SMART Center
The Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Center is a major research enterprise in Singapore established by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the National Research Foundation of Singapore. The SMART Center brings together faculty, researchers, and graduate students from MIT with academic and industry researchers in Singapore and Asia to collaborate in exciting new areas of science and technology.
Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) currently working at the SMART Center include:
BioSystems and Micromechanics (BioSyM)
Led by professor Roger D. Kamm, the SMART BioSyM IRG has three major areas of focus. First and foremost is the development of new technologies to address critical medical and biological questions applicable to a variety of diseases but focusing on liver disease. Technologies range from single molecule assays to microfluidics to multi-scale imaging and modeling. Second, is the further development of these technologies to provide novel solutions for the healthcare industry. Third, is to provide a constant source of new technologies to the broader Singapore research infrastructure.
Center for Environmental Sensing and Modeling (CENSAM)
A center of research excellence led by professor Andrew Whittle, CENSAM aims to provide proof of concept for pervasive monitoring and multi-scale modeling of the ocean, land, and atmosphere. The ultimate goal of CENSAM is to develop a representation of the natural and built environment that will seamlessly transition from microscale processes at the level of individual constructed facilities (1-10 km) to the mesoscale of the city-state of Singapore (10-100 km) to the macrosystem of the coupled biosphere-atmosphere-ocean at the regional scale (100-1000 km).
Future Urban Mobility (FM)
Led by professor Amedeo Odoni, FM IRG aims to develop, in and beyond Singapore, new paradigms for the planning, design and operation of future urban passenger and freight transportation systems that enhance sustainability and societal well-being. Emphasis will be placed on innovations in public transport, but automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic will also be addressed. In collaboration with the new Transportation@MIT initiative, the FM IRG will also adopt approaches that integrate information on human and commercial activities, land use, transportation, environmental impacts, and energy use.
Infectious Disease (ID)
Led by professor Jianzhu Chen, this cutting-edge research program studies pathogen-host interaction, focusing on infectious diseases that are of particular concern in Singapore and Asia. The group’s major goals are to advance basic understanding of pathogen-host interactions at the cellular and molecular levels; use this basic knowledge to develop diagnostics, prophylactics and therapeutics for specific infectious diseases; and train a new generation of leaders for academia and the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry.
