Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering

Heading to today? The Singapore International Water Week 2026 is now on till 18 Jun 2026. Visit the NUS Environmental Research Institute (NERI) booth at B2-F24 and discover how NUS researchers and innovators are advancing water sustainability, resource recovery and the circular bioeconomy.
Catch up with Dr Soheil Neshat from LoopForBio (SCELSE startup) and learn how biotechnology is turning waste into value.

📍 Booth B2-F24, Marina Bay Sands

Congratulations to Prof Alain Filloux, SCELSE Research Director, on his appointment as President’s Chair in Molecular Microbiology at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The President’s Chair is one of NTU’s highest academic honours, awarded through a rigorous evaluation process and reserved for faculty members who demonstrate sustained excellence, academic leadership, and transformative impact in their fields.

An internationally recognised expert in bacterial infection biology, Prof Alain’s research has advanced our understanding of bacterial biofilms, virulence factors, protein secretion systems, and microbial communication, helping to shape new approaches to preventing and treating bacterial diseases.

As Director of SCELSE from 2022 to 2026, Prof Alain championed interdisciplinary research, strengthened strategic partnerships, and guided the Centre through an important period of growth and transition. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to microbiology, he has been elected Fellow of the European Academy of Microbiology, the American Academy of Microbiology, and the Royal Society of Biology.

This appointment is a fitting recognition of his scientific achievements, leadership, and lasting contributions to SCELSE, NTU, and the global microbiology community.

How do dangerous bacteria arm themselves before attack? A team led by SCELSE Research Director Prof Alain Filloux and collaborators from Imperial College London has uncovered a previously unknown mechanism showing how bacteria physically load toxins into the Type VI Secretion System (T6SS) — a microscopic molecular weapon used to attack rival microbes and host cells. Their paper, “Molecular basis of type VI secretion system effector loading”, is now published today in Nature Microbiology: https://rdcu.be/fk0Bq

Prof Alain Filloux, who is also NTU School of Biological Sciences and Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, said: “This bacterium does not just fire a single toxin. It loads a cocktail of toxins into a microscopic speargun and fires them in one strike... If we can block this loading step in future, it could pave the way for approaches that disarm the bacterium and make it less able to cause disease.”

Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/gVrcS2Pz

Kudos to Prof Alain Filloux and the SCELSE–Imperial College London team on this important breakthrough in understanding how bacteria arm and deploy sophisticated toxin delivery systems.

Group photo (L–R): Ambre Bexter, Patricia Paracuellos, Sujatha Subramoni, Prof Alain Filloux, Assoc Prof Tiago Dias da Costa, and Sophie Howard. (AI-generated team composite based on real photos)

Tune in soon for the upcoming video.

Learn. Segment. Analyse. Unlock the power of open-source A.I. tools for advanced image analysis at the upcoming NTU Optical Bio-Imaging Centre (NOBIC) full-day hands-on workshop.

📍 Advanced Image Analysis using Open-source Machine Learning (A.I.) Software
📅 10 Jun 2026 (Wed)
🕘 9am – 5pm
📌 SBS CR4 (SBS-01N-24), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

This interactive workshop will introduce participants to cutting-edge open-source software for image segmentation and denoising, including:

• Fiji (ImageJ)
• ilastik
• Cellpose
• Noise2Void

The workshop will be led by Cameron Nowell, imaging specialist and Head of the Microscopy, Flow and Analysis Facility at Monash University, Australia.

Whether you work in microscopy, bioimaging, life sciences, or computational image analysis, this workshop offers practical exposure to powerful machine learning tools that can enhance your research workflows.

See SCELSE website for more - https://scelse.sg/event/ntu-optical-bio-imaging-centre-nobic-workshop/

📝 Registration closes: 8 Jun 2026
🔗 Register here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=SJPOFSq-K0aPwOF2WpsgSmvh-z9lisRKmtwUir4_Xt5URTY0UVYxMUREUlZMSk4wUEdRUzkxTUQzOC4u&route=shorturl
For enquiries: [email protected]

SCELSE-NTU's Prof Peter Török, Director of Imaging and Ai Ping Yow, Senior Research Engineer, Imaging Facility, will be speaking at the upcoming Bioscopy Conference 2026 at:
📍 UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø
📅 15–17 June 2026

The conference brings together researchers across life sciences, advanced imaging, AI, computational biology, multi-omics, and quantitative biology — fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and authentic discussions on both breakthroughs and lessons learned along the research journey.

Find out more and explore the programme:
https://www.3dnanoscopy.com/bioscopy-conference/

Hosted by Prof Alain Filloux, the upcoming by A/Prof Suzana Salcedo on 'Deciphering the role of bacterial secreted effectors: why is Brucella going nuclear?' will be held on 18 May. Mark your calendars and join us then.

SCELSE welcomed a delegation from China Mengniu Dairy Co Ltd for a focused engagement and tour of our laboratories. A leader in China’s dairy industry spanning dairy, nutrition, probiotics and health, Mengniu was represented by its Global R&D Innovation team, including Mr Wen Yongping, Ms Niu Tianjiao, Mr Liu Zhengdong, Dr Yuejian Mao, Mr Su Shengpeng, Dr Han Bucong and Wanxing Eugene Ho.

With one of China’s largest dairy innovation hubs, the delegation shared insights into their innovation pipeline and capabilities. Kudos also to SCELSE colleagues, Stefan Wuertz, Patricia Conway, Cynthia Whitchurch, Laura Nolan and James Ho for showcasing our cutting-edge science.

The session at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore was held on 24 Apr 2026.

SCELSE welcomed Oliver Tonby, Board Member, NTU Board of Trustees, and Trine Tonby on 20 Apr 2026, giving them insights into SCELSE’s cutting-edge research, technologies, and facilities.

Hosted by Prof Alexander Zehnder and Prof Stefan Wuertz, the visit featured an overview of SCELSE’s work and future direction, followed by discussions with senior management and a tour of key platforms including high-throughput sequencing, advanced biofilm imaging, and bioreactors.

Kudos to the SCELSE team who supported this visit: Prof Alain Filloux, Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA, Mr Allen Chow, Ms Justine Dacanay, and Dr Yong Hwee FOO.

Marine Sciences in Singapore to launch new Centre of Excellence! SCELSE P*s have been involved in the previous marine sciences programs MSRDP and MCCS where they collaborate across universities and centres on various systems such as seawalls, plastics, aquaculture, coral reefs and seagrass meadows. Read the article to find out what SCELSE PI, Assoc Prof Rebecca Case, has to say about the roles of microbes in marine ecosystems.

Singapore launches $60m marine research centre Singapore launches a $60 million marine research centre to advance ocean conservation and inform coastal policy decisions. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.