Darel Toh Wee Kiat, Top Graduate Researcher Award in the Faculty of Science and Best Graduate Researcher Award in the Department of Food Science & Technology 2021.
FST is proud to announce that Darel Toh Wee Kiat has been awarded the Top Graduate Researcher Award in the Faculty of Science as well as the Best Graduate Researcher Award in the Department of Food Science & Technology 2021. The Best Graduate Researcher Award recognises excellent research of graduate students in each department, and the outstanding candidate among the nominees will be awarded the Top Graduate Researcher Award.
Darel’s Testimonial
My journey in NUS Food Science and Technology (FST) has been nothing short of incredible. While I am honoured to be the recipient of the Top Graduate Researcher Award in the Faculty of Science and Best Graduate Researcher Award in the Department of FST, this is definitely a team effort which would not have been possible without my brilliant supervisor Assistant Professor Kim Jung Eun, the wonderful members from Dr Kim’s lab past and present, and all the friends I made in FST these past 8 years (as an undergraduate and postgraduate). Especially to Dr Kim, thank you for believing in me, nurturing me and for being an exceptional supervisor as well as an inspiration to the lab group. It is my genuine pleasure to be your first Ph. D. student.
In brief, my Ph. D. research investigated the cardiovascular protective effects of carotenoids (bioactive compounds abundant in fruits and vegetables) through the application of various study designs including cross-sectional studies, randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews, meta-regressions and meta-analyses. My research findings highlighted the promise of incorporating carotenoids-rich foods to a healthy dietary pattern, as an effective and versatile approach to attenuate cardiovascular disease risk in middle-aged and older Singaporean adults. As a research with multidisciplinary scope, I was blessed with amazing opportunities to work with scientists and professionals from faculties outside of Science (Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine), healthcare institutions (National University Health Systems and University Health Centre) and private industries (Brand’s Suntory Asia). With Dr Kim, my lab mates and collaborators, we also published our research findings in top journals for human nutrition such as the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Nutrition Reviews.
Thank you FST for shaping me to be the researcher I am today and for this truly enriching and unforgettable experience.