For the first time in its 11-year history, the exclusive annual event organised by the NUS Development Office introduced donors to two NUS faculties in a single day: the NUS Faculty of Law (NUS Law) and NUS College (NUSC).

“Today, I hope you get the chance to experience some of what we create for our students, to see not simply where your support goes, but where it could go in the future,” shared NUSC Dean Professor Simon Chesterman in his welcome address on 29 August.

Indeed, donors began the day with a guided campus tour of the faculty of their choice, led by their respective students who offered them a glimpse of university life through their eyes. The occasion also gave many the opportunity to explore NUS Law’s new home in University Town, while gaining a closer look at the distinctive learning experiences offered across both faculties.

The tours concluded with showcases of NUSC students’ Impact Experience Projects and activities by NUS Law student clubs, highlighting the many ways students put their learning into practice both inside and beyond the classroom.

Warmly welcoming donors to the BCE, NUSC Dean Professor Simon Chesterman and NUS Law Dean Professor Andrew Simester emphasised the impact that donors are co-creating when they give through the University.

“What we would really like to thank you for is not just your generosity towards our programmes and students, but for encouraging us to push the boundaries of education. You are very much co-creators in our development,” shared Prof Chesterman, who also holds the David Marshall Professorship in Law at the University.

“Singapore’s legal system is at the heart of the future and the foundation of the country’s success. Many of those who shaped that system were trained right here at NUS Law,” added Prof Simester, who is also the Amaladass Professor of Criminal Justice. “We are deeply grateful for the generous support for NUS Law and the University as a whole.”

The morning then opened into four Insight Sessions, each offering donors the opportunity to engage with critical ideas around the future of society.

The University Disrupted – Rethinking Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Led by Prof Chesterman, the session explored the value and legitimacy of universities in a world reshaped by AI.

He argued that while AI is bringing pressures to a head that have been building in universities for decades, NUS’ response should not be to go “AI first” but “X plus AI”. This refers to an approach that leverages technology to enhance every discipline while doubling down on cultivating the human qualities that AI cannot replicate: judgement, curiosity, empathy and the ability to focus deeply. A lively discussion followed, with donors actively contributing their own experiences and perspectives.

How Old Are You, Really?

At the CJ Koh Law Library, Distinguished Professor Brian Kennedy led a session on what biological age reveals about our health. Prof Kennedy is the Programme Chair of the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Director of the Centre for Healthy Longevity at the National University Health System.

He introduced donors to LinAge2, developed by NUS researchers to measure an individual’s biological age, identify what is accelerating it and recommend changes. Designed to catch decline early while it is still highly modifiable, the research informs rejuvenation strategies including lifestyle interventions, supplements and repurposing drugs to delay frailty.

The session also featured a fireside chat with Dr Sue-Anne Toh, co-founder, CEO and Medical Director of NOVI Health, and a patient who had benefitted from LinAge2 in his own journey towards healthy longevity.

NUS Law Students’ Moot Simulation

Over at the Wee Chong Jin Moot Court, donors enjoyed front-row seats to a world championship-level courtroom experience as NUS Law students recreated the intensity of an arbitration over a cross-border commercial dispute.

The case in question: whether Sellers Inc could declare non-performance under a Force Majeure clause, complicated by internal correspondence suggesting ulterior motives and the question of whether illegally obtained evidence should be admitted.

When the Tribunal, led by Professor Steven Elliott KC, deliberated on the verdict, donors voted in a live poll and were split evenly on the outcome of the arbitration. Ultimately, Prof Elliott KC ruled against Sellers Inc, finding the opposing counsel’s arguments more compelling.

He then commended the four mooters for the calibre of their arguments and noted their bright futures as leading advocates, concluding with a reference to the new Centre for International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution at NUS Law, which will reinforce Singapore’s established reputation as a leading dispute resolution hub.

AI and the Law: What Lies Ahead?

Finally, at the Yale-NUS Hall, Professor David Tan and Professor Ernest Lim, Co-Directors of the Centre for Technology, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and the Law under NUS Law; joined Mr Jeth Lee, Vice President of Legal, APAC at Nscale, for a wide-ranging panel discussion on the implications of AI for copyright, online harms and personal data protection.

Mr Lee flagged three commonly overlooked risks when lawyers outsource their minds to AI: the erosion of critical thinking, the issue of confidentiality, and AI interaction histories as evidence in legal proceedings. Prof Lim offered a framework for AI liability that is anchored in accountability and determining who is legally responsible for any actions or harm caused by an AI system.

Rounding off the panel, Prof Tan explored AI-generated content and what level of human involvement is required for the output to be attributed to human authorship. He noted that the answer remains unsettled across jurisdictions worldwide but offered practical advice: demonstrate meaningful control over the AI, and document the entire creation process.

Forging lasting connections

Following a full morning of exploration and discussion, donors gathered at the Saga Dining Hall for a sumptuous buffet lunch. Conversations continued over the meal as donors deepened their connections with faculty, students and fellow benefactors.

NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye (Science ’85) and NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost Professor Aaron Thean also joined donors for lunch, taking the opportunity to connect personally with the University’s benefactors and thank them for their continued support.

All in all, the experience was a reminder that giving through NUS does not simply support the University’s various causes. More importantly, it creates lasting impact for society, shaping a better world for future generations.

Speaking at the awards ceremony held at the University Cultural Centre on 4 September 2026, NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye celebrated the award winners as living proof of the excellence woven into the NUS identity.

He also spoke of how the University is embedding AI deeply into both education and research to unlock new frontiers of discovery. "AI has reshaped scientific research and discovery in unprecedented and unexpected ways…Even as we embrace AI, we must celebrate human excellence. We do so this evening at the University Awards. Determination, endeavour, excellence – these are the very human traits that define the NUS spirit, qualities that will anchor the next AI-powered chapter of NUS."

Top accolade - Outstanding Service Award

This year, the prestigious Outstanding Service Award was conferred on Mr Seah Moon Ming, Chairman, Board of Governors of NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, and Professor Bernard Tan Cheng Yian, NUS Senior Vice Provost (Undergraduate Education), in recognition of their inspiring leadership and dedicated service. Both are accomplished individuals who have made sustained contributions in selflessly serving the University and society.

Mr Seah Moon Ming

Mr Seah is a veteran leader who has devoted over four decades to strengthening Singapore's public institutions and continues to invest in the next generation through education and philanthropy. As Chairman of the Board of Governors of NUS High School of Mathematics and Science since 2021, he spearheaded the school's Strategic Plan 2025–2029 and forged partnerships with industry and social service organisations to enrich student learning. He is also Chairman of SMRT Corporation and SMRT Trains Ltd, where he led a cultural transformation anchored in the Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement. He established the Seah Moon Ming Foundation, which contributes annually to bursaries and scholarships across NUS, NUS High School, Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), polytechnics, Institutes of Technical Education (ITEs), and charity organisations, championing access to education for the next generation of engineers and underprivileged families.

Delivering the citation, Professor Aaron Thean, NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost, said, “[Mr Seah’s] contributions have been recognised nationally, including the Meritorious Service Medal in 2022 and the Public Service Star in 2014. Behind all these obvious contributions and achievements is a man with a heart for Engineering at NUS. He has gifted much of his time to the faculty as an advisory board member, fostering its growth. We are privileged to have Mr Seah as part of our community.”

Reflecting on his investment in education, Mr Seah said, “I believe an education should build character, shape values, and inspire students to serve society…With the right values, sense of purpose and gratitude, an NUS education can become a powerful force for a better future.”

Professor Bernard Tan Cheng Yian

Behind many of NUS' most significant curriculum reforms over the past 17 years is Professor Bernard Tan Cheng Yian, a champion of interdisciplinary and future-ready education. As Senior Vice Provost (Undergraduate Education), Prof Tan has been instrumental in driving curriculum reforms across virtually every college, faculty and school in the University, advancing interdisciplinary programmes, common admissions, experiential learning, student financial aid and AI integration in education. He chairs the University Committee on Educational Policy and multiple university-wide steering committees covering student information systems and graduate employment. A former President of the Association for Information Systems, he received the organisation's LEO Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2024.

In his citation, Prof Thean paid tribute to Prof Tan’s work in undergraduate education and his leadership in advancing NUS’ AI efforts. “As Senior Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, Professor Tan has steered the University’s educational directions, policies and programmes, always demonstrating a deep commitment to the learning experience of our students. He exemplifies collegiality, institutional commitment and a lifelong dedication to the University.”

Sharing his hopes about the future, Prof Tan said, “Don’t be afraid of the unknown. Don’t be afraid of disruptions. All these disruptions, in fact, make us stronger. Take heart. Keep innovating, and I’m confident that future generations of NUS students and educators will do better than those who come before them.”

The honour roll

The NUS University Awards 2026 also recognised the accomplishments of seven outstanding educators and researchers.

University Research Recognition Award

Professor Abhik Roychoudhury from the Department of Computer Science, School of Computing, was lauded for extending his research from academic breakthroughs to enterprise-grade tools used by companies worldwide.

Professor Ashok Venkitaraman from the Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine; and Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, was honoured for his landmark discoveries on the BRCA2 gene, which have laid the scientific foundations for targeted cancer therapies used globally.

Young Researcher Award

Associate Professor Chen Huijun Cynthia from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health was commended for her research on ageing and healthcare financing, which has directly shaped government policy in Singapore and on global platforms.

Assistant Professor Liu Boxiang from the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science, recently won the 2026 Young Scientist Award at this year’s President’s Science & Technology Awards (PSTA). He was recognised for his work on genetic variation and RNA splicing which is advancing the understanding of complex and autoimmune diseases across Asian populations.

Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award

Professor Liu Xiaogang from the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, was honoured for his excellent and committed mentorship in nurturing the next generation of scholars and thought leaders. He is a dedicated mentor to over 130 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, many of whom have gone on to publish in the world's leading scientific journals.

Outstanding Educator Award

Two faculty members were acknowledged for being exemplary educators who have excelled in engaging and inspiring students in their quest for knowledge:

1) Associate Professor Robin Loon Seong Yun from the Department of English, Linguistics and Theatre Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, who has transformed how students engage with community and identity through experiential, arts-based learning.

2) Associate Professor Tay En Rong Stephen from the Department of the Built Environment, College of Design and Engineering, who has developed the Contextualised Learning via Enquiring, Answering, and Reflecting (CLEAR) pedagogical framework. This has reshaped how curiosity and critical thinking are taught across Singapore and six other countries.

Read more about the NUS University Awards recipients here and the NUS press release here.

The RSSS initiative is designed to attract top overseas-based Singaporean research leaders back to lead local autonomous universities and research institutes.

Prof Yang, a pioneer in biomedical optics and computational imaging, joined NUS CDE’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering in August 2026. After more than two decades at the California Institute of Technology, where he was the Thomas G. Myers Professor of Electrical Engineering, Bioengineering and Medical Engineering, he has returned to NUS to lead the new Computational Microscopy, AI and Wavefront Shaping Lab.

His work focuses on pushing the limits of how light and computation can reveal biological structures, from developing Fourier ptychographic microscopy to pioneering methods that focus light deeper into biological tissue. More recently, he has turned to AI to analyse biopsy slides from lung cancer patients to uncover patterns that could support earlier and more accurate disease prediction.

Prof Ong, widely recognised as one of the pioneers of foundation potentials, joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering under NUS CDE in January 2026. After nearly two decades in the United States, he has returned to NUS to establish the AI Foundry, a system that connects AI, scientific data and automated experiments to transform how new materials are discovered. He aims to shorten the materials discovery cycle by enabling models to propose promising candidates, guide experiments and learn from results in a continuous loop.

