Currently, I am a research fellow under the supervision of Dr Elias Garcia-Pelegrin at the Animal Behaviour and Cognition lab, at the department of Psychology, National University Singapore. Following my research experience in robotics, I seek to integrate engineering concepts and theories with research in animal behaviour and cognition.
Previously, I researched and designed soft actuators with variable stiffening capabilities under the influence of a changing magnetic field under the supervision of Dr Zhang Hongying at the Soft and Origami Robots Lab, at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore. Prior to that, I did my PhD under the supervision of Prof. Ren Hongliang at the Medical Mechatronics Lab (MMLAB), at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore. During my PhD, I focused on the design, fabrication, and integration of origami-inspired deployable mechanisms with stretchable sensors and untethered magnetic actuation. Prior to my doctoral studies, I gained valuable research experience in various biomedical engineering domains, including bio-packaging and testing of biomedical electronic devices, analysis of EEG and fMRI data, and programming for cardiac simulations.
Aug 2019 – Mar 2024 Ph.D (Biomedical Engineering) National University of Singapore (NUS)
Aug 2015 – Jun 2019 B.Eng (Biomedical Engineering) National University of Singapore (NUS)
B.A (Economics) National University of Singapore (NUS)
Aug 2025 – Now
Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Research Fellow, supervised by Dr Elias Garcia-Pelegrin
Developed project proposals and contributed to successful grant applications, including a funded MOE Tier 1 proposal investigating the integration of robotics and animal cognition research.
Managed ethics and regulatory compliance processes, including preparation and coordination of IACUC applications, risk assessments, and animal research documentation.
Designed research protocols, operational workflows, and behavioural experiments for studies involving animal cognition, social learning, and problem-solving.
Coordinated multidisciplinary collaborations between researchers from engineering and psychology backgrounds to support project planning and technology integration.
Conducted data analysis using R and communicated findings through reports, presentations, and scientific publications.
Aug 2024 – May 2025
Soft and Origami Robots, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Research Fellow, supervised by Dr Zhang Hongying
Led research and development projects involving soft robotics and origami-inspired engineering systems.
Designed, fabricated, and experimentally evaluated soft actuators capable of variable stiffening and load-bearing under changing magnetic fields.
Developed curved origami structures with snap-through bistability and analysed their mechanical performance.
Coordinated project activities and mentored Master's students on robotics and engineering research projects.
Communicated technical findings through reports, presentations, and collaborative research discussions.
June 2023 – Oct 2023
Medical Mechatronics Lab, Department of Electronic Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Research Assistant, Supervised by Prof. Ren Hongliang
Conducted research and development of bistable reconfigurable mechanisms for medical technology applications.
Designed and experimentally evaluated foldable engineering systems capable of energy-dependent shape reconfiguration and locomotion.
Integrated magnetic actuation technologies with miniature devices to enable untethered movement and active shape-morphing.
Supported the development of gastrointestinal medical devices for applications such as microneedle insertion and targeted delivery.
Collaborated with multidisciplinary research teams and contributed to project planning, testing, and technical reporting.
Aug 2019 – June 2023
Medical Mechatronics Lab, Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore
Doctoral Candidate, Co-Supervised by Prof. Ren Hongliang and Dr Huang Hui
Designed and developed reconfigurable robotic mechanisms based on origami and folding principles for minimally invasive medical applications.
Integrated magnetic actuation systems with reconfigurable structures to enable untethered locomotion, active shape transformation, and controllable deployment.
Developed miniature robotic devices for gastrointestinal interventions, including drug delivery and tissue interfacing applications.
Designed, fabricated, and characterized flexible and stretchable sensor systems using silver nanowire electrodes, kirigami structures, and conductive textiles.
Investigated multifunctional smart materials and fabrication approaches for sensing, actuation, and biomedical device integration.
Conducted mechanical characterization, prototype fabrication, experimental validation, and performance optimization of robotic systems.
Collaborated with academic and industry partners through SIMTech to support technology development and translational engineering research.
Presented research findings at international conferences and contributed to peer-reviewed journal publications and scientific peer review activities.
Supervised and mentored undergraduate researchers on engineering design and research projects.
May 2018 – Jul 2018
Institute of Microelectronics, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore
Research Internship, Supervised by Maria Damalerio
Contributed to the design, integration, and testing of biomedical sensing systems, including dry EEG electrodes and neural interface devices.
Performed device fabrication, packaging, assembly, and benchtop evaluation of sensor and neural probe platforms.
Conducted benchtop testing and performance evaluation of biomedical devices, including extravasation monitoring systems and neural interfaces.
Supported integration of hardware components across sensing, packaging, and interface subsystems.
Documented experimental procedures, testing results, and technical specifications to support device development and quality assurance.
May 2017 – Aug 2017
Multimodal Neuroimaging in Neuropsychiatric Disorders Laboratory, Duke-NUS, Singapore
Research Internship, Supervised by Prof. Helen Zhou Juan
Analysed EEG and fMRI neuroimaging datasets using quantitative and computational methods to investigate cognitive processes.
Performed EEG preprocessing, source localisation, and group-level analysis using Brainstorm (Tadel et al. 2011) and related analytical tools.
Developed MATLAB-based scripts using Psychophysics Toolbox package (Brainard, 1997) for behavioural tasks to support data collection and human-subject experiments.
Conducted data quality assurance and validation, including monitoring and evaluation of eye-scoring procedures during fMRI neuroimaging studies.
Documented analytical workflows and research protocols to support reproducibility and knowledge transfer within the laboratory.
Worked at the intersection of neuroscience, computation, signal processing, and experimental design.
Nov 2016 – Jan 2017
Computational Bioengineering Lab, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Research Internship, Supervised by Dr. Alberto Corrias
Conducted computational modelling and simulation studies of cardiac electrophysiology using the Chaste simulation platform (Cooper et al., 2020)
Investigated the emergence of cardiac tissue and mechanisms underlying cardiac arrhythmias under varying electrical stimulation conditions through large-scale numerical simulations.
Analysed simulation outputs to identify mechanisms underlying electrical instability, re-entry phenomena, and system-level dynamics.
Developed experience in computational modelling, quantitative analysis, and interpretation of large simulation datasets.
Analysed quantitative simulation data and summarised findings for research projects and laboratory discussions.
Contributed to literature review and interpretation of computational modelling results.
Cai, C. J., Huang, H., & Ren, H. (2024). Untethered bistable origami crawler for confined applications. Communications Engineering, 3(1), 150.
Cai, C. J., Kalairaj, M. S., Huang, H., Chen, P. Y., & Ren, H. Transfer‐Free Creation of Hierarchical Wrinkle Patterns for Stretchable and Compliant Strain and Contact Sensing. Advanced Materials Technologies, 2301017.
Cai, C. J., Yeow, B. S., Huang, H., Laschi, C., & Ren, H. (2023). Magnetically Actuated Lamina Emergent Mechanism for Bimodal Crawling and Flipping Locomotion. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics.
Yeow, B. S., Cai, C. J., Kalairaj, M. S., Hoo, F. W., Lee, Z. X., Tan, J. C. S., ... & Ren, H. (2021, May). Origami-inspired snap-through bistability in parallel and curved mechanisms through the inflection of degree four vertexes. In 2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) (pp. 10863-10869). IEEE.
Huang, H., Cai, C. J., Yeow, B. S., Ouyang, J., & Ren, H. (2021). Highly Stretchable and Kirigami-Structured Strain Sensors with Long Silver Nanowires of High Aspect Ratio. Machines, 9(9), 186.
Cai, C. J., Xiao, X., Kalairaj, M. S., Lee, I. J. J., Mugilvannan, A. K., Yeow, B. S., ... & Ren, H. (2020). Diversified and Untethered Motion Generation Via Crease Patterning from Magnetically Actuated Caterpillar-Inspired Origami Robot. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics.
Reviewer
IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2023)
IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2022)
Advanced Intelligent Systems (Adv. Intell. Syst. 2022)
IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2021)
Composites Science and Technology (2021)
I am currently tutoring primary school mathematics at Math note, and have previously worked as a part-time piano teacher at Creative Hearts, where I taught piano and music theory to children (between the ages of 3 to 15) in both individual and group class settings. I also had teaching experience during my PhD as a teaching assistant (TA), where I assisted my professor in guiding undergraduate students.
May 2026 – Now
Math note, Singapore
Math Tutor
Jun 2024 – Jun 2025
Creative Hearts Centre for Performing Arts, Singapore
Music & Performing Arts Instructor
Taught individual or group piano, music and movement lessons at the music centres
Followed the curriculum and prepared for the lessons weekly in order to achieve the desired outcomes
Ensured the safety of children at all times
Handled classroom management to ensure a safe and effective learning environment for each child
Delivered classes that are enjoyable and engaging
Aug 2020 – Nov 2020
Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Teaching assistant, Course module BN4103: Assistive Technology for Persons with Disability, Lecturer: Prof James Kah
Assisted the professor in guiding the students during practical lessons in designing relevant technologies in fulfilment of the module requirements
Engaged in additional reading and relevant research outside of classes to better facilitate the lesson contents
Addressed students’ queries and concerns outside of lessons to facilitate their progress
A*STAR Graduate Scholarship (AGS) – Agency for Science, Technology and Research (2019)
FoE 32nd INNOVATION & RESEARCH AWARD – National University of Singapore (2018)
Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Prize (Group) – National University of Singapore (2017)
A*STAR Undergraduate Scholarship (AUS) – Agency for Science, Technology and Research (2016)
Dec 2024 – Now
EQUAL, Singapore
Volunteer, Animal Welfare
Dec 2024 – Jun 2025
Riding for the Disabled Association, Singapore
Volunteer, side-walker
Provided physical assistance, support, interaction, and emotional encouragement for horse riders with various intellectual and physical disabilities
Provided personalized care and attention for each individual rider depending on therapy session notes on each client, including learning how to recognize their quirks and ways of expression
Tailored and facilitated activities that promote specific developments in accordance to desired therapeutic objectives while ensuring their physical, intellectual, and emotional well-being
Mar 2016 – May 2019
Engineering Good Student Chapter (EGSC), Singapore
Engage in collaborations with non-profit organizations as well as the general tertiary education student body with the goal of developing affordable, appropriate and sustainable technology for our beneficiaries
Served (in order) as the secretary, public relations, vice-president and president of the organization, gaining in-depth knowledge and experience on the inner workings of the organization
Languages
Fluent in English and Mandarin (both spoken and written)
Technical Skills
Computer-Aided Drawings (CAD): SolidWorks, Autodesk Fusion360, Autodesk Inventor
Programming: C and C++
Statistics and data analysis: R and MATLAB
Fabrication techniques: Laser cutting, 3D Additive Manufacturing (FDM), embroidery
Miscellaneous: Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)