Prof Qiu Cheng-Wei is the winner of the President’s Science Award at the 2023 President’s Science and Technology Awards.
The awards are the country’s top honours for research scientists and engineers, and are given annually to those who have made exceptional contributions to science and technology. Giving the example of holding a needle up to a candle flame, he explained: “We can engineer the structure of the needle such that we can slow down the heat conduction. So you may hold the needle, but you don’t feel the heat. We could also engineer the structure of the needle to conduct the heat much faster than what steel could allow.”
“I have been working on this for the past 15 years. I feel grateful that the country and panel recognised my research excellence, and it showcases that the research has a real-world impact,” he added. In his role as chief defence scientist from 2016 to 2021, Mr Quek had a major influence on developing disruptive technologies for the Singapore Armed Forces.President Tharman Shanmugaratnam presenting the President’s Science Award to Prof Qiu Cheng-Wei on Oct 20. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE