On January 29, the inaugural Southeast Asia Materials Forum was held in Singapore. The forum was jointly organized by the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at National University of Singapore, and the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Nanyang Technological University. The event was co-hosted by the Southeast Asia Center for Intelligent Materials Innovation under the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Singapore Graduate School and the Antai Asia-Pacific Center. With the theme “AI for Materials” the forum aimed to bring together leading scholars and young researchers working at the intersection of materials science and artificial intelligence across Southeast Asia. Participants explored emerging paradigms, opportunities, and collaborative ecosystems for materials research in the age of intelligent technologies. The opening ceremony was attended by Xiaoqin Zeng, Vice President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Peishi Li, Vice President of Nanyang Technological University; Yinghong Peng, Dean of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Singapore Graduate School; Junmin Xue, Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at National University of Singapore; Qiwei Huang, Dean of the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Nanyang Technological University; Junyong Wu, Director of the Accelerate to Market Centre for Future Energy at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR); and Lizhen Sun, Party Secretary of the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Scholars and representatives from Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam also attended the forum. The opening ceremony was chaired by Lizhen Sun.
In their opening remarks, Xiaoqin Zeng, Peishi Li, and Yinghong Peng highlighted the importance of strengthening regional collaboration in materials science and artificial intelligence.
Xiaoqin Zeng noted that Shanghai Jiao Tong University has built a solid foundation for cooperation with universities and research institutions in Singapore through long-term academic exchanges. The establishment of the Southeast Asia Center for Intelligent Materials Innovation last year marked an important step in the School’s international development and regional engagement. The forum, he said, represents the beginning of a regular high-level exchange platform based in Singapore and serving the broader Southeast Asian region. He expressed hope that the forum would become a hub for gathering ideas, fostering innovation, and building collaborative ecosystems, while promoting the deep integration of artificial intelligence in materials design, synthesis, manufacturing, and industrial applications.
Peishi Li congratulated the organizers on the successful launch of the forum. She emphasized that artificial intelligence is reshaping the paradigm of materials research and development. Nanyang Technological University attaches great importance to collaboration with leading regional partners such as Shanghai Jiao Tong University. She expressed her expectation that the forum would further promote multi-dimensional cooperation in joint research, talent cultivation, and academic exchange, and help build regional platforms capable of addressing global challenges and generating impactful research outcomes.
Yinghong Peng stated that the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Singapore Graduate School is committed to building a high-level platform for academic exchange and collaboration. With the complementary strengths and regional advantages of the three organizing universities, she noted, the forum will continue to inject vitality into the development of materials science in Southeast Asia and promote collaborative innovation among academia, industry, research institutions, and application sectors.
The forum featured keynote presentations by Shyue Ping Ong from National University of Singapore, Shuzhou Li from Nanyang Technological University, Yong-Wei Zhang from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Lapyote Prasittisopin from Chulalongkorn University, and Ziyuan Rao from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Their talks addressed frontier topics including AI-accelerated materials discovery, machine learning for phase prediction, and intelligent functional materials. Under the two thematic sessions, “AI for Functional Materials” and “AI for Structural Materials,” scholars from China, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia shared their latest research progress. The forum fostered lively academic discussions and exchanges.
In the closing remarks, Ke Chen, Vice Dean of the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, noted that the successful organization of the forum highlights the tremendous potential and future prospects of the emerging field of AI for Materials. The School will continue to develop the forum into an influential flagship platform and brand event, fostering an open and collaborative innovation ecosystem and exploring new paradigms for regional multilateral cooperation.
The successful launch of the Southeast Asia Materials Forum marks an important milestone in deepening collaboration between the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and partners across Southeast Asia. It also signifies a new stage of institutionalized and platform-based international cooperation in the region. Looking ahead, the School will continue to build a long-term academic community, promote innovation-driven collaboration, expand international partnership networks, and contribute to the advancement of materials science research and talent cultivation in the region.
