New leadership appointments
Mr Goh (left) will be the new Chairman of the Duke-NUS Governing Board, and Prof Thean (right) has taken overas Dean of NUS Engineering
The University recently announced five leadership appointments, including a new Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS) Governing Board Chairman, a new Dean of NUS Engineering and a new NUS Vice President (Research & Technology).
Effective from 1 October, Mr Goh Yew Lin, Managing Director of investment company G.K Goh Holdings Limited, will assume his role as Chairman of the Duke-NUS Governing Board, taking over from Mr Kai Nargolwala who has served with Duke-NUS for eight years — seven as Chairman and one year as a member of the Board. Mr Goh has been Chairman-Designate of the Board since April.
“Mr Goh Yew Lin has been a strong advocate for NUS and our work. Over the years, he has helped to shape the development of NUS by playing different yet important roles, including as the founding Chairman of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. We are therefore very pleased that Mr Goh is now leading Duke-NUS to play a bigger role in Singapore’s education and healthcare sectors,” said NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye.
As founding Chairman of the NUS Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Mr Goh was instrumental to the Conservatory’s dramatic growth and success in being an integral part of Singapore’s music and cultural landscape. Over his 16-year term, he helped to advance its role in nurturing musical talents, and securing key endowments which were critical to the Conservatory’s success.
Said Mr Goh, “In Mr Tony Chew and Mr Kai Nargolwala, Duke-NUS has had two truly outstanding Chairmen since its founding. They have set very high standards of dedication and leadership. Mr Nargolwala played a pivotal role in strengthening the School’s Academic Medicine partnership with SingHealth. In the years ahead, I will work with the Board and management to sustain Duke-NUS’ commitment to excellence and innovation in medical education and research.”
Professor Chua Kee Chaing, Dean of NUS Engineering since 1 July 2014, will step down on 1 September. The position will be taken over by NUS Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Aaron Thean.
“We were thrilled when Professor Aaron Thean chose to start his academic career at NUS when he returned to Singapore three years ago. His rich industry experience and strong international connections have accelerated NUS’ partnerships with industry leaders, especially in the area of advanced microelectronics. We are confident that under Aaron’s leadership, NUS Engineering can further strengthen its international reputation and distinctiveness as one of the top engineering faculties in the world,” said Prof Tan.
One of the Singapore National Research Foundation’s Returning Singapore Scientists, Prof Thean joined the University in May 2016. During his tenure at NUS, he also served in the NUS Office of the Deputy President (Research and Technology) as the Director of Industry Engagement and Partnerships from 2016 to 2018. He currently holds a range of technical leadership responsibilities at NUS, including Director of the NUS-HiFES research programme, co-director of the Applied Materials-NUS Advanced Materials Corporate Lab, and director of NUS Engineering’s micro-nanofabrication research centre, E6Nanofab.
“I am really excited to be given the opportunity to bring NUS Engineering, one of the world’s top engineering schools, to the next level in education and research. We are heading into a new era of innovation, where traditional fields of science and technology dynamically blend into new opportunities. From AI, nanomaterials, smart structures, robotics to transforming Smart Nation infrastructure, and enhancing health and medical care, we see exciting times and things to come. Our school will continue to build a stimulating and nurturing environment to grow our next-generation humanistic technologists who will shape these futures,” said Prof Thean.
Prof Liu has been appointed NUS Vice President (Research & Technology)
Professor Liu Bin has been appointed NUS Vice President (Research & Technology) from 1 September. She will take over this position from Professor Philip Liu who stepped down in June. Prof Liu joined the University as an Assistant Professor in November 2005 and in January 2016 was promoted to full professor. In July 2017, she was appointed Head of NUS Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
Prof Liu is a leader in the field of functional materials with applications in energy, environmental and biomedical research. She has received multiple accolades for her work, including being named among the World’s Most Influential Minds and the Top 1% Highly Cited Researchers in Materials Science by Thomson Reuters and Clarivate Analytics. She was also recently awarded the 2019 American Chemical Society (ACS) Nano Lectureship Award for Asia/Pacific.
“I am very honoured by this appointment. I am proud of my alma mater’s achievements in education programmes, research innovations and entrepreneurship. I look forward to taking on this new role and contributing to NUS,” said Prof Liu.
With effect from 1 October, (from left:) Dr Teo and Dr Heyzer will be reappointed Chairman and Co-Chair of the NUS Arts and Social Sciences Faculty Advisory Board respectively
Two reappointments will take effect from 1 October. Former NUS Board of Trustees members Dr Leslie Teo, Head of Data Science, Policy and Data Initiatives at Grab, and Dr Noeleen Heyzer, Social Scientist and Former United Nations Under-Secretary General, will take on new roles in NUS. Dr Teo and Dr Heyzer will be Chairman and Co-Chair of the NUS Arts and Social Sciences Faculty Advisory Board respectively.
Dr Teo and Dr Heyzer, who were on the NUS Board from April 2016 and August 2013 respectively, stepped down earlier this year.
