Profile
Dr Yong Ren TAN
Research Fellow (Project Manager)
Dr Tan Yong Ren is a Research Fellow (Project Manager) at Cambridge CARES, where he leads efforts in digital transformation for experimental research and investigates the combustion properties of hydrogen and ammonia fuels. He began his CARES journey as a Research Engineer studying the sooting behaviour of oxygenated hydrocarbons, a role that helped shape his focus on sustainability research.
Before joining CARES, Dr Tan spent two years in the telecommunications sector, developing project management and strategic planning skills. He earned a first-class honours BSc in Chemistry from Imperial College London, where he was awarded the Departmental Prize for Outstanding Overall BSc Performance.
Dr Tan completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Cambridge. His doctoral research was supported by the Fitzwilliam College Kwok Family-Lee Kuan Yew PhD Scholarship, Trinity College’s Trinity-Henry Barlow Scholarship, the Cambridge Trust, and the Cambridge-CARES Studentship Award.
In his current roles within the C4T, PIPS, and HYCOMBS programmes, Yong Ren contributes to The World Avatar project by developing strategies that enhance energy efficiency and reduce laboratory operating costs through lab automation and digital transformation. His work in the HYCOMBS programme examines the combustion characteristics of hydrogen and ammonia, while his involvement in the PIPS programme includes collaborations with pharmaceutical industry partners and A*STAR on a Digital Twin project.
For further details about his work and achievements, please refer to the following:
Read: CARES laboratory gains second award for improved sustainability practices
Read: CARES laboratory wins award by improving sustainability practices
Watch: CARES 10th Anniversary video (Student story)
Read: CARES Alumni Series: Tan Yong Ren
Singapore - CARES
Researchers
C4T extended projects
Research Interest
Digital Transformation and Lab Automation:
Developing and implementing digital systems—such as dynamic knowledge graphs and digital twin projects—to automate experimental research, improve resource efficiency, and reduce the environmental footprint of laboratory operations. This work is central to initiatives like The World Avatar at Cambridge CARES.
Decarbonisation and Sustainable Energy:
Exploring sustainable energy solutions by investigating the combustion characteristics of alternative fuels like hydrogen and ammonia, thereby supporting clean energy pathways and decarbonisation strategies in both industrial and laboratory settings.
Combustion Science and Alternative Fuels:
Building on early work on the sooting behaviour of oxygenated hydrocarbons, focusing on how different fuel compositions influence soot formation to develop cleaner combustion processes and advance sustainable fuel technologies.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration:
Engaging in cross-sector projects that integrate experimental combustion studies with digital innovation, including collaborations with pharmaceutical industry partners and A*Star in projects such as the Digital Twin initiative within the PIPS programme.
Key Publications
Simon D. Rihm, Yong Ren Tan, Wilson Ang, Markus Hofmeister, Xinhong Deng, Michael Teguh Laksana, Hou Yee Quek, Jiaru Bai, Laura Pascazio, Chun Siong Sim, Jethro Akroyd, Sebastian Mosbach, Markus Kraft, The digital lab manager: Automating research support, SLAS Technology, Volume 29 (3), 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.slast.2024.100135.
Simon D. Rihm, Yong Ren Tan, Wilson Ang, Hou Yee Quek, Xinhong Deng, Michael Teguh Laksana, Jiaru Bai, Sebastian Mosbach, Jethro Akroyd, Markus Kraft, The Digital Lab Facility Manager: Automating operations of research laboratories through “The World Avatar”, Nexus, Volume 1 (3), 2024, 100031, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.slast.2024.100135, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ynexs.2024.100031.
Yong Ren Tan, Qiren Zhu, Yichen Zong, Jiawei Lai, Maurin Salamanca, Jethro Akroyd, Wenming Yang, Markus Kraft, The influence of alcohol, carbonate and polyethers as oxygenated fuels on the soot characteristics from a CI engine, Fuel, Volume 338, 2023, 127296, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2022.127296.
Yong Ren Tan, Maurin Salamanca, Jethro Akroyd, Markus Kraft, How do the oxygenated functional groups in ether, carbonate and alcohol affect soot formation in Jet A2 diffusion flames?,
Combustion and Flame, Volume 243, 2022, 111849, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.combustflame.2021.111849.
Yong Ren Tan, Maurin Salamanca, Jiaru Bai, Jethro Akroyd, Markus Kraft, Structural effects of C3 oxygenated fuels on soot formation in ethylene coflow diffusion flames, Combustion and Flame, Volume 232, 2021, 111512, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.combustflame.2021.111512.