Scholarship: Fully-funded
Degree: Bachelor, Master, Ph.D
Nationality: International Students
Location: Singapore
Application deadlines: Open
Scholarship Description:
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore is a globally recognized research university, consistently ranked among the top universities worldwide (15th in the 2025 QS World University Rankings). The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) at NTU is renowned for its innovative medical education and transformative research.
Dr. Matae Ahn received his bachelor’s degree from Peking University and holds both an MD and PhD from Duke-NUS Medical School. He is currently a physician at Singapore General Hospital and will join NTU as a Nanyang Assistant Professor in mid-May 2025. This special faculty position comes with significant research funding and support.
Dr. Ahn has led research in bat immunology and recently ventured into translational aging research. His work has established bats as models for developing new strategies against human diseases, with publications in Nature Microbiology, PNAS, Nature, and Cell. In 2019, he received the Young Investigator Award from the International Inflammation Research Association. His recent paper in Cell has resulted in a patent for a new class of anti-inflammatory drugs, which will be commercialized by a bat biotechnology company with $100 million in startup funding, aiming for clinical trials in 2026.
Notably, Dr. Ahn is utilizing established “disease-free” live bat models to uncover additional bat-inspired targets to combat human diseases.
Available Subjects:
- Identifying Targets from Bats to Combat Human Diseases
Eligibility criteria:
- IELTS or TOEFL (required for all international applicants from non-English speaking institutions): Recommended IELTS score of 6.5 or TOEFL scores of 100 (internet), 237 (computer), or 600 (paper).
- GRE (required for all international applicants): Recommended Verbal + Quantitative ≥ 319, Analytical Writing ≥ 3.5.
- Background: A background in biology or life sciences is preferred, with an interest in basic and translational research, particularly in aging and healthy longevity.
Application Procedure:
Interested candidates should email Dr. Matae Ahn at [email protected] with the subject line “PhD/Research Fellow Application – Full Name.” Please attach your CV (including GPA and contact information for 2-3 references) and a cover letter outlining your background, past research, and future research plans.
