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Our work is supported by several National grants including: (1) the NMRC CSA (Senior Investigator-category); (2) the National Research Foundation Competitive Research Programme (NRF-CRP); (3) the Ministry of Education Tier 3 Grant; (4) the NMRC Open Fund Large Collaborative Grant (OF-LCG); and (5) the NMRC Centre Grant. Additionally, we are supported by large philanthropic donations, notably from the Goh Foundation to Proton Therapy Research, the Tibore Foundation to the Kua Hong Pak Head and Neck Cancer Research Programme, and the Singapore Rubber Miller Association to the Cancer and Data Science Programme, along with several industry support (BeiGene, Varian, MiRXES, ImmunoScape, etc.). Collectively, as PI and Theme PI, I have secured >25M SGD of research dollars, which support our 2 key programmes:

(1) A comprehensive nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and prostate cancer (PCa) clinical and translational research programme that leverages on innovative designs of phase II-III trials, a multi-dimensional, deeply-annotated clinical-molecular database, coupled with broad-scale computational genomics approaches for biomarker discoveries.

(2) A translational radiation research programme that leverages on bench-to-bedside expertise to understanding the mechanistic pathways of radiation resistance (RR), and to develop new treatment regimens to target these molecular vulnerabilities.

My key accomplishments include: (1) being involved in the ASCO-CSCO international guidelines on the treatment of locoregionally-advanced NPC (published in Journal of Clinical Oncology, IF 50.717); (2) Co-Lead Investigator of the randomised controlled trial of induction gemcitabine-cisplatin in high-risk locoregionally-advanced NPC (published in the New England Journal of Medicine, IF 176.1); (3) Co-Lead Investigator of the randomised controlled trial of consolidation radiotherapy in patients with metastatic NPC who manifest a good response to palliative chemotherapy (published in JAMA Oncology, IF 33.1); (4) Co-Lead Investigator of the randomised controlled trial of adjuvant capecitabine following chemoradiotherapy in high-risk locoregionally-advanced NPC (published in JAMA Oncology, IF 33.1); (5) Investigator of the first biomarker-directed trial to personalise treatment intensity in locoregionally-advanced NPC (published in Nature, IF 48.5). Currently, I co-lead the Singapore NPC Large Collaborative Grant (funding quantum 10M SGD), where I lead a platform trial – RIBBON: tReatment Individualisation By eBv stratificatiON in Locally Advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A multi-arm platform study – for locoregionally advanced NPC and recurrent-metastatic NPC. I am also a Co-Lead Investigator of 2 other phase II and phase III trials in NPC (REACT-IrNPC, NCT04448522; EP-STAR, NCT04072107).

I am extensively involved in the leadership and membership of several committees on Head and Neck Cancer; (1) I am on the scientific advisory board for the NPC Guangzhou-Singapore Trial Network; (2) Board representative for Singapore for the Head Neck Cancer International Group (HNCIG); (3) Chair of the Clinical Trials Scientific Committee of HNCIG; (4) Chair of the NPC Expert Panel for the AJCC and UICC Staging 9th version; (5) UICC Representative AJCC Head and Neck Working Group for Nasopharynx Malignancy; (6) Member of the ESTRO guidelines committee for the recommendations of post-operative radiotherapy in oral cavity cancers; (7) Co-Chair of the CSCO-CSTRO-CACA-ASTRO-ESTRO guidelines for target delineation of primary tumour and neck for NPC; and (8) Co-Chair of the CSCO-ASCO guidelines for treatment of Stage IB-III NPC. My other academic activities include my present role as the Editor-in-Chief, Annals of Nasopharynx Cancer, Associate Editor of BMJ Oncology, BMC Medicine, and Journal of the National Cancer Centre, and my previous role as the Associate Senior Editor for the Head and Neck Cancer Section of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics – Official journal of the American Society of Radiation Oncology.

I am also an active volunteer for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO); I had previously served on the International Education Steering Group, Mentor on the inaugural APAC ASCO Leadership Development Program, and past Council Member and Chair of the ASCO APAC Regional Council (term ended on 1 Jun 2024). I also served on the Program Chair Committee for the ASCO Breakthrough Meeting from 2023 to 2026; and was nominated for the Designated Radiation Oncologist Seat on the Board of Directors for ASCO in 2025. Additionally, I am also the Commissioner representative for Singapore on the Lancet Oncology Commission on Cancer in the Commonwealth, and in 2025, I was appointed as the Commissioner for the ICRU – The International Commission for Radiation Units and Measurements.

I am also an ad hoc advisor to several local and global companies, including BeiGene, Bicara Therapeutics, ImmunoScape, EiraBio, Merck, MSD, Janssen, Pfizer, and Varian; Of note, I am on the Global Advisory Team to advise Bicara Therapeutics, EiraBio, MSD, and Pfizer on their Head and Neck Cancer strategy and therapeutic portfolio. I am also a Co-Founder of an antibody-based lateral flow diagnostic kit that has spun-off to a biotechnology company – Digital Life Line, for which I currently serve on the Board of Directors.

I have published over 230 peer-reviewed papers, with a H-index of 51 (>14,000 citations); I am the Lead Author of the Nasopharynx Cancer Chapter of the 12th edition of the Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology – the most widely-used oncology textbook worldwide, as well as other highly cited articles in the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Nature, Cell, Journal of Clinical Oncology and JAMA Oncology. Consequently, I am listed as the World’s Top 2% Most Cited Scientists by the Stanford-Elsevier group in consecutive years since 2023 (2023, 2024, and 2025). For my work, I have received numerous honours, including the SingHealth Excellence Distinguished Researcher Award, Conquer Cancer Foundation ASCO Merit Awards, NMRC Clinician-Scientist Award (Investigator), Fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists, Fellow of the Academy of Medicine Singapore (FAMS), and Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO; first Singaporean National to be inducted for class of 2025).