Faculty

Biography

Prof. Lay-Kee (Ricky) Ang is a distinguished theoretical and computational scientist whose research focuses on developing theoretical scaling laws and models to address complex physical problems. His work emphasizes the physics and applications of charged particles (electrons) and light (lasers, electromagnetic waves) in conjunction with surrounding structures, including 2D materials, plasma, and fractional modeling. Prof. Ang actively engages in experimental research throughout all stages of his work, from fundamental understanding to practical applications.

He has been recognized as an AIIA Fellow (2024) an IEEE Fellow (2022), a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (UK) (2020), and an IEEE NPSS Distinguished Lecturer (2018). Prof. Ang also serves on various advisory boards, such as Physics of Plasmas and Nano Express, and has been ranked among the top 2% of scientists in Applied Physics since 2020. Additionally, he has been a member of the jury panel for Physical Sciences at the Falling Walls Science Breakthrough since 2022.

For the latest updates on his research, please visit https://people.sutd.edu.sg/ricky_ang/.

• Associate Provost, International Relations, April 2023 – Present
• Program Director, STEAMunity, 2024 – present
• Professor, SMT, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 2018 – Present
• Ng Teng Fong Chair Professor for SUTD-ZJU IDEA, June 2016 – Present
• Professor, EPD, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 2016 – Present
• Head, SMT, Singapore University of Technology and Design, June 2018 – March 2023
• Acting Head of Pillar (HOP), EPD, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 2017 – June 2019
• Director of Graduate Studies, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 2015 – Dec 2017
• SUTD PhD program director, Singapore University of Technology and Design, April 2012 – 2014
• Associate Professor (tenured), EPD, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Nov 2011 – 2015
• Visiting Associate Professor, Nanyang Technological University, October 2011 – June 2012
• Adjunct Professor, Institute of High Performance Computing, A-STAR, April 2006 – Oct 2011
• Associate Professor (tenured), Nanyang Technological University, April 2008 – October 2011
• Assistant Professor, Nanyang Technological University, Sept 2001 – March 2008
• Visiting Professor, National Central University, Taiwan, 2010
• Visiting Technical Staff, Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA, 2003-2006 and 2011
• Visiting Scientist, University of Michigan, USA, 2007
• Director Postdoctoral Fellow, Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA, Sept 1999 – August 2001

Education Background

• PhD Nuclear Engineering and Plasma Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA, 1999
• MSc Nuclear Engineering and Plasma Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA 1996
• BSc Nuclear Engineering, National Tsinghua University, Taiwan, 1994

Awards

•  Top 2% Scientist (0.65% Applied Physics, 2024), Oct 2024
• AIIA Fellow, Aug 2024
• Top 2% Scientist (0.55% Applied Physics, 2023), Oct 2023
• Top 2% Scientist (0.68% Applied Physics, 2022), Oct 2022
• Fellow, IEEE, Nov 2021
• Top 2% Scientists (1.06% Applied Physics, 2021), Oct 2021
• Top 2% Scientists (1.22% Applied Physics, 2020), Oct 2020
• Fellow, Institute of Physics, UK, June 2020
• IEEE NPSS Distinguished Lecturer, 2018
• Singapore Public Administration Medal (Bronze), 2017
• USA AFOSR AOARD Window of Science (WOS) Award, July 2015
• SUTD Faculty Excellence award (Professional service), Feb 2015
• USA AFOSR AOARD Window of Science (WOS) Award, Jan 2012
• Finalist, 2010 NTU-EEE Teaching Excellent Award, June 2010
• USA ONR Global Visiting Scientist Award, November 2009
• USA AFOSR AOARD Window of Science (WOS) Award, March 2007
• World Knowledge Dialogue (WKD) Young Scientist Award, September 2006
• LANL Director Postdoctoral Fellowship, September 1999
• Excellent Foreign Student Award by Taiwan, R.O.C., 1991 and 1993
• Outstanding Academic Award by NTHU, Taiwan, R.O.C., 1991 and 1993

Group member awards

• IEEE NPSS Graduate Fellowship: Shijun Liang, March 2016
• Institute of Physics Singapore (IPS) meeting poster award: Yee Sin Ang, March 2016
• IVNC Shoulder-Gray-Spindt award: Shijun Liang , July 2015
• OCPA-APS best poster award-first in plasma: Yingbin Zhu , June 2014
• OCPA-APS best poster award-third in photonics: Kelvin Ooi, June 2014
• IEEE NPSS Graduate Fellowship: Yingbin Zhu , April 2014
• IEEE ICOPS Best paper award (finalist), PhD student: Wu Lin, June 2007

Research Interests

Please refer to his website: https://people.sutd.edu.sg/ricky_ang/

Research Projects

Ongoing Projects

• Design-centric Interdisciplinary Creative Problem Solving (ICPS-D): Developing critical and creative skills in teachers (MOE ERFP) 2024- 2027
• Computational Design of AC electrical contact for 2D electronics at THz frequency (MTC IRG YIRG) 2024 – 2027
• Interdisciplinary Collaborative STEM Design Project for Secondary Schools in Sustainability (IC STEM x Design x Sustainability) (MOE ERFP) 2023 – 2026
• Advancing cavity QED: materials and algorithms (NRF) 2022 – 2025

Completed Projects

•  Photoexcited hot carriers for van der Waals heterostructures (Singapore A*STAR IRG) 2020-2023
• Fractional modeling of Electromagnetic wave propagation for meta-materials (USA ONR) 2019 – 2023
• Fractional model of charge injection and transport for Dirac materials (Singapore MOE T2) 2018 – 2022
• Physics and Scaling laws of electric contact using 2D materials (Singapore A*STAR IRG) 2017 – 2020
• Computational Electromagnetics at Fractional Dimensions (USA AFOSR), 2017 – 2019
• Modeling of ultrafast laser induced emission from Topological Insulator and Graphene (USA AFOSR -AOARD contract) 2014 – 2017
• Quantum model of space charge limited charge injection into novel materials (Singapore MOE T2) 2014 – 2017
• Electromagnetic Computational Tools at Fractional Dimensions (SUTD TL seed) 2016 – 2017
• Coherent control of ultrafast electron pulse emitted from sharp tip for localized nanometer scale imaging and diffraction (SUTD-ZJU Pilot) 2015-2016
• Modeling and design of thermal energy harvesting devices (SUTD-MIT IDC) Sept 2013 – Aug 2015
• Design of devices operating at space charge limited condition (SUTD SRG) Nov 2011 – Oct 2014
• Modeling of electron field emission from graphene (USA AFOSR), June 2011 – June 2013
• Theory of ultrafast laser induced high current electron beam, (USA ONR), 2011 –  2012
• Modeling of ultrafast laser induced electron photo-field emission (Singapore MOE), 2009 – 2012
• NTU-EEE-IHPC joint lab on computational nanoelectronics and photonics, 2008 – 2011
• Exploration of plasma waves generation in HEMT (Singapore, NTU-JPP), 2010 – 2011
• Multidimensional modeling of field emission (USA AFOSR), 2009-2010
• Quantum electron-structure interaction (USA AFOSR), 2006-2007
• High current CNT based cathode for THz source (Singapore ASTAR), 2005-2008
• Two ROAR NTU PhD scholarship (Singapore NTU), 2006-2010
• Design of free electron based TH sources (Singapore NTU-RGM), 2006-2008
• Theory and modeling of quantum Child-Langmuir law (Singapore NTU-SUG), 2002-2003

Key Publications

For a detailed list of key publications, please visit https://people.sutd.edu.sg/ricky_ang/.