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In July 2025, we were awarded bilateral grant funded by New Zealand's Ministry of Business, Innovation and Economy as well as Singapore's A*STAR. This joint research project aims to develop a scalable black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) biorefinery that converts organic waste into higher-value products.
After months of online meetings, we hosted the first in-person NZ-SG workshop at NUS from 23-27 February this year. The workshop included technical sessions on husbandry, feedstocks, pre-treatment, metabolomics, consumer insights, and commercialisation, as well as facility visits in NUS, A*STAR-SIFBI, Protenga and Insectta.
We also made it a point to introduce our visitors to various cuisines as well as nature hikes along the Southern Ridges. Overall, it was an enriching research and networking experience for all.
After months of online meetings, we hosted the first in-person NZ-SG workshop at NUS from 23-27 February this year. The workshop included technical sessions on husbandry, feedstocks, pre-treatment, metabolomics, consumer insights, and commercialisation, as well as facility visits in NUS, A*STAR-SIFBI, Protenga and Insectta.
We also made it a point to introduce our visitors to various cuisines as well as nature hikes along the Southern Ridges. Overall, it was an enriching research and networking experience for all.
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Had a great time at SSC 2025, where three of our lab members presented posters under the Environment category, showcasing exciting work on insect barcoding and metabarcoding across urban farms, mosquito metabarcoding for vector surveillance, and genetic drift and microbial trajectories in domesticated black soldier flies.
Huge congratulations to Dr. Qihui for winning the Best Poster Award for the black soldier fly project! Amazing work by Shakthee and Qihui—way to go guys!!
Huge congratulations to Dr. Qihui for winning the Best Poster Award for the black soldier fly project! Amazing work by Shakthee and Qihui—way to go guys!!
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Congratulations to Shakthee for nailing her PhD defense on 19 August 2025!! One of our PhD students has finally graduated after all the hardship that she had been through. All the best in your future endeavours Dr Shakthee and please come back to visit us!
Little sneak pics (pun intended!)
Before presentation: Stressed and nervous!
Time to celebrate after a successful defense!
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We celebrated the successful conclusion of our project, “Using Black Soldier Flies in Food Waste Management and Sustainable Food Production in Urban Systems,” with the most important invention - artisanal pizzas.
Our wonderful collaborators joined for good food, good science talk, and the kind of laughter you only get after months of experiments, troubleshooting, and data chaos.
And of course—the star of the evening was the legendary deep-dish pizza, winning everyone’s hearts (and stomachs).
Cheers to teamwork, innovation, and projects that bring both impact and pizza!
Our wonderful collaborators joined for good food, good science talk, and the kind of laughter you only get after months of experiments, troubleshooting, and data chaos.
And of course—the star of the evening was the legendary deep-dish pizza, winning everyone’s hearts (and stomachs).
Cheers to teamwork, innovation, and projects that bring both impact and pizza!
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Congratulations to all our ReproLab graduates. we’re so proud of every one of you!
From juggling experiments, exams, lectures, multiple presentations, and report drafts that multiplied like flies, You have done it all. And guess what? It all paid off beautifully.
We miss you already, but remember: once a ReproLab member, always a ReproLab member. The lab feels different without your chaos, laughter, and last-minute “help me” messages.
From juggling experiments, exams, lectures, multiple presentations, and report drafts that multiplied like flies, You have done it all. And guess what? It all paid off beautifully.
We miss you already, but remember: once a ReproLab member, always a ReproLab member. The lab feels different without your chaos, laughter, and last-minute “help me” messages.
Our Mozzy enthusiast (Weilin) arrived proudly holding a bouquet of chickens. Yes, chickens. No, we don’t understand it either. Yes, it’s becoming a personality trait.
Weilin’s iconic "Wall of Thoughts" continues to grow (yes, everyone is still adding their philosophical nonsense)
Our dearest mozzy bud (Agabus) is graduating and heading straight into teaching! From being guided in the lab to guiding students, Good luck kids! your new teacher has excellent eyesight for spotting mistakes. after all, hours of dissecting mosquitoes really trained him well.
Yong Xun Liang (aka Gary) officially an RA at Reprolab, unofficially the lab’s forever-child. It took a whole team (including Prof NP) to get him into his graduation gown.
Yong Xun Liang (aka Gary) officially an RA at Reprolab, unofficially the lab’s forever-child. It took a whole team (including Prof NP) to get him into his graduation gown.
