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Professor Ken Tye Yong

FRSN, FIEAust, FRSC, FInstP, FRSB, FRAS, FIMMM, FOSA, FSPIE
Associate Dean (External Engagement), Faculty of Engineering
Professor, School of Biomedical Engineering
Professor Ken Tye Yong

Ken-Tye Yong is a Professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Sydney. He is an internationally recognized leader at the intersection of translational nanobiophotonics, nanomedicine, sustainability innovation, and research system design. He previously served as Associate Dean (External Engagement) for the Faculty of Engineering, where he led major cross-sector initiatives, established global research and education partnerships, and secured funding for industry-facing programs and student mobility. He is a member of the management committee of the Warren Centre, an independent think tank focused on advancing engineering innovation across academia, government, and industry.

He co-founded the Net Zero Initiative to integrate climate strategy across engineering, science, policy, and business. As one of its co-leaders, he helped guide its evolution into the independent Net Zero Institute—now a flagship centre for cross-disciplinary research and engagement in climate and sustainability.

Professor Yong holds a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He completed his postdoctoral training at the Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics (SUNY Buffalo), focusing on nanomaterials for imaging and therapeutics. Prior to academia, he was a Samuel Stroum AACR Research Fellow, developing multimodal nanoprobes for pancreatic cancer detection and targeted drug delivery.

At Nanyang Technological University, he held the Provost’s Chair in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He directed the Centre for Bio-Devices and Signal Analysis and led the Nanoelectronics Centre of Excellence. His research group has published over 250 peer-reviewed journal articles and has received sustained international recognition. His core work spans biophotonics, nanotoxicology, RNA delivery systems, wearable diagnostic platforms, and triboelectric nanogenerators for drug release. Additional areas include microfluidics modeling, plasmonic sensors, and conjugated oligoelectrolyte-based delivery vectors.

His work has been recognized by leading professional societies. He is a recipient of the Beilby Medal and Prize for contributions to quantum dots and nanoparticle systems in nanomedicine, and the Rosenhain Medal and Prize for innovations in triboelectric materials, 2D systems, and AIE nanoparticles. He has received the Distinguished Lecturer Awards from both the IEEE Photonics Society and IEEE Nanotechnology Council. At NTU, his awards include the Faculty Award for Exceptional Research, the Early Career Teaching Excellence Award, and recognition as an Outstanding Faculty Member.

He is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America, the Royal Society of New South Wales, Engineers Australia, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Royal Society of Biology, the Institute of Physics, and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. He is also a Senior Member of the IEEE.

His team has secured significant translational funding to commercialize sensor systems and nanoscale innovations. Among these is an ultra-sensitive microfiber sensor for water safety monitoring, awarded gold medals at the iENA International Trade Fair and the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions, and recognized by MIT Technology Review. He is co-founder of two deep-tech startup ventures and actively mentors student founders and early-career innovators.

Alongside his scientific work, he has a long-standing involvement in astronomy education. At NTU, he designed and taught a general education course on astronomy and cosmology, drawing over 800 students each semester. He continues to support public science outreach through community-based astronomical programs.

His current work focuses on expanding climate-tech integration, advancing translational nanobiophotonics, and mentoring the next generation of research leaders across academia and innovation ecosystems.

For more on Professor Ken-Tye Yong’s current research, visit the Biophotonics and MechanoBioengineering Lab. His lab focuses on engineering light-activated and mechano-responsive nanosystems for diagnostics, targeted delivery, and sustainable health solutions—integrating principles from nanomedicine, energy harvesting, and soft-matter mechanics. The lab operates as a translational bridge between biomedical discovery and climate-resilient innovation.

Professor Ken-Tye Yong is committed to cultivating the next generation of researchers, innovators, and thought leaders. His teaching philosophy is grounded in research-led learning, cross-disciplinary fluency, and societal impact. At the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, he integrates advanced nanobiophotonics, translational engineering, and sustainability thinking into curriculum design.

