2025 OCAA Winners
- Outstanding Young Computing Alumni Awards
Class of 2016
Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering (Honours)
Head of Engineering, Grab
Mr Karan Pradip Kamath is recognised for his rapid rise and sustained leadership in the technology industry. Since joining Grab in 2016 as an entry-level engineer, he has progressed through the organisation and became its youngest Head of Engineering in 2022. He has led teams across Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and India, and has worked across product engineering, platform engineering, microservice frameworks, streaming and big data platforms, finance data warehouses, and developer experience systems.
He is currently leading work on the use of large language models for code migrations, on-call automation, and internal engineering tools. His career reflects both technical depth and the ability to lead complex engineering organisations at scale.
Class of 2017
Doctor in Philosophy in Computer Science
Co-founder and CEO, Ackcio
Mobashir turned his doctoral research at NUS into Ackcio. As co-founder and CEO, he has built deep-tech solutions that monitor critical infrastructure (tunnels, dams, mines, and railways) in over 50 countries, catching the first signs of failure before they happen. This is a strong demonstration of the entrepreneurship criterion and a compelling story of NUS research reaching global application.
Class of 2015
Bachelor of Computing in Computer Science (Honours)
Software Developer, Director of Women Devs SG
Ms Saloni Kaur has built a strong profile in technology and community leadership through her sustained work to support women in computing. With over ten years of software development experience, she has led Women Devs SG since 2021 and grown it into an active community of more than 4,000 members. Through mentorship sessions, hands-on technical workshops, public speaking, and product management programmes, she has created opportunities for women to build confidence and progress in tech.
She has also co-founded RagTech, a tech podcast focused on making industry ideas more accessible, and launched Techie Taboo, a card game that encourages people to explain technical concepts in a fun and approachable way. Her work reflects a clear commitment to inclusion, education, and community impact.
Class of 2018
Doctor in Philosophy in Computer Science
Gina Cody Research Chair, Concordia University
Associate Professor Shin Hwei Tan is recognised for her significant contributions to software engineering research, teaching, and academic leadership. She is a Gina Cody Research Chair at Concordia University and has played an influential role in the research community, including starting the Frontiers of Software Engineering track in ACM TOSEM and serving as General Chair of FSE 2026. In 2025, she received the ACM-W Rising Star Award, a distinguished recognition for women in computing.
She has also been an active advocate for women in computing through her work with ACM-W Montreal and her mentorship of female students, both during and after her time at NUS.
Class of 2019
Bachelor of Computing in Computer Science (Honours)
Senior Software Engineer, Meta
Mr Syed Abdullah Bin Syed Sheikh is recognised for combining strong technical achievement with meaningful service to the community and alma mater. Since 2019, he has worked at Meta in Menlo Park on large-scale production systems. During his undergraduate years, he volunteered as an Assistant Teacher under Code in the Community at Saturday Kids, helping children from underprivileged backgrounds learn Scratch and Python. He also supported the Oasis Second Chance Animal Shelter and NUS Computing Club through web development and IT administration, and served as a part-time teaching assistant for several School of Computing courses.
After graduation, he continued giving back by contributing to the NUS College Alumni Bursary Fund to support students in need.
Class of 2018 & 2021
Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering (Honours)
Master of Computing in Information Systems
Lead Software Engineer & Engineering Manager, Open Government Products
Mr Venkatesan Harish is recognized for his outstanding leadership across public service, industry, entrepreneurship, and education. He graduated from the National University of Singapore with a B.Eng. in Computer Engineering with Highest Distinction (2018) and earned his Master of Computing (2021) as the Singapore Computer Society Gold Medalist. Harish began his career at Visa, earning a U.S. patent in payment infrastructure, before joining Open Government Products (OGP) as Lead Software Engineer and Engineering Manager. At OGP, he leads the Isomer Next and AskGov platforms, which power critical government web traffic and enable over 100 government agencies to streamline public access to information.
Beyond his engineering achievements, Harish remains deeply committed to empowering others and giving back to his alma mater. He co-founded Gratify, a media-featured digital gifting startup supported by the NUS SoC Practicum Grant. He also actively contributes to NUS as a CS3219 teaching assistant pioneering system-design clinics, serves as a Hack&Roll judge, and creates online educational content to help aspiring engineers from non-traditional backgrounds enter the computing field.