He leads the Materialyze.AI Lab at NUS, where his research sits at the intersection of materials science and information science. In addition to founding and leading the development of pymatgen, a popular open-source library for materials analysis, Prof Ong’s work also includes developing an AI model to screen millions of hypothetical crystal structures.

Both researchers share a common goal to combine deep scientific insight with AI and computation to create technologies and accelerate discovery with real-world impact. Their return also reflects Singapore’s growing strength as a hub for advanced research, talent and innovation.

Read more about Prof Yang and Prof Ong.

This rare partnership is the focus of a new book, The Straits of Malacca and Singapore: A Model for the World, which brings together historical, legal, maritime and strategic perspectives from experts at the NUS Centre for International Law (CIL) and leading maritime scholars.

Launched on 24 August 2026, the book builds on CIL’s longstanding research into ocean law, maritime governance and shipping, reflecting the Centre’s broader role in connecting rigorous legal research with real-world policy challenges facing Singapore, Asia and the international community.

“We are the only straits in the world which have what is called a Cooperative Mechanism,” said Professor Tommy Koh, veteran diplomat and Chairman of the CIL International Advisory Panel, on the sidelines of the launch.

Launched by the three countries in 2007, the Cooperative Mechanism is a framework to enhance navigational safety and environmental protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. It brings together other countries that use the Straits, the shipping industry and other stakeholders to voluntarily share information and resources to keep the Straits safe and open to shipping.

Today, the Straits of Malacca and Singapore are among the busiest waterways in the world, through which nearly 30 per cent of global trade passes every year.

Prof Koh edited the book together with three leading maritime scholars: Dr Nilufer Oral, Director of CIL; Professor Robert Beckman, NUS Emeritus Professor and Senior Advisor of CIL’s Ocean Law programme; and Dr Tara Davenport, the programme’s co-head.

A vision come true

The book brings to life a vision that Prof Koh has held for years: to curate the historical, legal, maritime and strategic aspects of the Straits in one comprehensive account.

It was an idea that took root when he led Singapore’s delegation at the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea from 1973 to 1982. As the conference’s president in 1982, he guided the adoption of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a landmark treaty that remains a cornerstone of maritime law today and ensures free global trade through international waters.

“The experience of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia demonstrates how countries with different interests and sovereignty concerns can work together to manage a shared and strategically vital waterway,” he said.

But the cooperation that sustains the Straits of Malacca and Singapore goes back many years, predating the adoption of UNCLOS.

After World War II, the coastal states pushed to extend territorial seas from three to 12 nautical miles. This would have closed the Straits of Malacca and Singapore — a risk that Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore recognised. “The three states decided very early they had to do something about this,” said Prof Beckman.

This led to the formation of the Tripartite Technical Experts Group in 1976, the main coordinating body of the three littoral states, which in turn paved the way for the Cooperative Mechanism in 2007.

“All three states have an interest in ensuring there’s safety of navigation so that there are no collisions, that pollution of the marine environment is minimised, and there are funds in case there’s an oil spill,” added Prof Beckman.

“In that sense, the three states have a completely common interest, not a divergent interest.”

Lessons for other waterways

Such cooperation is in stark contrast to the ongoing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, where commercial shipping has been severely disrupted by the US-Iran conflict.

The book, said Prof Koh, is a timely reminder of the importance of diplomatic trust to keep vital sea lanes open for trade.

Its scope, which spans history, international legal regime, hydrography and commercial relevance, caters to a range of readers, from lawyers and policymakers to maritime practitioners.

Because many of these issues had previously been discussed in isolation, the book fills an important gap in understanding the Straits, said Ms Amanda Wee, a Research Assistant at CIL’s Ocean Law and Policy Programme who coordinated the book’s development.

“Alongside the global significance of the Straits in today’s volatile world is the lack of a book comprehensively examining the Straits of Malacca and Singapore from different disciplines in existing literature,” she noted.

By bringing together perspectives that have often been examined separately, the book ultimately aims to provide a more comprehensive account of the management of the Straits and the resulting lessons it offers policymakers, practitioners and scholars in Singapore and beyond.

The book, published by World Scientific Publishing is available at all major bookstores and online.

To ensure all incoming NUS students achieve AI literacy before they start their courses, foundational AI competencies are embedded directly into their first-year university experience through the Transition to Higher Education (T.H.E.) Programme. Starting from Academic Year 2026/27, this commitment takes shape through a new AI foundational course: THE1008 Applied Generative AI: From Prompting to Evaluation.

Developed by Associate Professor Ooi Wei Tsang and Dr Lek Hsiang Hui from the NUS School of Computing, together with Dr Kate Sangwon Lee from the Engineering Design and Innovation Centre under the College of Design and Engineering at NUS, THE1008 is compulsory for all first-year undergraduates. Students learn how to effectively use large language models (LLMs) and multimodal AI effectively to assist them across academic and professional contexts. The course establishes a common foundation in AI literacy that students can scaffold across subsequent mandatory AI courses in the common curriculum and their majors, as they progressively develop the discipline-specific AI fluency needed for their fields.

Assoc Prof Ooi said, “THE1008 teaches students to use generative AI (GenAI) effectively by helping them to understand how it works, communicate with it clearly, and incorporate it into human-led workflows for complex tasks. Upon completing the course, we hope students will understand that while GenAI is a powerful and useful tool, it is still a tool. Humans have an essential role to play in providing direction, exercising judgment, evaluating output, and taking responsibility for the resulting work.”

THE1008 is a blended-learning course, comprising three hours of online lecture videos and a two-hour in-person workshop. Students are required to complete the lecture videos, which include embedded quizzes, before attending the workshop. Both components of the course need to be completed within the first two weeks of the first semester. The course ensures every NUS undergraduate is equipped to use GenAI tools effectively for learning, assignments, internships and their careers.

First-year student Manasvini Mendu from the NUS Faculty of Science enjoyed the interactive components of the workshop. “I enjoyed working with other students to present our work to the class,” she said. “I also learnt to use GenAI to explain harder concepts, summarise notes and create flash cards, rather than using it to submit assignments, so that I’m still doing the intellectual work.”

During the workshop, she also found AI useful in other practical areas, having learnt to use AI to create a travel itinerary. “I discovered that I could utilise its planning ability to plan my ideal school timetable, and to coordinate my various activities and assignment deadlines.”

THE1008 is part of NUS’ broader effort to equip all students with AI fluency. By integrating AI competencies at every stage of study, through the common curriculum and majors, NUS students will develop the confidence to deploy AI tools strategically, critically interpret AI-generated results and apply AI thoughtfully within their disciplines. The goal is to nurture graduates who can harness AI for analysis, problem-solving and creative work, complemented by human-centred skills such as critical thinking, judgement and sense-making that employers value the most.
 

Professor Wu Jishan, Provost's Chair Professor from the Department of Chemistry in the Faculty of Science at NUS, received the esteemed President’s Science Award (PSA) from Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of the Republic of Singapore.

Two outstanding young researchers were conferred with the Young Scientist Award (YSA) from Mr Heng Swee Keat, Chairman of NRF, for their potential to become future world-class leaders in their fields. They are: Assistant Professor Liu Boxiang, Presidential Young Professor from the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Faculty of Science at NUS, and Assistant Professor Hou Yi, Presidential Young Professor from Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in the College of Design and Engineering at NUS, and Head of the Perovskite-based Multijunction Solar Cells Group at the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) at NUS.

Their collective achievements underscore the University’s deep commitment to fostering a culture of research excellence and innovation at every career stage, from promising young talents to established leaders in their fields.

2026 President’s Science Award Recipient: Professor Wu Jishan

Professor Wu Jishan was presented the PSA for his contributions to molecular carbon science. His work focuses on developing open-shell and topologically complex molecules as designable systems, enabling new approaches to control their properties for future electronic, magnetic, photonic and quantum technologies.

A leading molecular scientist, Prof Wu has transformed our understanding of how electrons can be controlled in carbon-based molecules. He challenged the long-standing reliance on stable "closed-shell" molecules by demonstrating that highly reactive "open-shell" molecules can be systematically designed and controlled. This paradigm shift turned scientific curiosities into functional materials with unique magnetic, optical, and quantum properties.

One of Prof Wu’s most significant contributions is the development of stable diradicals and polyradicals – molecules containing unpaired electrons that interact with one another. His discoveries have led to new materials for spintronics, photonics and molecular quantum technologies. Prof Wu also reshaped chemistry’s core concept of aromaticity by extending it into three dimensions. He synthesised complex carbon architectures like Möbius and figure-eight molecular systems, opening new possibilities for advanced photonics, circularly polarised light technologies, spin-selective devices, and future quantum systems.

“Receiving the President’s Science Award is a tremendous honour and a deeply meaningful milestone for me. It recognises not only my own scientific journey, but also nearly two decades of work by my students, research team and collaborators at NUS,” said Prof Wu. “I am particularly grateful that our long-term effort to explore unconventional molecular systems — from open-shell molecules to three-dimensional aromatic and topological carbon structures — has grown from fundamental curiosity into new directions for advanced materials and quantum technologies.”

Collectively, Prof Wu’s discoveries provide a unified framework for controlling electron behaviour. Since joining NUS in 2007, he has built a world-leading research programme and mentored a new generation of scientists who now hold leadership positions globally. His foundational work and commitment to talent development lay the groundwork for future quantum technologies and cement Singapore’s position as a global leader in scientific innovation.

Read the full citation here.

2026 Young Scientist Award Recipient: Assistant Professor Liu Boxiang

Assistant Professor Liu Boxiang, a computational biologist and geneticist, won the YSA for his work in developing artificial intelligence (AI) and bioinformatics methods that improve the identification of causal genes for complex diseases, enabling precision medicine approaches for human health.

“This award recognises not just me but the hard work and dedication of my team and the generosity of my mentors and collaborators. It shows that the work we do is generating real-world impact, and the risk we took led to positive outcomes,” said Asst Prof Liu.

Asst Prof Liu’s research involves developing and employing AI methods to find genes that cause complex human diseases, with a particular focus on Asian populations, which have been underrepresented in genomic research. His work lays the groundwork for precision medicine tailored to an individual’s genetic makeup.

To close the data gap, he spearheaded the creation of the first atlas that maps genetic variation in individual Asian cells. His work identified an Asian-specific gene variant linked to Graves’ disease, a common thyroid condition, with the discovery earning a coveted spot on the cover of the scientific journal Nature Genetics. Asst Prof Liu also developed powerful computational tools, including the LocusCompare2 web platform used by researchers worldwide and the DIRAC deep-learning model, which turn raw genetic signals into actionable insights about disease mechanisms and potential drug targets.

Beyond his own research, Asst Prof Liu is committed to nurturing the next generation of scientists. He directs the Genomic Data Science Laboratory and the MGI-PPS Joint Laboratory at NUS, mentors a team whose work has earned awards, and has co-created and taught new genomics courses for the University. He also leads an industry partnership to bring advanced sequencing technologies to NUS. Apart from YSA, Asst Prof Liu received two other early-career awards this year – the NUS Young Researcher Award, and the NUS Faculty of Science Young Scientist Award.

Addressing aspiring scientists, Asst Prof Liu urged, “Don't give up – most people give up way too soon and never manage to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Pace yourself and avoid burnouts. Eat well, rest well, and exercise to fight for another day.”

Read the full citation here.

