engineering faculty, where she is now an adjunct professor.

The Singapore permanent resident said being on the list was an honour, as 'some of the world's greatest inventions and scientific breakthroughs that will transform lives are being made possible by the work of chemical engineers'.

Under her charge, the IBN has filed 637 patent applications, 32 of which have been granted patents for inventions such as drug-loaded contact lenses and implantable bone scaffolds.

The institute's researchers have published 445 papers, mainly on areas such as cell and tissue engineering, drug delivery, biosensors and biodevices, and nanobiotechnology.

LIAW WY-CIN

This article was first published in The Straits Times on 2 Dec, 2008.