Congratulations to Mr Hong Ling Tim and Dr Gabriel Lee, who are among the winners of this year’s Public Sector Transformation (PST) Awards. The awards recognise public officers and agencies for excellence in their work and organisational practices.
Hong Ling Tim is a Principal Lecturer at RP School of Engineering. He has played a pivotal role in shaping future thinking in the areas of Research and Development, and building staff capabilities across key technological clusters in RP. In line with Singapore’s Research, Innovation, Enterprise 2025 plan, he spearheaded the set-up of new capabilities in RP’s 5G communication, healthcare, logistics and agri-technology, establishing multidisciplinary partnerships for research collaboration. As a research mentor, Ling Tim recognised the importance of having good research infrastructure that is readily available and easily accessible for staff. Ling Tim also actively engages industry partners and shares knowledge with the RP community, sparking project collaboration opportunities. Some of these projects have led to intellectual property commercialisation adopted by companies in real applications. Ling Tim’s leadership and management style has created an environment where his colleagues are inspired and empowered to step forward to share and exchange ideas, as well as to collaborate and take on (different/ new) research projects. His personable approach has also enabled his colleagues to share their challenges and career aspirations, enabling Ling Tim to create learning and development opportunities for them. Congrats for winning the Exemplary Leader Award!
Dr Gabriel Lee is an innovator who spearheads research & development efforts at RP School of Applied Science. Over the years, he has developed a range of innovative ideas and insights through his research, and successfully translated them into commercially viable and sustainable solutions. For example, three of his recent inventions on smart materials and coatings were licensed to local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the building and automotive sectors. Dr Lee is also listed as a domain expert on the Innovator Partner for Impact Tech Expert platform in recognition of his contributions to SMEs in helping them develop innovative and sustainable products. As an experienced researcher, Dr Lee is the first RP staff to secure a full commercialisation license in his research outcomes from a Decentralised Gap Fund (DGF) administered by the Ministry of Education (MOE). He spearheaded the establishment of nano-dispersion technology capabilities in RP through forging strong industry partnerships. Dr Lee currently leads several multi-disciplinary research teams to collaborate and solve industry problems. Dr Lee hopes this creates opportunities for more colleagues to pursue active industry-related research work, fostering a culture of innovation at RP in the process. Congrats for winning the Exemplary Innovator Award!