2026 Young Scientist Award Recipient: Assistant Professor Hou Yi

Assistant Professor Hou Yi clinched the YSA for his contributions to the development of high-performance perovskite solar technologies, from record-breaking devices to scalable manufacturing. His work has enabled lightweight and energy-efficient power systems for AI infrastructure, wearable electronics, space platforms and sustainable energy applications.

A pioneer in next-generation solar technology, Asst Prof Hou specialises in tandem solar cells. These cells stack two light-absorbing layers, often using perovskite materials, to capture more solar energy than conventional single-layer cells. His research has produced multiple world-record performances and tackled key challenges in stability and large-scale deployment.

By expanding the understanding of how different material layers interact and the degradation mechanisms of solar cells, Asst Prof Hou has made these advanced solar technologies significantly more durable, efficient, and commercially viable. His breakthroughs are paving the way for lightweight, energy-efficient power generation, moving beyond the limitations of traditional silicon and enabling new energy solutions for a wide range of demanding applications.

“One of the biggest challenges in our research has been translating high-performance perovskite solar cells from laboratory-scale devices into technologies that are stable, scalable, and relevant to real-world applications. We have addressed this by working across disciplines and continuously connecting fundamental materials science with device engineering and manufacturing,” said Asst Prof Hou.

Outside the lab, Asst Prof Hou is deeply involved in technology commercialisation. As the founder of the NUS spin-off company Singfilm Solar, he actively translates academic research into industrial use. Through his research and entrepreneurial efforts, he is building revolutionary power sources for AI infrastructure, wearable electronics, and space systems, strengthening Singapore’s position as a global leader in next-generation solar technology.

To young researchers, his advice is “to stay curious, focus on important problems, and not be afraid of taking on challenges that may initially seem difficult or unconventional”.

Read the full citation here.

Galassia 5: AI-powered earth observation satellite

Most satellites transmit everything they capture back to earth, and this is a slow, bandwidth-heavy process that limits how quickly useful data can reach people who need it. A team of students from the College of Design and Engineering at NUS set out to change that.

Final-year students Tristan Voon, Grace Ng and Victor Soh, together with NUS alumni Lim Tze Yee, Hang Jin Guang, Lee Wen Da, Phyo Thu Yein Kyaw and Pan Yong Jing from the Class of 2026, built Galassia 5, an earth observation satellite that processes data onboard in real time. At its core is a neural processing unit (NPU), a specialised hardware that runs artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning workloads directly on the device without relying on a ground connection. Combined with direct-to-user downlinking, which sends data directly from orbit to end users, Galassia 5 significantly reduced the time taken for critical insights to reach users who need it most. In disaster situations like earthquakes, faster satellite data transmission means less time needed for first responders to reach earthquake survivors.

Stress-testing AI as a research tool

Can AI tools be trusted for serious research? A team from NUS Business School decided to find out.

Final-year students Joshua Arjanto and Muhammad Khaizuran Bin Mohamad Rosle, as well as NUS Class of 2026 graduates Hu Shiyou, Chen Xiaojing (Crystal) and Asher Ethan Koh – put leading AI research tools, including OpenAI Deep Research, Google Gemini Deep Research and DeepSeek, through their paces. The task was to analyse the business impact of emerging technologies, such as AI, quantum computing, robotics, space technology and fusion energy, across G20 countries.

The team had three goals in mind: to determine which tools produced the most reliable and useful research, how their outputs and sources could be systematically fact-checked, and what an effective end-to-end workflow for AI-assisted research should look like.

The findings were a timely warning. AI-generated responses often appeared polished and well-structured even when the underlying references were inaccessible, incorrectly interpreted or potentially fabricated, reinforcing the importance of evaluating AI’s reliability as a tool for investment and financial research. In response, the team developed a five-step framework: scope, collect, verify, synthesise and present, offering a practical blueprint for anyone using AI in high-stakes research or investment contexts.

Regulating AI in healthcare

Although GenAI and large language models (LLMs) are growing more capable, the rules governing the use of AI in healthcare have not kept pace.  LLMs can now handle open-ended tasks and generate diverse responses across applications but existing medical AI regulations were largely designed for older, narrower systems with predictable outputs. The flexibility that makes LLMs powerful also makes them harder to govern as they can hallucinate, produce inconsistent results and generate recommendations that are difficult-to-explain or audit.

It was this gap that led Caitlyn Tan, an NUS Medicine graduate from the Class of 2026, to examine whether existing regulatory approaches are equipped to manage LLMs used for clinical decision support (CDS).

Her research examines a range of safeguards that could help make GenAI safer in clinical settings. These include red teaming, in which AI systems are deliberately pushed into difficult or harmful scenarios to expose weaknesses before deployment; guardrails, which constrain unsafe or inappropriate outputs and retrieval-augmented generation, which allows models to draw on trusted and up-to-date sources. Rather than advocating for rigid rules which could stifle innovation, she makes the case for forward-looking, adaptive regulations that evolve alongside the technology, while maintaining patient safety as the priority.

Applications to UROP+ REx and SPUR are closing on 28 August. Click on the links to apply today.

Cutting-edge research to shape the future of international arbitration

Amid increasing tensions and uncertainty in the international trade and business environment, the Centre will undertake rigorous research and engagement with practice aimed at developing trusted, credible and sustainable dispute resolution frameworks.

The Centre will be led by Professor Stavros Brekoulakis, an international expert, academic and practitioner in international arbitration from the NUS Faculty of Law. Building on NUS’s expertise in international law and arbitration, the Centre will connect leading academics, arbitrators, practitioners, policymakers, judges, institutions and users from around the world. It will address issues shaping the future of international arbitration. These include , transparency and accountability, ethics and professional governance, investor–State dispute settlement, and the contribution of Singapore and ASEAN to the development of international arbitration law and practice.

The Centre will complement Singapore’s existing world-class dispute-resolution institutions and infrastructure by providing a dedicated platform for research, policy development, publications and international conventions.

Proposed new programme in international arbitration

The Centre also plans to develop a rigorous, research-led and interdisciplinary programme of advanced studies in international arbitration. The programme will combine advanced legal studies and research-led teaching with exposure to business, technology as well as engagement with leading international arbitrators, counsel, institutions and academics. It will strive to set a global benchmark in advanced education and professional development of future leaders in international arbitration.

Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Mr Edwin Tong SC said: “Singapore strongly supports multilateralism, and a dispute resolution system which is trusted, is rules based and which applies fairly. We will do our best to contribute towards the strengthening of a framework to support such a system. This will include innovative research and fresh thinking, in order to evolve the framework, and keep it relevant and fit for purpose. As an international dispute resolution hub in the heart of Asia, we believe that Singapore is well placed to contribute to these efforts, by bringing together global thought leaders with different perspectives from across the region and beyond.”

Professor Brekoulakis said: “International arbitration is entering a period of significant change. The challenges facing the field require fresh thinking about how the system can remain effective, credible and responsive to a changing global economy. I look forward to working with colleagues across academia, practice and policymaking to address these challenges and contribute to shaping the future of international arbitration. The Centre will bring together rigorous scholarship and the advanced practical understanding, with the ambition of establishing Singapore as a leading global centre for thought leadership and advanced education in international dispute resolution. I am grateful to the Ministry of Law for their commitment and support in making this important initiative possible.

More information on the Centre will be shared in due course.

The Corporate Lab is supported under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 plan (RIE2025) and is hosted at the College of Design and Engineering and with participation from the School of Computing at NUS. The Corporate Lab brings together a multidisciplinary research ecosystem spanning AI algorithms, accelerator architectures, low-power memory systems, circuit design, silicon technologies, and application development. The programme will integrate NUS’ pioneering research with ST’s expertise in semiconductor technology, system development, and industry operations.

NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye said: “The ST–NUS HELIX Corporate Lab is a testament to the value of industry–academia partnerships in translating research into innovation. By combining NUS’ research strengths with STMicroelectronics’ industrial capabilities, we are building not only advanced, cutting-edge edge AI hardware, but also the talent and ecosystem that will help define the future of Singapore’s semiconductor and AI industries.”

Laurent Malier, Executive Vice President, Global Technology R&D at STMicroelectronics, said: “ST’s strength as an integrated device manufacturer lies in our ability to bring together advanced silicon technologies, embedded memory, circuit design, heterogeneous integration and chiplets. Through HELIX, we are creating an industrially relevant foundation to explore differentiated AI computing technologies and accelerate the translation of promising research into scalable semiconductor solutions.”

The Corporate Lab was officially launched today by Ms Low Yen Ling, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and Ministry of Trade and Industry, as the Guest-of-Honour.

Building the future of edge AI

Edge AI processes data directly within or close to a device rather than relying exclusively on remote cloud infrastructure. This enables faster response times, stronger data privacy, improved energy efficiency, and greater resilience in environments with limited or intermittent connectivity. These capabilities are increasingly important for AI systems that must perceive, reason, and act in real time, in the real world – often described as Physical AI.

HELIX focuses on a key frontier within this space: embodied AI, where intelligence is built directly into a physical form — such as a robot, humanoid, or drone — combining multi-modal sensing, on-device computing, and real-time actuation. Delivering that intelligence efficiently, on compact and power-constrained hardware, is the challenge HELIX is built to address. Enabling these capabilities at the edge requires innovation across algorithms, software, system architecture, and hardware.

HELIX builds on ST’s long-standing journey in AI and will help us explore new system-level solutions that combine efficient computing, advanced memory architecture, and application-driven design to address the requirements of future intelligent devices. Complementing ST’s capabilities, NUS brings world-class expertise in integrated circuits, computer architecture, AI models, and system design. Under the partnership, researchers from NUS and STMicroelectronics will jointly work on research work packages, talent development, IP creation, and demonstration activities.

The research at HELIX will span the full technology stack, from AI models and system architecture to heterogeneous accelerators, on-chip memory hierarchies, circuit design, chip integration, and silicon implementation. It will focus on memory centric architecture, innovative in-memory computing, and scalable compute-and memory systems, supported by ST’s P18 18nm Fully Depleted Silicon On Insulator (FD-SOI) technology and embedded Phase Change Memory (PCM). P18 FD-SOI enables ultra-low-power operation and adaptive body-biasing, while embedded PCM provides dense, non-volatile storage on the same die alongside the on-chip SRAM hierarchy. Together, these capabilities can reduce the off-chip data movement that dominates the energy consumption of memory-bound AI workloads.

ST will make a substantial technology and engineering contribution to HELIX by providing NUS with a dedicated design chassis implemented in its proprietary P18 18nm FD-SOI technology. The platform will bring together ST’s silicon, architecture, integration, and engineering capabilities to give researchers an industrial-grade foundation for developing, integrating, and validating new AI accelerator concepts. By eliminating the need to build the underlying infrastructure from the ground up, the design chassis will enable greater focus on differentiated innovation, accelerate system-level validation, and create a more direct path from technology pathfinding to industrialisation.

By combining advances across AI algorithms, accelerator architectures, memory systems, circuits, and semiconductor technologies, HELIX aims to address the energy-efficiency, memory-bandwidth, latency, scalability, and integration challenges associated with deploying increasingly capable AI systems at the edge.

Nurturing talent to drive Singapore’s semiconductor ecosystem

The establishment of HELIX represents a strategic investment in Singapore’s future competitiveness in edge AI and advanced semiconductor systems. By fostering industry-relevant R&D, HELIX will strengthen local capabilities and nurture a new generation of talent in AI systems and chip design.

Students, researchers, and professionals will have opportunities to participate in cutting-edge projects led by HELIX, gaining hands-on experience with the latest technologies, collaborating with industry leaders, and developing skills that meet the evolving needs of the sector. Through these initiatives, HELIX aims to build a robust talent pipeline and position Singapore as a global hub for innovation in edge AI and semiconductor technologies.

