Researcher

Wai Leong Tam is the Deputy Executive Director of A*STAR GIS. As a cancer biologist, Tam develops and applies genome-scale functional genomic approaches to discover the molecular drivers and targets of cancer progression in Asian-specific (lung and liver) and Asian-prevalent (breast and colorectal) cancers. This has led to key insights on novel gene targets that are amendable to therapeutic interventions. His lab works closely with leading clinicians at cancer centres to translate research findings into potential interventions that can improve treatment outcomes for cancer patients. Tam has been a recipient of the National Research Foundation Fellowship and the National Research Foundation Investigatorship award.

Tam received his Bachelor of Science (First Class Honors) from the National University of Singapore and went on to conduct his PhD research on stem cell biology at the A*STAR GIS under the A*STAR Graduate Scholarship. He then performed his postdoctoral fellowship at the Whitehead Institute in MIT to study cancer biology. Presently, he holds joint faculty appointment at the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, where he helps to bridge research collaborations between A*STAR and NUS. Tam is also passionate about grooming the next generation of scientists and actively teaches in NUS and NTU, in addition to mentoring graduate students. He was previously Director of Graduate Affairs at A*STAR, where he advised on academic, research and career development of early career researchers.