Research Associate – Neural Tissue Engineering

About the role

The laboratory of Dr. Sing Yian Chew at Nanyang Technological University seeks a motivated Research Associate to advance neural tissue engineering projects. You will design, fabricate, and evaluate biodegradable scaffolds that deliver drugs, genes, or cells to guide tissue regeneration.

Key responsibilities

• Design and characterize novel biodegradable, biocompatible materials and scaffolds for neural and stem‑cell engineering.
• Develop and fabricate soft‑tissue scaffolds using hydrogels, injectable systems, electrospinning, and 3D printing.
• Assess scaffold physical and chemical properties, release kinetics, and cell/tissue interactions in vitro and in vivo.
• Perform rodent studies, immunofluorescent and histochemical staining, and confocal microscopy analysis.
• Isolate and culture primary neural cells; conduct western blotting and quantitative RT‑PCR.
• Design experiments independently, interpret data, and author high‑impact publications.
• Supervise and train junior lab members and contribute to a collaborative research environment.

Required profile

• Master’s degree in biomaterials, biomedical engineering, tissue engineering or related field.
• Published experience in scaffold design, fabrication, and controlled drug/gene delivery.
• Proven ability to evaluate cellular responses using western blotting, immunostaining, qPCR, and microscopy.
• Strong communication skills, scientific rigor, and a passion for interdisciplinary research.

Required skills

• Biodegradable/biocompatible material synthesis
• 3D printing of tissue scaffolds
• Electrospinning
• Hydrogel formulation
• Controlled drug/gene delivery systems
• In vitro and in vivo scaffold characterization
• Rodent model handling
• Immunofluorescence and histochemical staining
• Confocal microscopy
• Primary neural cell isolation and culture
• Western blotting
• Quantitative RT‑PCR