Career preparation begins well before the fair and lasts long after it ends. From campus pop-ups and career workshops to a Virtual Global Fair and on-site interviews, here are six things students can look out for during the NUS Career Fest season, organised by the NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates (CFG).

1. Get career advice at campus pop-ups

In the weeks leading up to NUS Career Fest, students can speak with CFG Career Advisors at campus pop-ups to find out more about career resources and book personalised career advisory sessions ahead of the fair.

Catch the CFG team at these locations:

• Faculty of Law: 28 August, 12pm–2pm at East Core building
• Faculty of Science: 3 September, 12pm–2pm at Frontier
• School of Computing: 9 September, 12 pm–2pm at The Terrace
• College of Design and Engineering: 15 September, 12pm–2pm outside LT6

Students can also meet the CFG team and a select group of employers at the YIH Back to School Pop-Up on 26 August 2026, from 11am to 3pm, at NUS Yusof Ishak House Level 2, outside Wild Skew.

Get more information on these pre-fair micro-events here.

2. Prepare for the recruitment process through workshops

Career preparation continues through a series of workshops running before and after the fair.

• Pre-fair workshops (5 August–21 September): Covers AI professional branding, consulting case studies and quantitative finance careers.
• Post-fair workshops (25 September–16 October): Provides ongoing skill-building opportunities, from navigating the job search and assessment centres to managing job offers and salary negotiations.

3. Explore international opportunities at the Virtual Global Fair

Students looking for career opportunities beyond Singapore or hoping to gain broader global exposure can connect with global employers offering overseas internships and graduate roles at the Virtual Global Fair from 14 to 21 September.

For more information on the Virtual Global Fair, click here.

4. Meet employers and interview with some of them on the spot

This year’s NUS Career Fest introduces live on-site interviews, with 20 employers conducting interviews directly on the convention floor. Students can turn initial conversations into formal job interviews without leaving the venue.

In addition, they can have access to diverse career paths with over 200 employers across more than 20 industries, including finance, AI & technology, healthcare, engineering, consumer goods and the public sector.

5. Get career advice and a professional headshot

Students can also sharpen their job application skills by visiting the Career Advisory Express booth for guidance from CFG Career Advisors before meeting employers or stop by the complimentary executive photo studio for a professional headshot for LinkedIn and other professional networking platforms.

6. Keep exploring opportunities after NUS Career Fest

Remember: career preparation doesn’t end with NUS Career Fest. Keep the momentum going all semester by consulting CFG Career Advisors and joining recruitment events. These touchpoints provide opportunities to network, refine applications and explore career pathways in the search for internships and jobs.

To register for NUS Career Fest, visit this link.

By NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates

Name: Yunci Ho 
Faculty: NUS Business School 
Host Country/University: South Korea, Korea University 

What was your first week like in South Korea?

My first week in Korea was a mix of excitement and adjustment. As it was my first time in the country, I was grateful to have my mum with me for the first few days. Saying goodbye to her was when it truly sank in that I would be living on my own in a completely unfamiliar place for the next few months.

Suddenly, even the simplest tasks felt daunting — from getting a SIM card and navigating the university shuttle bus to using local taxi and food delivery apps, and even finding my way around the dormitory.

What made the biggest difference was the kindness of people around me. My international roommate patiently helped me settle in and even lent me toiletries because I had arrived without them. A local ahjumma (Korean for “middle-aged woman”) also introduced me to hidden eateries known among the locals I would never have discovered on my own. These small acts of kindness stayed with me, reminding me that even in unfamiliar places, people can quietly make a place feel like home.

Why did you choose South Korea and Korea University for your exchange?

I chose Korea University for three reasons: cultural experience, academic fit, and accommodation.

First, Seoul offers a unique blend of modern city life and deep-rooted traditions, making everyday life both dynamic and enriching.

Secondly, as a Human Resource major, I was curious about how Korea's emphasis on hyo (filial piety) shapes leadership, teamwork and organisational culture. Exploring these ideas gave me a deeper appreciation of collective and respectful leadership styles.

Finally, secure student accommodation was important in helping me transition smoothly into a new environment. Overall, Korea University offered the right balance of cultural immersion, academic relevance and practical support.

What are some of your key learning experiences during your exchange?

One of my biggest takeaways from SEP is that growth often comes from uncertainty, rather than certainty.

Before going on exchange, I viewed learning as something structured, with clear plans, goals and outcomes. Living in a new environment challenged that mindset. I had to adapt to unfamiliar systems, navigate language and cultural differences, and make decisions without always having all the answers.

Through these experiences, I realised that learning is not only intellectual but also deeply personal. It is about how you respond to uncertainty — whether you retreat into your comfort zone or choose to embrace the unfamiliar. Over time, I became more comfortable with not having everything figured out and developed greater confidence in trusting my own judgement.

What are some of your fondest memories?

One of my fondest memories was hiking a challenging mountain with an experienced friend. The terrain was demanding, and the winter air made it even tougher, turning the experience into as much a mental challenge as a physical one.

There was also a humorous — but slightly stressful — moment when a bee hovered near me at the edge of a cliff, forcing me to stay calm and move carefully. Looking back, it is one of those stories that still makes me laugh.

Beyond that, snowboarding for the first time was such a memorable experience. I struggled at the start (and fell more times than I could count), but slowly getting the hang of it and making it down the slopes was incredibly rewarding. It was something completely new to me and made my exchange feel even more adventurous and unforgettable.

What did you learn from interacting with students from different cultures?

Interacting with students from different cultures taught me that perspectives are deeply shaped by our upbringing, values and communication styles.

Through group projects and everyday conversations, I encountered different approaches to teamwork, decision-making and even expressing opinions. These experiences taught me to listen more intentionally, clarify assumptions and communicate more thoughtfully.

Most importantly, I came to appreciate the importance of humility. There is no single “correct” way of thinking or working. Effective collaboration comes from adapting, finding common ground and respecting differences. These experiences strengthened my ability to work in diverse teams and made me more open to perspectives that differ from my own.

Any tips for NUS students interested in going on exchange?

My advice is simple: prepare well before you go, then embrace the unexpected once you arrive.

From your first semester at NUS, develop a rough study plan. It will help you stay on track academically and identify which modules are best suited for exchange. Making good use of the Pass/Fail system can also ease academic pressure, giving you more freedom to immerse yourself in new experiences without constantly worrying about grades.

Once you are there, don’t limit yourself to what feels familiar. Talk to new people, join activities and say yes to opportunities — even if they feel slightly uncomfortable at first. Some of the most meaningful experiences happen when you least expect them.

SEP is most rewarding when you strike a balance between preparation and openness: be organised enough to feel secure, but curious enough to grow beyond your comfort zone.

After returning to NUS, I continued supporting exchange initiatives by sharing my experiences with prospective exchangers at events such as the Go Global Fair. I was honoured to receive the Outstanding NUS Exchanger Award, but what meant even more to me was the opportunity to give back to the exchange community that had shaped my own journey.

The study, led by Associate Professor Duong Hai Minh from the Department of Mechanical Engineering under College of Design and Engineering at NUS, was published in the scientific journal Waste Management on 29 June 2026.

A growing recycling challenge

Carbon fibre and epoxy composites are widely used in aerospace, wind energy, automotive and marine applications because they are light, strong and resistant to corrosion. However, the epoxy component is a thermoset polymer that, once cured, cannot be melted down and reshaped like some plastics, making these composites difficult to recycle.

Most existing recycling methods focus on recovering the carbon fibres. The epoxy resins are usually destroyed, discarded or treated as a lower-value by-product. Additionally, some methods require high temperatures, strong chemicals or large amounts of energy.

Assoc Prof Duong’s team took a different approach by using both the carbon fibre and epoxy components of the waste. The researchers mechanically processed the composite into a mixture of fine powder and short fibre fragments, combined it with carboxymethyl cellulose, a cellulose-based binder, and freeze-dried the mixture to form an aerogel.

During the freeze-drying process, the processed composite waste forms a light, sponge-like structure filled with tiny, connected pores. Much of this structure is air, which helps slow the movement of heat through the material. In laboratory tests, the aerogels showed low thermal conductivity, suggesting that they could be used as lightweight insulation materials.

“Our goal was to show that carbon fibre composite waste does not have to be treated only as a disposal problem,” said Assoc Prof Duong. “By using the whole material, including both the fibre and epoxy fractions, we can turn this waste stream into functional materials with higher value.”

From waste to useful material

Beyond thermal insulation, the aerogels also absorbed sound effectively, pointing to their potential use in sound-control materials.

The team also explored their use in environmental clean-up. After being treated to repel water, the aerogels were able to absorb large amounts of oil, suggesting that they could be useful for oil spill clean-up and oil-water separation.

Tests with fibroblast cells also found that the aerogels were non-toxic under the study conditions, supporting further investigation into potential applications involving humans or the environment.

The team is now exploring collaborations with partners in the aerospace, advanced materials, manufacturing and waste management sectors. Future work will focus on scaling up the technology and assessing its environmental and economic performance for industrial use.

“Advanced composites have enabled lighter and more efficient structures in many industries,” said Assoc Prof Duong. “The next step is to ensure that these materials can be managed sustainably at the end of their service life.”

The programme is designed to build an integrated R&D platform for sustainable specialty polymers, using lignocellulosic biomass, which refers to renewable plant dry matter typically produced as a waste by-product from agriculture and forestry, as an alternative raw material to petrochemicals. Southeast Asia produces an estimated 500 million tonnes of agricultural and forestry residues annually which could be a reliable and sustainable source of lignocellulosic biomass. The programme will focus on developing drop-in monomers for specialty polymers used in adhesives, specialty coatings and electronics.

The Energy and Chemicals sector is a critical part of Singapore’s economy, contributing 18.5 per cent of total manufacturing output. As the sector responds to the global sustainability transition, companies are increasingly exploring more sustainable product pathways while remaining competitive. SG Bio-SPRINT aims to expand the range of carbon sources available to Singapore’s specialty chemicals sector by helping shift production away from fossil-based inputs and toward more sustainable pathways. In doing so, the programme supports industry’s transition toward a circular bioeconomy while meeting growing market demand for greener products.

At the same time, specialty chemicals, including specialty polymers, remain a key growth area, with multinational companies continuing to invest in research, development, and production in Singapore. SG Bio-SPRINT will strengthen this momentum by providing targeted scientific support that complements industry R&D and unlocks new opportunities in sustainable materials.

“The NUS Department of Chemistry is proud to lead this programme, which brings together complementary expertise from NUS and A*STAR to develop high-performance, sustainable polymers from biomass feedstocks while assessing their commercial potential. The team offers deep experience and a strong track record in catalysis, green chemistry, polymer science, and materials engineering. Through three synergistic workgroups, we look forward to harnessing the team’s collective strengths and discoveries to help advance the circular bioeconomy.,” said Professor Lu Yixin, Lead Principal Investigator from the NUS Department of Chemistry.

“Ultimately, we hope that SG Bio-SPRINT will reinforce Singapore’s position as a regional hub for specialty polymers R&D and production while contributing meaningfully to the country’s broader net-zero ambitions,” added Professor Koh Ming Joo, co-Lead Principal Investigator from the NUS Department of Chemistry.

Addressing current industry challenges

Although bio-based alternatives are attracting growing interest, major gaps remain before they can be widely adopted in specialty polymer production. One challenge is that methods to convert lignocellulosic biomass into useful products are not fully developed, which limits the range of monomers and polymers that can be produced. Cost-effectiveness and scalability are also challenges, especially when moving from laboratory synthesis to commercial production.

