MEET THE TEAM
At Q:TEMP, we strongly believe in a diverse and interdisciplinary approach. Our team members and collaborators come from different cultures and have wide-ranging backgrounds in physics, chemistry, material science, electrical engineering, AI, and more. This creates an enriching and collaborative environment for problem-solving, peer learning, creativity, and fun!
Principal Investigator
Dr. Aaron Chit Siong Lau, DPhil (Oxford, 2017), is Principal Scientist I at A*STAR Quantum Innovation Centre (Q.InC), and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). He is Director of the Quantum Devices & Electronics Pillar in Q.InC.
Aaron has received awards such as the A*STAR Graduate Scholarship, Oxford Hetherington Prize, Career Development Award, MTC Young Individual Research Grant, and MTC Individual Research Grant. In 2025, he was awarded the prestigious National Research Foundation Competitive Research Programme Frontier (NRF CRP Frontier) which seeks to pursue innovative use-inspired research that can potentially enable paradigm shifts and breakthroughs in scientific knowledge.
He is fascinated with the physics of low-dimensional materials and pioneers novel nanofabrication techniques to study quantum transport. Passionate about scientific communication, Aaron serves as an A*STAR ambassador, engaging in initiatives like Scientist-In-Schools to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Aaron is an avid traveller with a serious and incurable affliction of wanderlust. He played basketball all his life, but aging knees constantly threaten to change this paradigm.
Email: aaron_lau@imre.a-star.edu.sg
Aaron Chit Siong Lau
Senior Research Engineer
Dr. Ankit Bhardwaj is a Senior Research Engineer II at the Quantum Innovation Centre, A*STAR, Singapore. He obtained his PhD from Condensed Matter Physics group (birthplace of Graphene) at The University of Manchester. His doctoral research pioneered ultramicrotomy-assisted nanofabrication of two-dimensional (2D) membranes, enabling advances in nanofluidics, electrocatalysis, and energy devices.
Prior to joining A*STAR, Dr. Bhardwaj was a Postdoctoral Fellow at KAUST, where he worked on piezoelectric fibers and wearable sensors. He also served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at The University of Manchester, focusing on 2D materials and angstrom-scale channels for ion transport and energy applications. His earlier research experience includes developing functional polymeric materials and membranes at IMRE, ASTAR, Singapore.
Dr. Bhardwaj’s expertise spans nanofabrication, 2D materials, nanofluidics, polymer composites, and device integration.
Outside of research, he enjoys playing and watching cricket, cooking, and hiking.
Email: ankit_bhardwaj@imre.a-star.edu.sg
Ankit Bhardwaj
Scientist
Xiong aims at making next generation transistors based on 2D materials at a*STAR. He holds a great variety of interest in experimental physics and materials sciences. Xiong spent years learning how to explore the quantum world at nanoscale using scanning probe microscopy.
He obtained his BA in Physics in Nankai University, Tianjin China; master’s degree at Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences; PhD degree of MSE at University of California, Riverside. Later he conducted postdoc research at Columbia University in New York.
In May 2025, Xiong joined a*STAR as a research scientist, working on transistors and sensors leveraging 2D materials’ excellent electric and optical properties.
Xiong loves hiking, cycling and road trips around.
Email: xiong_huang@imre.a-star.edu.sg
Xiong Huang
Senior Research Engineer I
Prior to joining IMRE, Rainer was a process engineer at SERIS developing and fabricating P-type solar cells after graduation with a Bachelor from NTU’s School of Materials Science & Engineering. Moving forward, he will be contributing to the research in quantum materials through the development of fabrication process recipes for two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, topological insulators and conventional semiconductors among others.
Email: rainer_lee@imre.a-star.edu.sg
Rainer Lee
Research Engineer
Cassandra earned her Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the National University of Singapore in 2023 and her Master’s degree in Advanced Materials Science and Engineering from Imperial College London in 2024, where she conducted research on novel mesoporous alloys for catalytic applications. By joining A*STAR’s Quantum Innovation Centre, her focus will be on the fabrication of 2D quantum devices and the development of 2D oxide materials.
She has strong research interests in experimental materials science, with an emphasis on nanomaterials. In her free time, she enjoys watching sports and traveling.
