Executive Leadership Team

At the helm of NIRBA is a visionary Executive Leadership Team that guides the programme’s strategic direction, fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, and champions scientific excellence. Composed of distinguished scientists, they bring together deep expertise in molecular biology, translational medicine, innovation strategy, and national research development.

Their collective leadership ensures that NIRBA remains at the forefront of RNA science—building world-class capabilities, accelerating discoveries, and translating breakthroughs into impactful solutions for Singapore and beyond. United by a shared commitment to excellence and collaboration, NIRBA’s Executive Leadership Team drives Singapore’s ambition to become a global hub for RNA research and its applications.

Executive Director

Ashok VENKITARAMAN
Distinguished Professor of Medicine,
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine,
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Chief Scientist
A*STAR Biomedical Research Council

Members

John Campbell CHAMBERS
Toh Kian Chui Distinguished Professor
Cardiovascular Epidemiology,
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine,
Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
Chief Scientific Officer
Precision Health Research Singapore (PRECISE)
Polly Leilei CHEN
Associate Director & Principal Investigator
Cancer Science Institute of Singapore,
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Assistant Head & Associate Professor
Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine,
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Boon Cher GOH
Senior Consultant
Department of Haematology-Oncology,
National University Cancer Institute Singapore (NCIS)
Professor
Department of Pharmacology & Department of Medicine,
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Dahai LUO
Associate Professor
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine,
Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
Principal Research Scientist
National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID)
Patrick TAN
Professor & Senior Vice Dean (Research)
Duke-NUS Medical School
Executive Director
Precision Health Research Singapore (PRECISE)
Yue WAN
Executive Director
A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS)
Associate Director
Epigenetic and Epitranscriptomic Systems,
A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS)
Linfa WANG​
Professor
Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases,
Duke-NUS Medical School
Executive Director
Programme for Research in Epidemic Preparedness and Response (PREPARE)
Dave Keng Boon WEE
Core Investigator
Division of Cell and Molecular Therapy,
A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB)
Wei WU
Principal Investigator
A*STAR Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN)
Associate Professor
Department of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences,
National University of Singapore (NUS)