SG Bio-SPRINT is designed to tackle these issues directly. The project focuses on creating industry-relevant drop-in monomers, which are molecules that share identical chemical structures as their fossil-fuel derived equivalents, that can be integrated into existing polymer production lines, rather than relying only on entirely new biomass-derived products. This approach should make adoption easier for manufacturers and help align chemistry design, performance requirements and supply chains.

The programme also responds to a broader global shift. Across government, research, and industry, there is growing urgency around defossilisation in the chemicals sector. While many current efforts focus on biofuels or commodity chemicals, SG Bio-SPRINT targets a more demanding area: specialty polymer applications, where materials must be carefully designed for performance and commercial use.

Developing new sustainable and high-performance polymers

SG Bio-SPRINT is structured around three closely connected workgroups comprising researchers from NUS and A*STAR.

Workgroup 1: Developing biomass-to-monomer pathways

The first workgroup will focus on converting lignocellulosic biomass into promising drop-in monomer candidates. This includes developing chemical routes, improving catalyst performance, and identifying pathways that can produce useful building blocks for specialty polymers.

Its goal is to create monomers that can be used in existing production systems, helping industry adopt greener feedstocks without needing completely new manufacturing infrastructure.

Workgroup 2: Validating performance for real applications

The second workgroup will test whether the new bio-based monomers can perform as well as conventional fossil-based materials. The team will examine purity, reactivity, and post-polymerisation properties, and compare them against industry incumbents.

The validation will focus on three application areas: adhesives, specialty coatings, and electronics. These are high-value sectors where performance is critical, so the workgroup’s findings will help determine whether the new materials are ready for real-world use.

Workgroup 3: Digital, economic, and sustainability support

The third workgroup will use artificial intelligence, molecular modelling, techno-economic analysis, and life cycle assessment to support the rest of the programme. Its role is to evaluate technical feasibility, cost, and sustainability together, helping the team prioritise the most promising routes.

This workgroup will also build a unified data framework that connects current research literature, experimental results and modelling insights. By doing so, the workgroup will help the project make better decisions earlier and accelerate the path from discovery to deployment.

Next steps

SG Bio-SPRINT’s immediate research goals include developing candidate monomers, validating them in application-relevant settings and building a data framework to identify potential polymers to focus on. The programme will also work closely with industry and innovation partners to support translation, intellectual property and future collaboration. Through the programme, the team aims to build foundational expertise and boost confidence in expanding sustainable chemical transition research to cover more applications in the chemical sector.

Spanning public service, education, healthcare, research, the arts and community leadership, here are some of the NUS-affiliated recipients recognised for their contributions. View the full list of NUS-affiliated recipients here (best viewed in Edge browsers) and click here for the winners from Duke-NUS.

This year, three distinguished individuals affiliated with NUS were among those accorded the top awards.

The Order of Temasek (With Distinction) 
Mr Sundaresh Menon (Law ’86) 
Chief Justice 
2024 Honorary Doctor of Laws, NUS

The Meritorious Service Medal 
Ms Anita Fam Siu Ping (Law ’86) 
Former President, National Council of Social Services 
Chair, Lien Centre for Palliative Care Advisory Board, Duke-NUS Medical School 

Prof Chee Yam Cheng (Medicine ’73, MMed (IM) ’77) 
President, Singapore Medical Council 
Clinical Professor, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS

Senior faculty, NUS Trustees and members of its governing boards also received accolades across many award categories.

The Public Service Star (Bar) 
Prof Ong Say Leong (Engineering ‘79) 
Emeritus Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Design and Engineering, NUS

The Public Administration Medal (Gold) 
Ms Lim Wan Yong 
Permanent Secretary (Education), Ministry of Education 
Member, Board of Trustees, NUS 

Prof Ng Wai Hoe (Medicine ’94, MD ’10) 
Group Chief Executive Officer, SingHealth, Singapore Health Services, Ministry of Health 
Member, Governing Board, Duke-NUS Medical School 
Professor, SingHealth Duke-NUS Neuroscience Academic Clinical Programme, Duke-NUS Medical School

The Public Service Medal 
Ms Angelene Chan 
Council Member, Dover Park Hospice 
Member, Board of Trustees, NUS 

Ms Chong Siak Ching 
Chairperson, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music Governing Board, NUS

In addition, leaders of NUS colleges, faculties, schools and institutes, together with members of senior management, were lauded for their exceptional contributions to the University and the nation.

The Public Administration Medal (Silver) 
Ms Ho Shuet Ying 
Prof Jessica Pan Yunfen 
Prof Lionel Wee Hock Ann 
Mr Tan Kian Woo 
Prof Teo Kie Leong

The Public Administration Medal (Silver) (Military) 
RADM Kwan Hon Chuong

The Public Administration Medal (Bronze) 
Prof Bao Weizhu 
Assoc Prof Caroline Lee Guat Lay 
Assoc Prof Chai Kah Hin 
Assoc Prof Chan Tze Law 
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong 
Prof Janice Lee Mong Li 
Prof Lim Chwee Teck 
Mr Roy Tan Chi Keong

Many of the University’s alumni also received awards for their service to Singapore.

The Meritorious Service Medal 
Dr Beh Swan Gin (Medicine ’91) 
Mr George Lim Teong Jin (Law ’81) 
Mr S Chandra Das (Arts ’65)

The Public Service Star (Bar) 
Mr Chua Chong Kheng (Engineering ’85, MSc MOT ’95) 
Mr Lim Hock Chee (Science ’92) 
Mr Tan Soo Kiang (Law ’74) 
Dr Vincent Chua Cheng Huat (MSocSci ’85)

The Public Service Star 
Mr Chin Sau Ho (Engineering ’90) 
Mr Fong Yoong Kheong (Arts & Social Sciences ’10) 
Dr Kwoh Chee Keong (Engineering ’87, MSc ISE ’91) 
Mr Lau Chin Huat (Business ’83) 
Mr Lee Thiam Siew, Alvin (Arts & Social Sciences ’01, MA ’06) 
Mr Ong Chee Keong (Arts & Social Sciences ’04, Public Policy MPA ’14) 
Dr Ong Hang Shyan (Medicine ’00, MMed (Ortho Surg) ’07) 
Mr Tang Kok Seng (Engineering ’89)

Yet, this rich heritage has remained largely obscured by the familiar colonial narrative of Singapore’s founding.

From August 2026, about 140 undergraduates at NUS will embark on a journey into Singapore’s deeper history through “700 Years of Visual Arts: Singapore in the World”, a new General Education course that goes beyond just an art or history course, using visual and material culture to uncover connections between people, ideas and cultures that shaped Singapore centuries before Raffles’ arrival.

Developed by the Art History Minor Programme at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences' (FASS) Department of History, the course fills a gap in Singapore’s art history education. While broad introductory courses on the art and cultural histories of places such as India, China and Rome have long been available, Singapore has lacked a comparable introduction.

“There has not been a Singaporean version of courses like ‘Arts of India’, ‘Introduction to the Italian Renaissance’ or ‘Arts of China’,” said Dr Priya Jaradi, Convenor of the Art History Minor Programme and Principal Educator of “700 Years”.

“This course gives us an opportunity to tell a much longer story that recognises Singapore’s cultural connections across the region and the world, and the centuries of history that came before 1819.”

Piecing together Singapore’s longer history

Rather than tracing Singapore’s past only through dates and events, “700 years” invites learners to look closely at an expansive range of objects and images that have survived and recognise them as valuable clues to Singapore’s past — a key feature of the course.

For instance, a 9th-century Chinese ceramic, a piece of textile woven in Gujarat for Southeast Asian clients, or a portrait produced in Bombay, Singapore or Canton can reveal stories about the movement of people, ideas and tastes across the region.

The course draws on more than 700 forms of material culture from Singapore’s institutional collections, including the Asian Civilisations Museum, NUS Museum and NUS Libraries, as well as collections from institutions overseas. It also looks beyond objects made on the island itself, presenting Singapore as a crossroads shaped by long-standing regional and global connections.

Mr Dylan Chng, Co-educator of “700 years” said this approach encourages learners to ask questions that can open up new ways of understanding the past.

“By looking closely at objects and the stories behind them, students will learn to make connections between people, places, ideas and cultures, and develop new ways of seeing and understanding the world around them. They learn to ask: ‘What can this object tell me?’, ‘Where did it come from?’ and ‘Why was it made?’ These questions can open up new ways of understanding not just Singapore’s past, but the world around us.”

The course’s blended learning format is designed to deepen this experience, combining online video lectures with in-person tutorial sessions and independent museum research. Students can work through the online material at their own pace before coming together with faculty and peers to discuss ideas and explore key concepts and case studies in greater depth.

From the NUS classroom to learners everywhere

Given its broad relevance to anyone interested in Singapore’s history, art and cultural heritage, the new course will also be made available to the public, including beyond Singapore, through the FASS’ Continuing Education and Training (CET) offerings from January 2027.

Public learners can choose between the blended learning format or take the course entirely online, with access to video lectures, readings, resources and quizzes from anywhere in the world.

Ultimately, the new course allows students and adult learners alike to see the island’s history in a new light, reflecting NUS’ commitment to enhancing the learning experience to make education more engaging, interdisciplinary and relevant to students and adult learners today.

“That is what makes this a valuable General Education course. Students from different disciplines can come together to explore something they may not have studied before, while learning to look closely, ask questions and make connections between things that might not seem connected at first. I hope they leave not just knowing more about Singapore’s history, but seeing it a little differently,” said Dr Jaradi.

Earlier this year, 17 students from the Global Studies Programme at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) had the opportunity to embark on a 10-day field immersion trip to Ecuador to experience the country's environmental landscapes, Indigenous communities, political institutions and social dynamics as part of the NUS Study Trips for Engagement and EnRichment (STEER) initiative.

More than an opportunity to explore one of the world’s most biodiverse countries, the programme was a rare chance to see familiar issues through unfamiliar perspectives. Through shared experiences, such as trekking through forests and engaging with local communities, students examined Ecuador through different academic lenses and returned with insights that extended far beyond their individual disciplines.

Three students — Chloe Ribbon Chan, Kelyn Chan and Samuel Loh — share their reflections on how one journey inspired different ways of seeing and understanding the world, as well as fostered a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of environmental, political, social and cultural issues.

One journey, many lessons

For anyone passionate about biodiversity and conservation, a trip to the Galapagos islands, a volcanic archipelago in Ecuador, can be considered a pilgrimage. Indeed, for Samuel, a third-year Environmental Studies undergraduate at the Faculty of Science, this was a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

“I was in awe of the sheer biodiversity that roamed free and frequently lived amongst urban areas, providing the group with a unique lived experience quite unlike anywhere else on earth,” he said.

For example, students learnt how the unique geography of Ecuador's cloud forests and alpine tundra directly influenced water and resource management in the capital of Quito and other parts of Ecuador. They even had the opportunity to dive amongst shoals of critically endangered Scalloped Hammerheads and witness Blue-footed Boobies and Frigatebirds soaring high above during a visit to Kicker Rock.

“We also got our hands dirty by participating in various habitat restoration initiatives to strengthen ecological corridors that facilitate the movement of flora and fauna across increasingly fragmented habitats, connecting Ecuador with other biodiversity hotspots in Latin America,” said Samuel.

While Ecuador's extraordinary biodiversity left a lasting impression on many students, others found themselves equally captivated by the people and cultures that shaped the country's relationship with its rich natural world.

