Carbon Capture At Scale: How New Chemistries Are Paving The Way Toward A Sustainable Future

Speakers

Speaker's Profile:

Dr Zhao earned his PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from Texas A&M University in 2010 under the mentorship of Prof. Hong-Cai Joe Zhou. Following his postdoctoral training at Argonne National Laboratory, he joined the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the National University of Singapore as an Assistant Professor in July 2012. He was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in July 2018 and to Full Professor in January 2025. Dr. Zhao’s research focuses on advanced porous materials and hybrid membranes, with applications in clean energy and environmental sustainability. His contributions to the field have earned him recognition on the Stanford/Elsevier World’s Top 2% Scientists list and as a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate. In addition to his research, Dr. Zhao has played a key role in academic publishing, serving as an Associate Editor for Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research since June 2021 before becoming its Executive Editor in January 2024.

Speaker's Profile:

Dr. Yan Jing received his Bachelor’s degree in Applied Chemistry from the University of Science and Technology Beijing, China, in 2011. He then moved to the United States to pursue his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Houston, where he worked with Prof. Yan Yao to develop aqueous organic-lithium ion batteries. During the Ph.D., as a research intern at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), Yan built the first 6 V, 15 Ah lead-quinone acid battery. Afterward, he moved from Houston to Boston, joined Prof. Roy G. Gordon and Prof. Michael J. Aziz groups at Harvard to develop redox molecules for low-cost, long-lifetime aqueous organic redox flow batteries and CO2 capture. Dr. Jing has authored more than 30 publications, including Nature Chemistry, Nature Materials, Nature Communications, JACS, ACS Energy Letters, Chem, Green Chemistry, and ChemSusChem, and has filed five patents.

Speaker's Profile:

Din is currently the Director Corporate Lab in the ExxonMobil Technology & EMTEC organization, a position he has held in Singapore since 2024. He manages > 100 top Scientists from ExxonMobil, Nanyang Technological University, and A*STAR, progressing research in the areas of Low Carbon Solutions and Product Solutions. Concurrently, he is an Adjunct Professor with the School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at Nanyang Technological University. In 2022, he was appointed as the ExxonMobil advisor for the Singapore Energy Centre, jointly founded by Nanyang Technological University and National University of Singapore. Din received his PhD from University of Southern California in Los Angeles. His R&D portfolio focused on catalyst / product design and reactor engineering. Din has authored and co-authored over 80 patents across multiple fields.

Moderator's Profile:

Yoke Ping graduated from the National University of Singapore with a B.Eng (Hons) and M.Sc in Chemical Engineering, with electives in Water and Wastewater Engineering, Biochemical Engineering and Biopharmaceutical Engineering. She is now a Registered Technology Transfer Professional and has been in this field for the past 14 years. She manages a portfolio of technologies relating to materials and systems for water, wastewater and industrial water treatment, bio- and inorganic catalysts for chemical production as well as green chemistry. She connects with NUS researchers, manages intellectual property developed by them and provides links to enterprises and venture builders, realizing engagements for collaboration, licensing and commercialization of NUS technologies. Prior to joining the field of technology transfer, she worked as a process engineer for the bio/pharmaceutical industry in Singapore and Belgium.

Speaker's Profile:

Khairu Rejal is a Partner at Investible, where he focuses on early-stage investments in climate tech, deep tech, and software across Southeast Asia and Australia. With nearly 20 years of experience in venture capital and innovation, Khairu has backed technology startups from Seed to Series B. His portfolio spans sectors including decarbonisation, enterprise solutions, and emerging technologies. A strong advocate for ecosystem building, Khairu brings a regional perspective to innovation and capital deployment, and continues to support founders working at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and long-term impact.