Email: cassandra_ma@imre.a-star.edu.sg
Cassandra Ma
PhD Student
Mehamed is a PhD student at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and an A*STAR Research Attachment Programme (ARAP) Researcher affiliated with Q.InC. His research focuses on the development of 2D material nanohybrids for optoelectronic and biosensing applications.
During his first year at QMUL, Mehamed worked on optimizing common functionalisation strategies and studied their effects on the optical properties of 2D materials. Prior to his doctoral studies, he earned an MSc in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2019, where his research on thermally conductive polymer nanocomposites based on 2D materials resulted in two conference papers, two peer-reviewed journal articles, a book chapter, and a US provisional patent. His outstanding research contributions earned him the Best Graduate Researcher Award in 2020.
Outside the lab, Mehamed enjoys spending time with family, outdoor activities, playing and watching football, and staying informed on geopolitical developments.
Email: mehamedsalih.ali@gmail.com
Mehamed Salih Abdela Ali
PhD Student
Tho earned his Master degree in Materials Science from the Hanoi University of Science and Technology in 2003. In 2024, he joined A*STAR and SUTD, Singapore, where he is investigating novel oxide semiconductor materials and 2D semiconductors for field effect transistors and quantum device applications. He is passionate about experimental work and problem-solving to continually learn more about physics and chemistry.
In his free time, he enjoys music and outdoor adventures.
Email: tho_luuvan@mymail.sutd.edu.sg
Tho Van Luu
PhD Student
Aryan completed his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Himachal Pradesh University, followed by a master’s degree in chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. During his postgraduate studies, he developed a strong interest in fabricating optoelectronic devices using small organic molecules, which shaped his decision to pursue a PhD at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) in collaboration with A*STAR Quantum Innovation Centre (Q.InC). His current research focuses on the fabrication of tunnel field-effect transistors (TFETs).
In his free time, he enjoys leisure walking, reading novels, and watching movies.
Email: aryan_aryan@mymail.sutd.edu.sg
Aryan
PhD Student
Email: chen_bohan@mymail.sutd.edu.sg
Bohan Chen
PhD Student
Julia earned her Master’s degree at University College London (UCL) in Chemistry and is a PhD student at UCL, supervised by Dr. Adam Clancy. Her research focuses on the synthesis of liquid-dispersed nanoribbons (NRs) of van der Waals materials and subsequent fabrication of quasi-1D based field-effect transistors (FETs) using these NRs after joining the A*STAR Quantum Innovation Centre (Q.InC) on the A*STAR Research Attachment Programme (ARAP).
In her free time, she enjoys watching films, photography, and long walks.
Email: julia.dylewska.20@ucl.ac.uk
Julia Dylewska
Master’s Student
Email: e1616023@u.nus.edu
Miao Li
ARIA Intern
Zixuan is an undergraduate at the National University of Singapore, majoring in Physics and Mathematics with a specialisation in Quantum Technologies. Her interests lie in quantum materials and condensed matter physics, blending her academic focus on theoretical research with experimental internships at A*STAR, where she worked on data-driven optimization of measurement methods and semiconductor device characterization.
In her free time, she enjoys making music and performing with orchestras.
Email: lizixuan1612@gmail.com
Zixuan Li
FYP Student
Joshua is a Year 3 undergraduate at the National University of Singapore (NUS), pursuing a double major in Engineering Science and Physics. He is currently involved in research focused on nanofabrication and nanolithography techniques for 2D materials, with applications in semiconductor devices. He has a strong interest in experimental physics and enjoys tackling complex problems through hands on investigation and critical thinking.
In his free time, Joshua enjoys playing a variety of sports and likes to try a bit of everything.
Email: tjx27@u.nus.edu
Joshua Tan Jia Xin
Alumni
Dasari Ventakrishnarao (Now at IIT Bombay)
Yanqi Huan (Now at Harvard University)
Yaoju Tarn (Now at Stanford)
Yincheng Liu (Now at Caltech)
Yee Wen Teh
Huanrui Yang
Siau Tan (Now at Oxford)
Shanying Lim
Fabian Tan
Sparsh Doknia
Weixi Huang
Popsuk Sumetchoengprachya
Zhifeng Chia
JOIN OUR TEAM
We are always looking for talented and motivated people to join our team.
Whether you are a high school student, undergraduate, post-graduate, or post-doctoral fellow, don’t hesitate to reach out with your cover letter, academic transcript, and CV to discuss potential short or long-term opportunities.