For Chloe, a final-year Sociology and Political Science major who is also pursuing a Minor in Religious Studies, one of the most fulfilling parts of the Ecuador trip was realising how much she could learn from people outside her own discipline.

“I was especially fascinated by the Indigenous communities we learned about. What struck me most was how many of them spoke about their natural surroundings as something to live alongside, rather than manage or control. They had a deep sense respect for the environment. It made me realise how culture and belief matter in sustainability matters, as much as policy does,” she said.

Looking beyond culture and community, the programme also provided a window into the institutions and policies that shape everyday life in Ecuador.

“Coming on the trip, I was particularly interested in understanding how Ecuador navigates challenges in development, environmental governance, and social inequality,” added Kelyn, also a final-year Political Science major.

Throughout the programme, she gained valuable insights into how political decisions shape national priorities and directly affect local communities. Students also connected with their counterparts from Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), whose local perspectives and lived experiences offered a deeper understanding of Ecuador beyond what they could learn in the classroom.

"Speaking with students and community leaders helped me appreciate that many of the challenges Ecuador faces are complex and interconnected. It reinforced the importance of understanding different perspectives when thinking about governance and public policy," Kelyn said.

Experiencing Ecuador’s natural environment firsthand through hikes in Quito and snorkelling in the Galapagos further amplified this experience and underscored how challenges regarding sustainability, conservation and climate change transcend national borders, including for Singapore.

Kelyn said, “Ultimately, the Ecuador STEER programme reminded me that the study of politics is not confined to textbooks or lecture halls. Rather, it is rooted in lived experiences and sustained engagement with communities on the ground.”

Reflecting on the trip, the students agreed that Ecuador was not just a destination, but a chance to see familiar issues through unfamiliar perspectives. No matter their field of study, they all came home having learnt something they had not expected.

The Ecuador STEER programme exemplifies the value of interdisciplinary and experiential learning within FASS through opportunities for students to engage directly with communities, environments and institutions, while applying classroom learning in real-world contexts.

This is a story contribution by the office of the Global Studies Programme at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Published in Science Immunology on 12 June 2026, the study identifies the RNA helicase DDX6 as a previously unrecognised ‘hidden switch’ that prevents the immune system from recognising cancer cells. Targeting DDX6 could make tumours more visible to the immune system, improving existing or new immunotherapies.

Helping the immune system recognise cancer

Our immune system is constantly searching for abnormal cells, including cancer cells. One of the warning signals it looks for is double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), which are produced naturally within cells. Because these molecules resemble RNA produced during viral infections, they can trigger the innate immune system, which is the body’s first line of defence against foreign or abnormal cells.

Many cancer cells suppress these warning signals, allowing them to grow unnoticed. Until now, scientists did not fully understand how this happened.

Previous studies have shown that ADAR1, an enzyme that edits RNA, helps regulate how cells respond to dsRNA. This study identifies the RNA helicase DDX6 as a previously unrecognised suppressor of dsRNA sensing.

Led by Associate Professor Polly Chen, Deputy Director and Principal Investigator of CSI Singapore, the team found that DDX6 works together with ADAR1 to suppress these natural danger signals. As a result, DDX6 reduces immune activation triggered by endogenous dsRNA, hence making cancer cells much less visible to the immune system.

These findings provide new insights into how anti-tumour immune responses are regulated.

"Cancer cells are remarkably good at hiding from the immune system. Our study uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that helps them stay hidden. By targeting DDX6, we may be able to remove this 'cloak' and enable the immune system to recognise and attack cancer more effectively. Beyond its therapeutic potential, this work also changes our understanding of how RNA editing regulates immune responses," explained Assoc Prof Chen, the lead author for this study.

Challenging a long-held view of RNA editing

For many years, the prevailing view was that RNA editing weakened the structure of dsRNA, making it less likely to trigger immune responses. Instead, the CSI Singapore team found that certain RNA editing events can instead strengthen dsRNA structures, enhancing their ability to activate the body’s natural immune defences. DDX6 prevents these beneficial RNA editing events from occurring, helping tumours escape immune attack.

This new framework for understanding how RNA editing regulates immune sensing in cancer fundamentally changes how researchers think about RNA editing and its role in regulating immunity.

"What surprised us most was that the biology did not behave the way we expected. For years, researchers believed RNA editing generally weakened these immune-triggering RNA molecules. Instead, we found that certain RNA editing events can actually strengthen them. This completely changes how we think about the relationship between RNA editing and immune activation, and opens up exciting new possibilities for developing cancer therapies," Dr Larry Ng, first author for this paper and Research Fellow at CSI Singapore.

Potential implications for cancer immunotherapy

The discovery identifies a novel mechanism of cancer immune evasion and highlights DDX6 as a potential new target for cancer immunotherapy. Targeting this pathway could help overcome cancer-associated immunosuppression and potentially improve the effectiveness of existing cancer immunotherapies. In laboratory studies, removing DDX6 restored immune signalling and slowed tumour growth by allowing cancer cells to become more visible to the immune system.

The research team is now working to identify molecules that block DDX6 and investigate their ability to enhance anti-tumour immune responses. In parallel, the researchers plan to identify additional proteins involved in this newly discovered pathway and determine how they contribute to cancer-associated immunosuppression. Together, these efforts could uncover additional therapeutic targets that could strengthen anti-tumour immunity.

These projects are among six research efforts awarded grants by the National Parks Board (NParks) under the Biosurveillance Research Programme, a S$15 million initiative under Singapore's Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 Plan. Developed in partnership with agencies under Singapore’s One Health framework which recognises that human, animal and environmental health are closely connected, the programme brings together multidisciplinary research teams to advance understanding of zoonotic diseases and their drivers in Singapore, and develop evidence-based strategies for mitigating future disease risks.

The projects led by NUS and Duke-NUS focus on understanding how diseases move between wildlife and domestic animals, the environment and people in Singapore's urban landscape.

Tracking disease risks from urban birds

Professor Karina Gin from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the College of Design and Engineering will lead a project on pathogen risks from urban birds, including pigeons and crows. The team will use environmental sampling and modelling to understand what pathogens these birds may carry, and how these could reach human populations.

Prof Gin said, “In densely populated environments like Singapore, we share our space with a surprising amount of wildlife. While this can be a positive aspect of urban living, it also presents public health considerations worth examining.”

“This study is vital because it moves beyond simply acknowledging the presence of urban birds to actively identifying the specific pathogens they carry and how those pathogens might reach the human population. Our work supports the 'One Health' approach, which is relevant to understand the public health dynamics of a dense urban environment,” she added.

Mapping tick-borne pathogens across Singapore

In another project, Assistant Professor Benoit Malleret from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine will lead a team to create a Singapore Integrated Network for Genomic and Epidemiological Tick-borne Pathogen Investigation and Connectivity (SINGETIC). The project studies ticks found across Singapore and the diseases they may spread from animals to people. The team will use modern laboratory testing to create mapping and forecasting tools to identify possible risk areas, highlight spillover hotspots and explain how infections spread.

“Ticks are part of Singapore’s natural environment, and understanding what they carry is essential for protecting both people and animals. As a ‘One Health’ effort, we are combining field sampling with advanced lab testing to strengthen early detection of tick-borne pathogens. ,” said Asst Prof Malleret.

Understanding disease transmission in wildlife

Associate Professor Kimberly Fornace from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health will lead a project integrating spatial, ecological and biological data to improve surveillance for zoonotic pathogens in mammalian wildlife. The study will focus on understanding and predicting potential disease transmission from wildlife, such as macaques and bats, to humans.

“Understanding diseases in wildlife is essential for maintaining healthy ecosystems and safeguarding human and animal populations. By monitoring wildlife health, we can better understand and respond to infectious diseases and protect biodiversity in our shared environments,” said Assoc Prof Fornace.

Companion animals and zoonotic disease

A team led by Professor Gavin Smith from Duke-NUS Medical School will examine the risk of zoonotic disease transmission between domestic cats and dogs and humans. The team will study a range of settings, including veterinary clinics and pet establishments, to better understand how pathogens may spread between animals and people and identify ways to reduce spillover risks.

“Diseases that can spread between pets and people are an ongoing area of research,” said Prof Smith. “This study will examine how key infections spread among cats and dogs, and whether they can be passed to their owners and caretakers. The findings will support stronger disease monitoring and help guide public health measures to better manage potential zoonoses in pets in urban communities.”

Bird flu surveillance

A project led by Assistant Professor Yvonne Su from Duke-NUS Medical School will assess the risk of avian influenza A viruses in Singapore's wild and domestic bird populations. By combining studies of bird flu viruses with data on bird ecology and movement, the team aims to better understand how these viruses circulate and spread, supporting future surveillance and preparedness efforts.

Assoc Prof Su said, “Avian influenza is a growing global health and biosecurity concern, particularly as H5N1 viruses continue to spread across continents and infect an expanding range of animal species. As a key stopover for migratory birds, Singapore plays an important role in monitoring these evolving risks.”

Turning to the study’s approach, she said, “This pioneering study in Singapore will utilise advanced phylodynamic and modelling approaches to track virus strains, providing critical insights into how avian influenza viruses may be introduced and circulate within local wild bird populations. The findings will strengthen Singapore’s capacity for early detection, surveillance and rapid response to emerging zoonotic threats.”

By studying how pathogens move through urban ecosystems, the research teams aim to strengthen Singapore’s ability to detect emerging risks early and develop evidence-based strategies to protect public health.

These legal changes raise a fundamental question: does legal reform actually lead social change? And if so, how quickly, and under what conditions?

A new study led by NUS Communications and New Media (CNM) Associate Professor Kokil Jaidka suggests the answer is more nuanced than a simple “yes” or “no”. Analysing over 200,000 social media posts and survey responses across all four countries, the research reveals that while legal changes do reshape public discourse, the path to social acceptance depends heavily on the surrounding institutional and media environment.

Language shifts when the law changes, but not uniformly

Published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, the study examined 65,969 Instagram and 136,255 Facebook posts before and after each country’s legal reform. In Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, moral stereotyping and hostile language on Instagram declined in the months following reform. Users who were already engaged in these conversations began framing them with less reliance on language depicting same-sex relationships as immoral or a threat to tradition.

“This shows that legal reform does reshape the terrain of public expression, at least for those already paying attention,” said Assoc Prof Jaidka, who led the study with co-authors Ms Preetika Verma and Ms Yiting Chen from Carnegie Mellon University and University of Wisconsin-Madison respectively.

However, looking across different countries and platforms painted a more complex picture. The findings also show that changes in public discourse following legal reform are multifaceted and varied across contexts.

In India, where the researchers could track a longer period after decriminalisation, hostile language on Instagram increased even as moral stereotyping fell.

On Facebook, where news outlets generally reach broader audiences, changes were modest across all four countries. Engagement with LGBTQ+ topics did not consistently increase after legal reform, and, in some cases, appeared to decline after the initial period of public discussion.

Drawing on nationally representative Gallup survey data from 46,200 respondents, the researchers further discovered that perceptions of neighbourhood safety for same-sex couples initially declined following legal reform before recovering in some age groups and countries. Younger respondents in Singapore and India eventually reported more positive perceptions, but the initial dip serves as an important reminder that a change in law does not always immediately translate to lived experience.

What explains the variations? The study points to institutional context as a crucial moderating factor. In countries with greater press freedom and freedom of expression (Taiwan ranked highest on both measures), reductions in hostile online discourse after reform were steeper and more sustained. Where these conditions were weaker, the gains were smaller or more mixed.

“The law creates a moment of change, but the wider environment such as society and the media shapes whether that moment becomes lasting progress,” observed Assoc Prof Jaidka.

