Tan Yu Jun (Ph.D.)

Assistant Professor,
Division of Materials & Manufacturing, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS)

Area Director for Research Environment and Exhibitions, Advanced Robotics Centre (ARC)

PI, NUS Centre for Additive Manufacturing (AM.NUS)

EC member, MRS Singapore

MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 Asia Pacific (Pioneer), MRS posdoctoral Award, 50 women in robotics you need to know about, Science, she says! 

Yu Jun Tan (Google Scholar) (National University of Singapore, NUS) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, where she is a PI at both the NUS Centre for Additive Manufacturing (AM.NUS) and the Advanced Robotics Centre (ARC).

Dr. Tan’s research integrates materials science, mechanics, and bioengineering to develop next-generation bio-derived, bioinspired and biohybrid materials for soft robotics, artificial muscles, and biomedical devices. Her group investigates the processing, deformation, and functional behaviors of soft materials (such as bio-based polymers, gels, and living tissues) with particular emphasis on self-healing, electro-mechanical behaviours, and large-deformation mechanics. By linking fundamental mechanics with sustainable design, her work advances the creation of adaptive, self-powered, and eco-responsible soft machines.

She has published over 40 peer-reviewed papers in top-tier journals including Nature Materials, Nature Electronics, Nature Communications, Science Robotics, Science Advances, and Advanced Materials. Her publications have been featured on journal covers and highlighted in scientific media and documentaries.

Dr. Tan is an active contributor to the international materials and robotics community, organizing symposia for conferences such as the Materials Research Society (MRS) and the International Conference on Materials for Advanced Technologies (ICMAT), and serving as a reviewer for funding agencies and journals.