Professor A.Y.C. Nee obtained his PhD from the Institute of Science and Technology of Victoria University of Manchester (UMIST) in 1973. He was honored with a doctor of engineering (DEng) degree from UMIST in 2002. Prof. Nee is a prominent figure in the field of manufacturing, both in Singapore and internationally. In 1982, he became the first non-American recipient of the Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer’s Award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. In 1990, he was elected as an Active Member of CIRP and a Fellow of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, making him the first person in the ASEAN region to achieve both accolades. In 2010, he was elected as the president of the International Academy of Production Engineering (CIRP) for 2011–2012, the first ethnically Chinese President since CIRP's establishment in France in 1951. In 2014, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the American Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), marking him as the fourth Asian to achieve this honor. In 2018, he was granted the title of emeritus professor at the National University of Singapore. He is an active member of CIRP, and he also holds fellowships at the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and the International Academy for Production Engineering Research (CIRP). Additionally, he serves as the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, and he is the executive editor of Advances in Manufacturing.