When AI tools mistake identity for hostility

The research also uncovered an unexpected challenge in measuring online discourse: the very tools designed to detect toxic language can inadvertently flag non-toxic content. When the researchers analysed Instagram captions using Google’s Perspective API, one of the most widely used toxicity classifiers, they found that identity terms such as “queer”, “gay”, and “lgbt” were among the words most strongly correlated with high toxicity scores, despite not being slurs.

As individuals from marginalised communities are disproportionately targeted by online harassment, the words describing their identities appear frequently in abusive content. The algorithms then associate the identity terms themselves with toxicity, potentially suppressing ordinary conversations by the very communities they aim to protect.

The researchers explained how a toxicity score is a relative signal shaped by biases in training data, not an objective verdict on whether speech is harmful, adding how this revealed the need to use these tools with awareness of their limitations.

What comes after legal change

The findings have practical implications for multiple stakeholders. For online platforms, the period immediately following legal reform appears particularly consequential, as communities recalibrate and some voices push back. For media organisations and community groups, the research underscores that legal milestones mark a pivot toward sustained engagement around social attitudes, public discourse and acceptance, rather than a closing chapter.

Assoc Prof Jaidka said, “The research offers reasons for both encouragement – as legal reform does measurably shift discourse – and continued investment in the institutional and social conditions that translate legal changes into lived experience across the region.”

Beyond advancing state-of-the-art AI infrastructure, NUS and OpenAI will jointly champion initiatives to nurture AI talent and drive innovation that enables the University to effectively harness AI as a force multiplier across education, research and administration.

"This collaboration with OpenAI is a pivotal step in our human-centric AI strategy, further enriching the robust suite of tools we provide," said Professor Aaron Thean, Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost of NUS. "We aim to leverage these advanced AI technologies not as replacements, but as powerful amplifiers of human intellect, creativity and judgement. By providing direct, hands-on access, we empower our students, faculty and staff to develop the critical thinking and ethical discernment essential to innovate and lead in an AI-driven world, ensuring human capabilities remain at the forefront."

Expanding the repertoire of advanced AI tools

From 31 August 2026, all NUS students, faculty and staff will have access to ChatGPT Edu by OpenAI, further strengthening NUS’ growing portfolio of AI platforms and services. Unlike the free ChatGPT, it provides NUS with broader access to core capabilities within a secure, university-managed environment with stronger privacy, security and administrative controls. Conversations and data within the NUS workspace are not used to train OpenAI’s models.

During the initial phase, advanced tools from OpenAI’s enterprise-grade platform – ChatGPT Edu – will be strategically piloted in some selected courses. These powerful resources are designed to empower students, faculty and staff, fostering innovation, accelerating research and addressing complex challenges with greater depth and efficiency. Following this pilot, these advanced tools will be progressively made available for undergraduate courses where AI adds educational value and augment learning objectives.

This expansion builds on the earlier collaboration with NUS School of Computing which began in March 2026, providing Computing students access to OpenAI’s software development tools.

The collaboration now enters its next phase, scaling access and enablement across the University.

To further develop practical AI skills, students will have opportunities to participate in hackathons and build days focused on AI-enabled solutions. These activities will give students across disciplines opportunities to develop ideas, work on real-world problems and connect with OpenAI’s global networks and communities.

“As AI becomes increasingly embedded in how NUS operates, it is critical that we adopt it in a secure, scalable and sustainable way. This collaboration with OpenAI provides NUS staff and students the access to advanced AI capabilities in a governed and responsible manner. Complementing NUS' in-house built AI-Know platform, OpenAI's tools will strengthen our operational capabilities, drive smarter digital services and more efficient administration that benefit our entire community,” said Ms Tan Shui-Min, NUS Chief Information Technology Officer and Vice President.

“Singapore has an extraordinary opportunity to shape how AI contributes to education, research and innovation, and NUS has an important role to play in that future. Building on our earlier collaboration with the NUS School of Computing, we’ve seen users engage more deeply with ChatGPT and adopt Codex at higher rates than users at similarly sized universities. This reflects a growing appetite not only to find answers with AI, but to experiment, prototype and build with it. We look forward to deepening our work with NUS to help develop the next generation of AI-native talent and prepare Singapore’s workforce for an AI-enabled future. By bringing together NUS’ leadership in education and research with OpenAI’s technology and global community, we aim to strengthen Singapore’s AI ecosystem and support innovation across the wider region,” said Mr Oliver Jay, Managing Director, International at OpenAI.

New foundational AI competency course for all NUS freshmen

This strategic collaboration aligns with NUS’ broader educational philosophy, which integrates AI competencies directly into the curriculum.

To ensure all incoming NUS students achieve AI literacy before they start their courses, foundational AI competencies are built directly into their freshman university experience through the Transition to Higher Education (T.H.E.) Programme.

Starting from Academic Year 2026/27, THE1008 Applied Generative AI: From Prompting to Evaluation will be a compulsory module for all first-year undergraduates, ensuring every student gains practical skills in effectively interacting with large language models (LLMs) and multimodal AI before they begin their coursework.

Following the completion of this requirement, NUS will ensure all students achieve AI fluency when they graduate through the deliberate integration of AI competencies at every stage of their studies in their common curriculum and major. They will have the confidence to deploy AI tools strategically, critically interpret AI-generated results and apply AI thoughtfully within their disciplines. This proactive approach equips all NUS graduates with the latest AI expertise and its application across interdisciplinary subject domains while amplifying their adaptable human-centred skills such as critical thinking, judgement and sense-making valued by employers. Students will be ready to harness AI for analysis, problem-solving and creative work, preparing them to thrive as agile and innovative professionals in an AI-driven world.

Innovating research discovery

In a first for Southeast Asia, NUS Libraries and NUS IT have jointly developed AI Sense Maker, a proprietary web-based conversational AI platform powered by OpenAI’s LLM. To be officially launched on 20 August 2026, AI Sense Maker draws on over 150,000 digitised materials from NUS Libraries’ ScholarBank and Digital Gems collections. Supporting academic inquiry, the platform enables students and researchers to ask questions in everyday language and uses semantic search to generate concise topic summaries, identify related concepts, curate references and create interactive knowledge graphs for deeper exploration of ideas.

NUS remains committed to the thoughtful integration of AI into education, research and administration, ensuring its community is equipped for technological advancement while upholding principles of responsible and ethical AI use.

Yet even well-engineered yeast cells can be difficult to control in a precise and timely way. A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS), led by Associate Professor Poh Chueh Loo from NUS Synthetic Biology for Clinical and Technological Innovation (SynCTI) and Department of Biomedical Engineering under the College of Design and Engineering (CDE) at NUS, addressed this challenge using optogenetics, a strategy that rewires cells so that selected genes turn on or off in response to light. By exposing yeast to different colours and patterns of light, the team showed that biological instructions could be delivered dynamically, without repeatedly adding chemical inducers.

“Achieving precise, dynamic control over cellular machinery has been a goal in synthetic biology,” explained Assoc Prof Poh. “By using different colours of light to dictate complex, multi-step processes, we are paving the way to make biological manufacturing more predictable and programmable.”

While yeast has been previously engineered to respond to single colours of light, this is the first time that a single strain of yeast has been engineered to respond to more than one colour.

The NUS team published their research findings in the scientific journal Nature Communications on 22 May 2026.

Life in Technicolour

A key challenge was to make yeast respond reliably to red light. Existing red light-responsive optogenetic systems in yeast require several introduced genes, additional cofactors (or “helper” molecules) or careful handling to avoid unintended activation. These limitations make them difficult to combine with other light-controlled systems.

The team adapted a light-sensitive tool previously used in bacteria and mammalian cells into a single red light-responsive protein for yeast, which they named y-iLight. When exposed to red light, y-iLight attaches to certain DNA sequence in the yeast and turns on specific genes. Importantly, y-iLight works without the need for additional chemicals beyond those naturally found in yeast, making it simpler, more cost-effective, and more reliable for practical use.

Engineering yeast to see red and blue

Although y-iLight was an important improvement, it initially had a serious limitation: blue light could also activate it. This crosstalk meant that the red light system could not yet operate independently alongside a blue light system.

To solve this, the researchers used a modular protein-engineering strategy. They fused y-iLight to protein modules designed to block its activity specifically under blue light, then tested different combinations to identify variants that preserved red light responsiveness while suppressing unwanted blue light activation.

When the improved red light system was combined with the established blue light-responsive system called EL222, the researchers achieved independent control of two gene-expression channels in the same yeast strain. This represents a major step toward multiplexed optogenetics in yeast.

“Achieving this level of independent control without the two systems interfering with each other was a major hurdle in yeast,” says Linus Tan Yu Han, PhD student at NUS CDE and lead author of the paper. “By solving the blue-light crosstalk issue, we opened the door to much more complex genetic programming in yeast using colour.”

Colourful instructions for cell factories

With a dual-channel optogenetic yeast strain in hand, the team demonstrated how multi-coloured light could deliver more complex instructions. They placed two enzymes involved in producing luteolin, a natural plant chemical with potential health-related applications, under separate red and blue light control. By exposing the yeast to different proportion and timing of red and blue light, the researchers could adjust how the yeast made luteolin.

This light-based control also helped researchers understand how the process worked. In particular, they discovered that one enzyme, called F3′H, was less effective in the later stages of culture, providing useful insight on how to improve the process in the future.

The team also used optogenetics to control how yeast cells behave. By linking the flocculation gene FLO1 (which makes yeast cells stick together) to a red light-activated genetic switch, they showed that red light could trigger yeast cells to clump together and sink.

In their experiment, yeast first produced luteolin under blue light, then clumped together under red light. This demonstrates how light can control production and separation, which could inspire cleaner and more programmable biomanufacturing strategies.

Paint me a picture

Optogenetics also offers spatial control: genes can be switched on only where light is projected. To demonstrate this, the NUS team engineered yeast to produce different coloured compounds in response to red or blue light, spread the cells as a thin layer on agar, and projected light through masks. The result was a set of patterned, multi-colour “living images” grown by yeast.

“Together, the work shows that yeast can be programmed with multiple colours of light to control gene expression, metabolic pathways, cell behaviour and spatial patterning. The platform could support future applications in biomanufacturing, pathway optimisation and living materials,” Assoc Prof Poh explained.

What’s brewing next?

Assoc Prof Poh and his lab are currently working on ways to use rationally designed gene networks to boost the properties of these light sensitive proteins. With increased strength and sensitivity, they believe it will create new opportunities in the way microbes are used to manufacture valuable chemicals and materials.

Themed "Ripples Across Time", the 68th edition of NUSSU RAG & Flag Day saw participants raise more than S$330,000 for over 300 critical programmes and projects supported by Community Chest, benefitting over 94,000 social service users annually. All proceeds go directly towards empowering communities in need through the Community Chest.

Building connections beyond the classroom

In the weeks leading up to NUSSU RAG & Flag Day, NUS freshmen and students visited beneficiaries from 16 social service agencies across Singapore. Through these interactions, they gained first-hand insights into the challenges faced by children with special needs, at-risk youths, persons with disabilities or mental health conditions, and seniors, all while forging friendships with those they sought to support.

Fundraising with purpose

Since 1958, NUSSU RAG & Flag Day has been one of NUS' largest and longest-running student traditions, bringing generations of students together through service, creativity and community spirit.

This year, the fundraising efforts began a month early with an off-campus NUSSU Flag Carnival, a two-day event held on 3 and 4 July at TripleOne Somerset. Featuring 17 flea market-style booths, the carnival allowed participating groups to raise funds for their chosen social service agencies while engaging the public on the causes they support through games, merchandise and interactive activities.

