University Awards

Outstanding Service Award

The powerful research profile of NUS enables us to make major impacts in many areas, especially on human health and disease in an ageing population. In particular, we aim to discover a means of slowing the onset and progression of dementia in the elderly, based on our research on novel antioxidants.” Professor Barry Halliwell
 
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Current Portfolio

  • Distinguished Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS
  • Senior Advisor (Academic Appointments and Research Excellence), Office of the Provost, NUS
  • Programme Leader (Neurobiology Research Programme), Life Sciences Institute, NUS
  • Chairman, Biomedical Advisory Council, A*STAR

Lifetime Achievements

  • Professor Halliwell’s 25-year career at NUS has seen him play a pivotal leadership role in driving the University’s research excellence and global reputation as a top research-intensive university. Achievements include:
    • Promoting NUS as a hub for excellence in life sciences at the Life Sciences Institute, where he heads the Neurobiology Research Programme
    • Playing an instrumental role in establishing NUS research institutes, centres and programmes, contributing to successful bids for four Research Centres of Excellence—three at NUS, one jointly with NTU (NTU-led)—and the Centre for Advanced 2D Materials
    • Overseeing various key research programmes at NUS, including the Neurobiology Research Programme at the Life Sciences Institute and the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore
    • Spearheading pioneering models of multidisciplinary graduate research education, thereby strengthening the quality of graduate education at NUS
    • Raising the translational impact of NUS research by driving research collaborations with industry, in collaboration with NUS Enterprise

Service to nation and the international community

  • Lauded as one of the world’s leading biochemists, Professor Halliwell has significantly advanced our understanding of the role of free radicals and antioxidants in biological systems, paving the way for more effective treatment of disease, especially neurodegenerative diseases
    • His transformative research, particularly on Alzheimer’s disease and other brain disorders, includes identification of the most important antioxidants in the human diet as well as the development of novel antioxidants to treat diseases
    • His outstanding contributions have garnered him numerous accolades, including the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Society for Free Radical Biology and Medicine, USA (2008) and Citation Laureate (2021), a distinction awarded by Clarivate to the most highly cited researchers in their field and whose work is of Nobel class. In 2013, he was awarded the Science and Technology Medal by the President of Singapore for sustained and exceptional contributions to Singapore’s science and engineering landscape
  • Professor Halliwell has played an instrumental role in the strategic development of the R&D sector in Singapore and beyond. Contributions include:
    • Playing a key role in the development of core new intellectual activities in Singapore in fields such as ageing, clean water, neurobiology, and digital media, including the establishment of the NUS Virtual Institute for the Study of Ageing in 2015
    • Shaping the growth of the R&D sector as consultant and advisor to national and international industry and public bodies in various fields, including biomedical research, and environmental and water technologies

Awards and Accolades

  • Advances in Nutrition Research Award, Society of Nutrition and Food Science (2015)
  • Lifetime Achievement Award, Singapore Neuroscience Association (2014)
  • NUS Outstanding Researcher Award (2012)
  • Ken Bowman Research Award, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, Canada (2011)
  • Public Administration Medal (Silver) (2010)

Education

  • DSc (University of London)
  • DPhil (University of Oxford)
  • BA (University of Oxford) 
 
 Honour Roll Recipients