The German professor Herbert Gleiter was presenting his pioneering idea for nanocrystalline materials at a conference in 1990 when he grabbed the attention of a 25-year-old Ph.D. student from Princeton University. The impact of this idea on this young student of chemical engineering was so great that she also spent her postdoctoral studies under the supervision of the same professor in Germany. Now, more than two decades later, nanostructured materials remain the key focus of her research.
Only two years later, Jackie Yi-ru Ying, who had already focused on nanostructured materials, especially in the fields of biomedicine, catalysis, and energy, started her career as a young assistant professor at MIT. In 1999, MIT Technology Review called Ying one of the 100 young and innovative figures of science, technology, and art. According to this review, Jackie Ying was more interested in explaining the applications of nanoscale materials than in their chemical mysteries.
A year later, at the age of 35, she was made a full professor at MIT in the chemical engineering department. It wasn’t long before Ying returned to Singapore, where she had spent a great deal of her childhood, to establish the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), a division of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and serve as its executive director. This institute is committed to making a space for the coming together of bioengineering and nanotechnology where talented individuals from all over the world gather. Ying believes her biggest challenge to be conducting research at the border of technology that has a grave impact on society.
The extensive research carried out in this institute under her supervision led to the publication of hundreds of articles in the world’s most prestigious journals and the registration of hundreds of patents. At the time, this young professor was chosen as one of the young global leaders at the World Economic Forum, and later in 2008, she was chosen by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers as one of the top 100 contemporary engineers.
As Ying expected, the results of her achievements were not limited to scientific circles and found a wide reflection in society. After receiving the Abdeali Tayebali Life Time Achievement award in Singapore, an award granted to individuals who inspire others and are dedicated to serving the public, expressed her great satisfaction that her works have been seen outside scientific societies. In this regard, Ying stated, “Scientific research paves the way for technological breakthroughs that have the potential to transform healthcare and benefit society.”
Scientific research paves the way for technological breakthroughs that have the potential to transform healthcare and benefit society
In 2015, Jackie Ying, one of the two laureates of the first round of Mustafa Prize, received her award at Vahdat Hall in Tehran. She was granted this award for “the synthesis of well-designed advanced nanostructured materials and systems, nanostructured biomaterials and miniaturized bio-systems of various interesting applications including the development of ‘stimuli-responsive polymeric nanoparticles’ for diabetic patients.” According to the scientific committee of Mustafa Prize, “Professor Jackie Ying’s research has left a tremendous impact in the field of nanostructured materials through the creation of nanoparticles, nanocomposites and nanoporous materials.” Using the nano tool box, Prof. Ying has created new materials and systems that tackle the major challenges in different areas. For example, her laboratory has developed polymer nanoparticles that are capable of auto-regulating the release of insulin depending on blood glucose levels. This invention bypasses the need for blood glucose monitoring by finger pricks. So far, Ying has been the only female scientist to receive Mustafa Prize. One year after receiving this award, Ying’s bust was unveiled in her presence in the Pardis Technology Park.
In the same year, Ying, along with two of her colleagues at the Singapore Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, won the Brunei Crown Prince’s Grand Prize. This award, which has been established since 2005, was granted to the joint project of Ying and her colleagues entitled “Green tea nanocarriers to fight cancer”. The Islamic World Academy of Sciences (IAS) which is a non-profit organization of scientists and technologists was another organization honoring Ying by giving her the Ibrahim Memorial Award.
In 2018, Ying stepped down from her role as the executive director of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) to establish NanoBio Lab. The research carried out in this lab is birthed from the merging of Bioengineering and nanotechnology and covers topics such as biomaterials and biodevices. In 2018, Ying became the first woman to receive the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) Academy Prize in Science and Engineering Sciences. This award recognized her pioneering work in the synthesis of advanced nanostructured materials for biomedical- catalytic- energy and advanced materials applications. During her speech at a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Ankara- Turkey, Ying stated, “It is my hope that we can make a distinct impact through many successful clinical translation and commercialization of our research.”
Based on her excellence in conducting translational science, mentoring students and post-doctoral fellows and service to her profession, the Journal of Drug Targeting bestowed its Lifetime Achievement Award for 2020 to Ying and published a special issue in honor of her achievements. Translational science seeks to remove the gap between basic and applied sciences. Her focus on education and the discovery of emerging talents made her a two-time winner of the “Service to Education” award given by the Ministry of Education of Singapore to influential people in this field.
In the same year, Covid-19, one of the worst pandemics in recent decades, hit the world, and many scientists in the world grappled with it in various ways in order to contain this virus. From the very first days, Professor Ying and her research team focused their efforts on obtaining faster identification methods and screening tests. By making their rapid test kit, they succeeded in introducing one of the fastest methods of diagnosing the disease in the patient’s body.
Amidst the pandemic crisis, the Singapore Women’s Weekly, which addresses women’s issues in different occupations, honored Ying’s determination in combating this disease and called her “one of the great women of our time.” This publication also recognized her as a woman who is “changing Singapore’s sustainability landscape with her work on agritech and energy storage.”
In 2021, she became the first person to become a member of the US National Academy of Engineering based on her research in Singapore. Membership in this academy is granted to individuals who have made outstanding achievements in the field of engineering. Ying attributed her membership in this academy to her team’s interdisciplinary research at NanobioLab, Singapore Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, and MIT University. She is also a member of the oldest German Academy of Sciences, Leopoldia known as Leopoldina, which has been active in various scientific fields since 1652.
Ying’s endless search for applications of nanoscale materials continues to earn her numerous awards around the world. The 2023 King Faisal Prize, one of the latest international prizes to honor this famous scientist was bestowed upon Ying for her work on “the synthesis of various advanced nanomaterials and systems, and their applications in energy conversion and biomedicine.” Like the Mustafa Prize, this Prize also addressed Ying’s work on insulin.
On the verge of turning 60, Ying tirelessly pursues her activities, which are as varied as the development of new technologies and education and institutional leadership. Her outlook, which is the driving force of her life, prevents her from retreating and leads her to discover new territories. As she puts it, “there are times when things don’t go well; at these times we should step back and say: it’s not the time to nag; we should follow something else and look at the big picture.”