Miranda Yap facts for kids
Miranda Yap (born August 1948 – died October 14, 2015) was a brilliant professor and a leader in science from Singapore. She worked at the National University of Singapore in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department. She was also the Executive Director of the Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) at Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). Dr. Yap made huge contributions to the field of biotechnology, especially in how we grow cells for making medicines.
Early Life and Education
Miranda Yap first studied applied chemistry at the University of Singapore, which is now known as the National University of Singapore (NUS). After that, she earned a master's degree in biochemical engineering from University College London in 1973. She then went on to get her PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Toronto in 1979.
Career Highlights
Dr. Yap returned to Singapore in 1982 to work at NUS. With support from the government, she helped start the Bioprocessing Technology Unit (BTU) in 1990. This unit later became the Bioprocessing Technology Centre (BTC) in 1995, and Dr. Yap became its Director. It was a national research center focused on bioprocessing technology.
In 2003, the center changed its name again to the Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI). It moved to a new research hub in Singapore called Biopolis. Dr. Yap also helped create two other important organizations: the Centre for Natural Product Research (now Merlion Pharmaceuticals) and the Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology Center (now A-Bio Pharma). Throughout her career, she wrote 58 scientific papers that were published in respected journals.
Awards and Recognition
In February 2006, Miranda Yap was recognized internationally. She was named a Foreign Associate of the United States National Academy of Engineering. This was a huge honor! They praised her for her amazing work in teaching, research, and managing projects related to growing cells in labs. She was the only female scientist and only the second person from Singapore to be chosen for this academy.
In 2009, she received Singapore's most important science award, the President's Science and Technology Medal. She was the very first woman to win this prestigious prize.
In November 2006, Dr. Yap also became the Executive Director of the A*STAR Graduate Academy (A*GA). In this role, she focused on finding and developing talented young scientists, working with Imperial College London.
She was also a guest lecturer at the Advanced Course in Cell Technology at the University of Minnesota. They described her as the founder of BTI, which was key to Singapore's success in making medicines using biological processes. She helped BTI grow from a small unit at NUS into a well-known international institution. She also taught many students about biotechnology, especially about cell culture technology. Her work included studying how cells work and using advanced analysis to improve cell engineering.
Personal Life
Miranda Yap was married to Dr. Yap Kian Tiong. She passed away in Singapore on October 14, 2015, five years after suffering from an aneurysm.