He has supervised over 30 PhD and Master’s students to completion across engineering, biomedical sciences, and applied physics—many of whom now hold positions in academia, industry, and public service globally. He is particularly passionate about mentoring students in research commercialization, deep-tech entrepreneurship, and global engagement.

Professor Yong welcomes HDR students and postdoctoral researchers who are motivated to tackle frontier challenges in healthcare, climate, and sensing technologies—especially those eager to work across disciplinary and institutional boundaries.

Professor Yong is currently leading and contributing to a portfolio of research and innovation programs that align with the University’s strategic mission to deliver research excellence with real-world impact:

  • Translational Nanomedicine Platforms: Developing next-generation photonic and nanoparticle systems for cancer diagnostics, precision drug delivery, and neurodegenerative disease sensing, in collaboration with clinical and biotech partners.

  • Climate-Tech and Sustainability Integration: Co-leading multi-institutional efforts to advance renewable sensor networks, triboelectric energy systems, and circular economy diagnostics under the Net Zero Institute framework.

  • AI and Systems Biology Convergence: Investigating AI-guided nanosystems for dynamic imaging and responsive therapy design, with applications in personalized medicine and regenerative engineering.

  • Cross-Sector Research Capacity Building: Designing frameworks for early-career researcher development, research commercialization, and deep-tech spinout support in partnership with Sydney Knowledge Hub and national industry clusters.

  • Research Systems and Leadership Innovation: Contributing to institutional initiatives that strengthen research lifecycle enablement and interdisciplinary collaboration across faculties.

- Fellow, Royal Society of New South Wales (FRSN)

- Fellow, The Institute of Engineers Australia (IEAust)

- Fellow, The Optical Society of America (OSA)

- Fellow, Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (FIMMM)

- Fellow, Institute of Physics (FInstP)

- Fellow, Royal Society of Biology (FRSB)

- Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC)

- Member, Advisory Board, Chemical Society Reviews (RSC)

- Long Service Award, NTU, 2020

- Highly Cited Researhers, PLOS BIOLOGY, JPA Ioannidis, 2020

- 2019 Outstanding Reviewers for Chemical Society Reviews, 2020

- Provost's Chair in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, NTU, 2019

- Highly Cited Researhers, PLOS BIOLOGY, JPA Ioannidis, 2019

- Outstanding Faculty Member, College of Engineering, NTU, 2018

- Gold Medal, The 70th International Trade Fair Ideas - Inventions New Products (iENA), 2018

- Gold Medal with Jury's Commendation, 46th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, 2018

- Distinguished Lecturer Award, IEEE Photonics Society, 2018

- Rosenhain Medal and Prize, Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3), 2018

- Beilby Medal and Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), 2017

- Graduate, NTU Leadership Academy, 2016

- Faculty Award for Early Career Teaching Excellence, NTU, 2015

- Samuel Stroum - American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Fellowship Award, 2008

- SUNY Visionary Innovator Award, University at Buffalo, 2007

- Member, Tau Beta Pi, The National Engineering Honor Society, 2001

Biomedical engineering and technology, Water and the environment, Materials and structures
Project titleResearch student
Novel Bilirubin measuring and monitoring devices using advanced lightwave technology for better neonatal jaundice treatmentMingqian CHEN
Harnessing Neonates' Breath using Hybrid Triboelectric and Piezoelectric Nanogenerators using Adaptive Model Predictive Control AlgorithmsKarchung KARCHUNG
Sensing Polarization with Chromophores and NanoparticlesYun Peng LI

Publications

Selected Grants

2025

  • Establishing international consortium for high-performance metallic hydride in hydrogen storage, Wu C, Yong K, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation/International Hydrogen Research Collaboration Program

2024

  • Single-molecule Manipulation and Interaction Facility (SMIF), Ju A, Kabakova I, Van Oijen A, Baker M, Wickham S, Spenkelink L, Gu Z, Su Q, Shen Y, Qiao R, Cheng W, Davis T, Yong K, Eggleton B, Morsch M, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF)
  • Enhancing plant production in the Mekong Delta, Yong K, Net Zero Institute/NZI Alliance for Impact