Professor Sir Konstantin Novoselov
Director and Founder
Professor Novoselov was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics for his pioneering work on graphene alongside Andre Geim. Their discovery and study of the first one-atom-thick material and the material's exhaustive list of superlative properties have opened up an entirely new paradigm in materials science, microelectronics and nanotechnology.
Currently, he holds the Tan Chin Tuan Centennial Professorship and is the director of the Institute for Functional Intelligent Materials at the National University of Singapore. He is also a part-time Langworthy Professor of Physics at the University of Manchester. He led the design, construction and establishment of the National Graphene Institute in Manchester, UK and coordinated the € 1 billion European Graphene Flagship project.
As of September 2026, he has co-authored over 600 peer-reviewed publications and has been elected to numerous national academies and scientific societies for his major contributions to science, including the most recent Singapore National Academy of Science.
Today, his work bridges deep scientific discoveries and technological innovations, with growing emphasis on artificial intelligence, sustainability and intelligent materials.
Max Li
Research fellow - industry specialist
Max Li is a technology and commercialisation advisor working with technology start-ups, founders and investors to turn emerging technologies into scalable businesses. His work sits at the intersection of deep technology, corporate strategy, finance and commercialisation, with a particular focus on helping technically ambitious companies identify viable markets, build commercial models and develop pathways from research and innovation to real-world adoption.
Max previously worked at PwC, where he gained experience advising major corporate and listed-company clients. Since then, he has worked across technology ventures and commercial projects involving public companies, start-ups and investors, combining institutional advisory experience with a hands-on understanding of early-stage company building.
He has advised technology start-ups through growth, fundraising and strategic transactions, including companies that have subsequently achieved exit valuations exceeding US$1 billion. His experience spans commercial strategy, fundraising preparation, corporate partnerships, international expansion, transaction readiness and the development of business models around emerging technologies.
Dr. Yong Tao Tan
Research fellow - academic specialist
Dr. Tan is the lead research analyst of INFUT. He is the academic specialist building on over six years of academic experience and lifelong interest in scientific development to provide a unique perspective to bridge the academic-industry gap.
He completed a master's degree in physics and obtained a PhD in nanoscience under the supervision of Prof. Sir Andre Geim, both from the University of Manchester. After obtaining his doctorate, he joined the Institute for Functional Intelligent Materials for a postdoctoral stint where he analysed various unconventional computing architectures and research on advanced materials to understand the key scalability gap for each topic.