In an outstanding career spanning over 40 years and on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, Emeritus Professor Hew Choy Leong made his mark first as a prolific research scientist and teacher, and then as a distinguished and respected leader in academia.

 

His research accomplishments are varied — from leading studies into the biosynthesis of insulin, to innovative leadership in the use of photoactivated labeling reagents, and pushing the boundaries in the study of fish antifreeze and the development of transgenic fish technology. He holds several patents which include the sex-specific probes for Pacific salmon and the production of fast growing transgenic salmon. As a much sought-after speaker and often-cited researcher, he has made outstanding contributions in the field of Biological Sciences with over 250 international publications.

 

Emeritus Professor Hew has been with the Faculty of Science since his appointment as Head of the Department of Biological Sciences (DBS) in 1999. During his tenure, he played a vital role in developing the University’s capabilities, research initiatives and undergraduate programmes in the life sciences and graduate programmes in computational and systems biology through the Singapore-MIT Alliance. He was also instrumental in setting up of the Mechanobiology Research framework in NUS — Singapore’s 3rd Research Centre of Excellence. Through these and other accomplishments, he has built up and sustained DBS’ strong reputation for quality research in the Asia-Pacific arena.

 

For his research achievements and dedicated service, Emeritus Professor Hew is a recipient of the APICS-Fraser Award for most Outstanding Scientist in Atlantic Provinces of Canada in 1980, the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Chinese Community of Ontario Incorporated in 1992 and the Merit Award, Education Foundation from the Federation of Chinese Canadian Professionals in 1993. More recently, he received Nanyang Technological University’s Alumni Achievement Award in 2006.

In recognition of his accomplishments and contributions, the Faculty of Science honours Emeritus Professor Hew Choy Leong with the 2009 Outstanding Science
Alumni Award.