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Huge congratulations to Qihui for successfully defending her PhD and even better, for returning to the lab as a postdoc!
Her study explored how Phenotypic plasticity induced by their diets turned the humble Black Soldier Fly (BSF) into the ultimate waste-to-protein recycler, uncovering how diet during larval stages affects growth, reproduction, and industrial bioconversion efficiency.
From showing that lab-adapted BSFs are picky eaters with heightened superpowers, to revealing that males and females have very different “resource priorities,” Qihui bridged biology with practical applications for sustainable insect farming. Her work is literally turning food waste into gold…or at least protein-rich larvae!
We’re thrilled to have her back, continuing to transform BSF research. Welcome back, Qihui!
Her study explored how Phenotypic plasticity induced by their diets turned the humble Black Soldier Fly (BSF) into the ultimate waste-to-protein recycler, uncovering how diet during larval stages affects growth, reproduction, and industrial bioconversion efficiency.
From showing that lab-adapted BSFs are picky eaters with heightened superpowers, to revealing that males and females have very different “resource priorities,” Qihui bridged biology with practical applications for sustainable insect farming. Her work is literally turning food waste into gold…or at least protein-rich larvae!
We’re thrilled to have her back, continuing to transform BSF research. Welcome back, Qihui!
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The lab has been spotlighted in NUS News! 📰✨ Their cutting-edge research on decoding the secrets of evolution is being recognized for addressing some of today’s biggest global challenges. 🌍
This feature is a testament to the team’s hard work, innovation, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of science. Cheers to the team for this incredible achievement—and to many more ahead! 🚀
💥 Don’t miss the article: Decoding the secrets of evolution to tackle today’s greatest challenges
This feature is a testament to the team’s hard work, innovation, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of science. Cheers to the team for this incredible achievement—and to many more ahead! 🚀
💥 Don’t miss the article: Decoding the secrets of evolution to tackle today’s greatest challenges
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A wonderful Japanese summer spent with friends, research, and of course, bugs. Well done everyone who presented at this year's International Congress of Entomology held in Kyoto!
Special feature of Reprolab's first PhD student (now alumni): Dr Yap!
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Last week flew by with a full schedule of interesting talks and opportunities to connect with like-minded people from both academia and industry. Dr. P is finally winding down from the post-conference madness! Looking forward to seeing everyone again at IFW2026?
Some group photos to kickstart the conference:
Attendees got to try actual insects at the conference! A great way to experience incorporating insects into our diet (PS yes food was good)
Paparazzi shots of Dr. P, students, and our collaborator Dr Moritz Gold taken during their presentations:
Dr. P's Keynote: Insect reproductive evolution: From biological diversification to sustainable solutions
Dr Moritz: Ingestion and egestion dynamics of micro- and nanoplastics in black soldier fly larvae
Adrian: Physical waste properties alter temperature, respiration and rearing performance in black soldier fly bioconversion
Chloe: Modelling consumer choice in the purchase of insect-based, cultivated and plant-based meat products.
Qihui: Unravelling the Link Between Diet-Induced Phenotypic Plasticity and Reproductive Strategies in Black Soldier Fly adult
Qihui: Unravelling the Link Between Diet-Induced Phenotypic Plasticity and Reproductive Strategies in Black Soldier Fly adult
Piero: Hermetia illucens larvae reared on food-waste to supplement fishmeal-limited diets in Lates calcarifer
Shakthee: Genetics, age, and environment influence the plasticity of gut bacterial communities in black soldier fly larvae
Niraly: Towards urban food system circularity: Managing food waste in cities with Black Soldier Fly Bioconversion
Niraly: Acceptability of Black Soldier Fly Larvae Food Waste Bioconversion Facilities (BFWs) in Singapore
Yanyun: What predicts and prevents Singapore residents from participating in insect upcycling food waste projects?
Yanyun: Consumer acceptance of insects as fish feed in Singapore
Poster presentations from the group:
Prepared by: Adrian Fuhrmann
Prepared by: Heng Chin Wee
Prepared by: Tang Yong Jen
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Looking forward to seeing everyone at the IFW2024 conference tomorrow! Here is the schedule of presentations by our team and our current collaborators.
Click here for the overall IFW2024 schedule.
Click here for the overall IFW2024 schedule.
