NUS Medicine recipients of the NUS University Awards 2026
Published: 07 Sep 2026
On 4 September, the National University of Singapore (NUS) recognised outstanding individuals for their achievements and contributions across education, research, mentorship and service to the University, Singapore and the global community.
This year’s NUS Medicine recipients reflect the breadth of excellence across the School, from advancing cancer research and developing new approaches in genomics to nurturing the next generation of researchers.
The NUS Medicine award recipients are:
- University Research Recognition Award – Professor Ashok Venkitaraman, Distinguished Professor, Department of Medicine, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
- Young Researcher Award – Assistant Professor Liu Boxiang, Presidential Young Professorship Assistant Professor Department of Biomedical Informatics, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
- Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award – Professor Liu Xiaogang, Distinguished Professor, Department of Surgery, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
University Research Recognition Award
Prof Ashok Venkitaraman has made significant contributions to the understanding of cancer biology, with research that has shaped our knowledge of how human cancers develop. A landmark discovery from his laboratory established that the breast cancer gene BRCA2 plays a role in repairing the human genome, with major implications for cancer genetics and clinical oncology. His research has since advanced understanding of DNA repair and DNA replication, including the role of the RECQL4 helicase, while his pioneering work in “protein interference” technology has contributed to the development of Cambridge spinouts PhoreMost and Sentinel Oncology. Both companies are now advancing cancer therapeutics through clinical trials. His contributions have been recognised with the 2017 Basser Global Prize and election to the UK Academy of Medical Sciences, EMBO, Academia Europaea and the American Association for Cancer Research Academy.
He is currently the Director of the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore and Distinguished Professor at the NUS Medicine. He is also Chief Scientist at A*STAR and Executive Director of the National Initiative for RNA Biology & its Applications, where he leads Singapore’s national RNA research agenda.
Young Researcher Award
Asst Prof Liu Boxiang’s work brings together genomics and artificial intelligence to shed light on the genetic basis of human disease. His research has overturned the prevailing assumption that single-cell data cannot be used for splicing detection, resulting in the development of the first population-scale map of RNA splicing regulation at single-cell resolution. The work has established a new area of research with potential applications in the study of complex diseases and cancer, and has also been used by the pharmaceutical industry to identify novel drug targets. His research has resulted in several patents and been published in Nature Genetics, Nature Methods, Cell and Science.
Asst Prof Liu is also from the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, NUS Faculty of Science. Since joining NUS in 2022, he has secured more than $10 million in research funding and delivered invited talks across five continents. His influence extends to the next generation of researchers, with his trainees receiving major local and international awards and securing competitive fellowship positions. He was recently awarded the Young Scientist Award at the President’s Science & Technology Awards for developing methods to identify genes that cause complex diseases, particularly in Asian populations.
Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award
Prof Liu Xiaogang has established an international reputation for his work in luminescent nanomaterials, developing nanoscale materials that can emit visible light under near-infrared excitation. His research has expanded the possibilities for these materials in areas including bioimaging, sensing and photonic technologies, and established him as a leading authority in the field.
Prof Liu’s contributions extend beyond research, with mentorship playing an important role in his work as an academic. Several of his doctoral students have received prestigious honours, including selection to the Youth Top-Notch Talent Plan and the National Ten Thousand Talents Programme of China. His former mentees have gone on to pursue distinguished academic careers internationally and take on influential roles in industry. Through their continued work across academia and industry, his former mentees have carried the impact of his mentorship into a range of disciplines and sectors. Prof Liu is also from the Department of Chemistry, NUS Faculty of Science.
Read about the NUS recipients on NUS News here.
