Singaporean Scientist Wins Nokia Award

Dr Li Haizhou who specialises in improving the way people and computers communicate with each other has been picked by the Nokia Foundation to work and lecture in Finland, one of only two scientists selected this year by the mobile phone giant.
In addition the doctor, who heads the Institute for Infocomm Research’s (I2R) human language technology department, will receive a grant of 10,000 Euros (about $20,000) from the Nokia Foundation.
Dr Li, a Singaporean in his 40s who has been with I2R since 1996, is one of the architects behind the robotic butlers which made an appearance at the official opening of Fusionopolis recently. He is currently overseas and could not be reached for comment on Monday.
The selection came after he was nominated for the award by Finnish peers, said a statement from Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) announcing his appointment as a Nokia Visiting Professor on Monday. I2R is a unit of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star).

Only one other Asian scientist has won the award from the Nokia Foundation, which was set up in 1995 to support the scientific development of information and telecommunications technologies and to promote education of the sector in Finland.
Dr Li is also one of only two scientists honoured this year; the other is American nanotechnology specialist Dr Parviz Babak. Past Nokia Foundation winners include Mr Linus Torvalds, who created the Linux open source operating system, and virtual world Habbo’s creators Aapo Kyrola and Sampo Karjalainen.
I2R’s deputy executive director for research, professor Lye Kin Mun, said the agency was “proud to have the brightest and finest in the industry working with us and Dr Haizhou is no exception.”

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