Senior Principal Scientist III, ISCE2

A*STAR RESEARCH ENTITIES; Singapore; On-site; SGD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation support

Annual performance bonus

Job summary

A*STAR RESEARCH ENTITIES is seeking a senior process engineering leader to shape a future-ready platform for process development, scale-up and technology translation in Singapore. You will drive end-to-end capability building, digital enablement and TEA/LCA-informed decisions to strengthen decarbonization initiatives critical to Singapore's energy transition and industrial competitiveness.

You will lead multidisciplinary teams across research, engineering and commercialization, elevating

Job description

Job Summary

The role will lead the development of ISCE²'s future-ready process engineering capabilities, establishing the institute as A*STAR's go-to hub for process engineering excellence and technology translation. The incumbent will build integrated digital and AI-enabled platforms that support end-to-end process engineering, from technology development and scale-up to commercialization, while providing strategic leadership for emerging decarbonization technologies that are critical to Singapore's energy transition and industrial competitiveness.

Key Responsibilities

1. Establish a Future-Ready Process Engineering Platform

• Develop and implement an integrated process engineering platform spanning:
• Process design and engineering
• Process simulation and digital modelling
• Materials and equipment selection
• Process scale-up and piloting
• Process safety and risk assessment
• Techno-Economic Assessment (TEA)
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
• Leverage advanced digital tools, AI, machine learning and automation technologies to improve engineering productivity, decision quality and innovation outcomes.
• Build a standardized workflow and methodology that supports end-to-end technology development and deployment.

2. Drive Process Engineering Excellence and Capability Development

• Position the team as the organization's go-to centre of excellence for process engineering.
• Develop industry-relevant competencies beyond traditional manufacturing operations, including:
• Front-end engineering and technology evaluation
• Process development and optimization
• Technology scale-up and commercialization
• Cross-disciplinary innovation and systems thinking
• Establish best practices, technical standards and knowledge management systems to elevate engineering capabilities across the organization.

3. Strengthen Innovation Translation and Ecosystem Partnerships

• Collaborate closely with R&D teams, Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), A*STAR researchers and industry stakeholders.
• Inject practical engineering considerations, commercialization pathways and deployment realities into research programmes and proposals.
• Identify and nurture promising technologies with strong translational and commercial potential.
• Build strategic partnerships to accelerate technology development and ecosystem adoption.

4. Provide Strategic Leadership for Decarbonization Technologies

• Serve as the process engineering subject matter expert for the Decarbonization sector.
• Lead technical assessments and roadmaps for key emerging technologies, including:
• Methane Cracking
• Ammonia Cracking
• Electrochemical Processes
• Other low-carbon process technologies
• Evaluate technology maturity, scale-up readiness, economics and sustainability impact.
• Provide recommendations on buy-build-partner strategies and technology investment decisions.

5. Enable Successful Delivery of Strategic Decarbonization Projects

• Provide technical governance and engineering leadership for major decarbonization programmes.
• Support project planning, risk management, technology selection and execution strategies.
• Ensure robust project delivery from concept development through demonstration and scale-up.
• Drive alignment among research, engineering, commercial and stakeholder objectives.

Requirements

• Advanced degree (PhD preferred) in Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, Energy Systems, or related disciplines.
• 15+ years of experience spanning process development, scale-up, engineering design, and technology commercialization.
• Deep expertise in process simulation, process safety, TEA, LCA and industrial deployment.
• Proven experience leading multidisciplinary teams and complex innovation programmes.
• Strong understanding of decarbonization technologies, energy transition pathways and sustainability assessment.
• Experience working across research institutes, academia and industry ecosystems.
• Familiarity with digital engineering, AI and advanced analytics applications in process engineering.