This was followed by two Flag Days on 25 July and 1 August, when close to 2,400 NUS students fanned out across Singapore to collect donations for their chosen beneficiaries.

Over the past 17 years alone, NUS students have raised a cumulative total of almost S$5.2 million through NUSSU RAG & Flag Day.

Celebrating service through creativity

Beyond giving back to society, RAG Day serves as a heartfelt expression of gratitude to donors and the wider public for their generosity.

This year's RAG Day brought the spirit of service, creativity and community to life through 14 performances featuring sustainable handmade costumes, imaginative props and mobile displays. Created by more than 2,000 students over months of planning and collaboration, the performances signalled a vibrant, visual "thank you" to the community.

For many participants, the performances represented far more than artistic expression.

For Andrew Chew, a Year 3 Pharmacy student, his journey with the NUS Pharmaceutical Society (NUSPS) RAG & Flag started three years ago as a freshman "floatee" pushing displays on stage. Today, as Vice President (Special Projects), he continues to shape NUSPS RAG’s float and performance, passing down the vibrant tradition to new students.

"While I am no longer directly involved in planning performances like I did in previous years, it is incredibly heartwarming to see my successors step up. They have given their all to a performance that beautifully weaves together this year's theme "Ripples Across Time", our beneficiary, Life Community Services Society, and our core commitment to sustainability. We take immense pride in our zero-waste efforts—whether it is salvaging cardboard tubes from Chinatown textile shops, manually untying zip ties to reuse them, or building the float’s skeletal structure with old metal L-bars. While it is important to put on a grand and engaging performance and invite donations, we strive to do it in a way that is environmentally responsible," he shared.

Rhea Sharma, a freshman participating as a dancer for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences RAG, added: "It is all about trying our best together as a group. Performing alongside my newfound friends makes me want to give a thousand per cent. Our combined energy pushes me to do more than I ever could alone—they are all gold in my heart!"

Guest-of-Honour Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for Education and Minister-in-Charge of Social Services Integration, officially launched the celebrations at NUS University Town. He was joined by NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye and 47th NUSSU President Stephen Chen Zhi Peng.

In his opening address, Professor Aaron Thean, NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost, said, “This year’s theme, “Ripples Across Time”, is a thoughtful reminder that the impact of kindness transcends generations and is built over time. Every hour that is volunteered and every dollar raised creates a ripple that becomes a powerful wave of change for those in need.” He added that these experiences, will help NUS students learn beyond textbooks. He also encouraged them to continue to pursue their passions and purpose, and build friendships that will last a lifetime.

Mr Stephen Chen added, “NUSSU RAG & Flag: Ripples Across Time is all about taking collective action, no matter how small, as a community of people in support of one another. We are deeply grateful to the freshmen and participating bodies who have contributed their time and energy so generously, to all our partners, both internal and external, for their close collaboration and expertise, and certainly for members of the public for their unwavering support throughout the years! With continued support like this, NUSSU RAG & Flag will always remain a cornerstone of the NUS experience and identity."

Recognising collective contributions to campus sustainability

The RAG Zero Waste Award was introduced last year by University Campus Infrastructure to encourage Participating Bodies (PBs) to minimise their environmental impact through the way they design and build their floats. Supported by NUS SAVE, the PBs sourced cardboard and other discarded materials from across campus, adopting circular practices to give these items a second life.

This year, the Zero Waste Best Effort Award was awarded to NUS Pharmaceutical Society for the second consecutive year. They were the first PB to source all their cardboard from a campus bin centre, an effort that inspired most PBs to follow suit this year. The team continued to demonstrate circularity and frugality by carefully storing reusable materials and building components, including wheels, hinges, metal bars and paint, for future builds.

In addition, two PBs received the Zero Waste Effort Award. KRaSHeares sourced discarded materials from nearby renovation works and creatively incorporated them into its float, giving overlooked materials a valuable second life. Raffles Hall carefully retained leftover materials from the previous year’s RAG and repurposed them in this year’s build, extending their useful lifespan across successive events.

Collectively, these efforts demonstrate how thoughtful sourcing, material stewardship and creative repurposing can reduce event waste and promote a culture of sustainability on campus.

Beyond the main stage, visitors enjoyed the lively Flag Carnival, featuring games, food and handicraft booths run by NUS faculty clubs and residential communities, alongside live acts by NUS student groups.

As NUSSU RAG & Flag Day came to a close, participants left with more than memories of performances and fundraising milestones. They took with them new friendships, a deeper appreciation of the communities they had served and a shared belief that every act of kindness, no matter how small, can create ripples of positive change.

Highlights from RAG & Flag 2026

Overall RAG & Flag winner:

• Faculty of Dentistry

Zero Waste Best Effort Award

• NUS Pharmaceutical Society

Zero Waste Effort Award

• KRaSHeares
• Raffles Hall

Best Beneficiary Engagement award

• Tembusu College

Most Improved Flag Award:

• Eusoff Hall

RAG Gold:

• Faculty of Dentistry
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Science
• School of Computing
• Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine

RAG Silver:

• King Edward VII Hall X Pioneer House
• KRaSHeares
• Raffles Hall
• School of Business
• Temasek Hall

RAG Bronze:

• College of Design and Engineering
• Eusoff Hall
• Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
• NUS Pharmaceutical Society

Flag Gold

• Business School
• Faculty of Dentistry
• Faculty of Law
• Residential College 4
• Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine

Flag Silver

• Acacia College
• Faculty of Science
• King Edwards VII Hall
• NUS Pharmaceutical Society
• School of Computing
• Sheares Hall
• Tembusu College

Flag Bronze

• College of Alice and Peter Tan
• College of Design & Engineering
• Eusoff Hall
• Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences
• Helix House
• Kent Ridge Hall
• Light House
• Pioneer House
• Raffles Hall
• Ridge View Residential College
• Temasek Hall
• Valour House

See event press release here.

“In times of uncertainty and global turbulence, our unity and mutual support are not merely sources of comfort,” said Professor Tan Eng Chye, President of the National University of Singapore (NUS), describing ASEAN higher education as “a beacon of hope, progress, and unity in a rapidly evolving world”.

He was speaking at the 17th ASEAN University Network (AUN) Rectors’ Meeting on 23 July, where regional university leaders called for deeper collaboration to address challenges that no single institution can tackle alone. These include unequal access to educational opportunities and technology, intensifying global competition and the growing concerns over student well-being.

“We know that meaningful cooperation does not require uniformity,” Prof Tan said. “In fact, our diversity becomes one of our greatest strengths in a world that increasingly demands coalition-building across differences.”

Hosted by NUS at the Grand Hyatt Singapore under the theme “ASEAN Higher Education at the Forefront: Student-Centred Leadership for a Global Era”, the annual meeting brought together approximately 100 university leaders and delegates from nearly 30 leading universities across ASEAN.

Rethinking ASEAN higher education

Opening the meeting, AUN Executive Director Associate Professor Thanapan Laiprakobsup said the network’s strength lies less in its programmes than in its members, “who continue to spark ideas, initiate important conversations, learn from each other, and even challenge one another”.

In his keynote shortly after, Prof Tan argued that ASEAN’s standing in global higher education would depend not on the achievements of any single university, but on the region’s ability to position itself “as a connected and complementary regional ecosystem” — an approach he described as “education diplomacy”.

“ASEAN’s global standing should also be measured by whether the world sees the region as a trusted place to learn, to collaborate, and to solve shared challenges,” he said.

Prof Tan cited NUS’ DiscoverNUS programme, tuition-free semester exchange launched in 2024, as an example of education diplomacy in action. The programme has expanded from 31 students in its inaugural year to 141 students from 16 ASEAN partner universities. Its rapid growth reflects the strong commitment among partner universities to regional collaboration and a shared conviction that investing in young people today will cultivate a network of future changemakers who will strengthen the ASEAN community for generations to come.

Prof Tan also underscored the importance of placing students at the heart of ASEAN universities' mission, stressing that institutions have a responsibility to nurture graduates who are not only equipped with knowledge and skills, but are also resilient, grounded in strong values and committed to making meaningful contributions to society.

“If ASEAN higher education is to be truly future-ready, then academic excellence must go hand in hand with access, well-being, inclusion and a strong sense of belonging,” he said.

Two proposals later in the day, in a session titled “Unified Futures”, gave that vision further shape.

A regional solutions hub

The first, by Professor Koh Lian Pin, NUS Vice President (Sustainability and Resilience) and Dean of the Faculty of Science, called for a new Planetary Boundaries Science and Solutions Hub for Southeast Asia.

Envisioned as a partnership platform, translational science hub, capacity-building network and policy engagement mechanism, the hub would bring together expertise from across the region to tackle shared sustainability challenges.

Such a hub is urgently needed as Southeast Asia is home to nearly 700 million people and extraordinary biodiversity, but its long coastlines and densely populated river deltas also make it one of the region’s most vulnerable to climate change.

“We need solutions designed by Southeast Asia for Southeast Asia,” Prof Koh said, arguing that approaches developed elsewhere cannot simply be transplanted to the region.

The proposed hub would focus on five priorities — climate resilience, biosphere integrity, water resource management, food security and public health — with success measured not only by research output, but also by policy impact and tangible societal outcomes. Currently at the conceptual stage, the proposal is an open invitation for AUN member universities to help shape its development.

“Southeast Asia is vulnerable but not helpless,” Prof Koh added.

Music as a bridge across borders

The second proposal extended the day’s theme of collaboration to the arts. Associate Professor Chan Tze Law, Vice Dean of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at NUS, proposed establishing an ASEAN Varsity Orchestra under the AUN umbrella.

“When students from different nations learn music together, they are doing far more than just preparing for a concert,” he said.

Drawing on successful regional initiatives, such as the Asian Youth Orchestra and the Southeast Asia Youth Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, Assoc Prof Chan said music exchanges foster empathy, mutual understanding and trust that endure long after the final performance.

The proposed seven-day programme, open to students from all disciplines, would combine rehearsals and performances with seminars, cultural immersion and structured reflection.

NUS has offered to host the inaugural edition in May 2027 and is inviting every AUN member university to nominate students and a faculty representative to participate.

A shared agenda for ASEAN

The meeting’s emphasis on partnership was further reflected in the launch of the ASEAN University Network Thematic Network for Geriatric Dentistry (AUN-GDENT), established on the sidelines of this year’s AUN meetings.

Anchored by a five-year strategic plan, AUN-GDENT aims to advance interprofessional education and strengthen capacity in collaborative oral healthcare for older adults across the ASEAN healthcare ecosystem through joint education, research and capacity-building initiatives.

Its founding institutions — Universiti Malaya, National University of Singapore, Universitas Indonesia and Khon Kaen University — will also engage other AUN member universities and a broad range of healthcare and community stakeholders in advancing the shared vision of promoting healthy ageing through healthy smiles.

As Prof Tan concluded in his keynote, the future of ASEAN higher education will not be secured by any one institution acting alone. Instead, it will be shaped through trusted partnerships, greater student mobility, deeper research collaboration, stronger connections between universities and society, and the courage to transform institutions for the needs of the next generation.

“ASEAN will not simply participate in the future of global higher education,” he said. “In fact, we help to define it.”

At the heart of the programme was the opportunity for participants to apply entrepreneurial thinking to real-world challenges. Through corporate-led problem statements, they leveraged AI-driven approaches to develop innovative, impact-driven solutions.

The 2026 edition also marked the launch of the NUS-ASEAN SPARK Fellowship, a new initiative designed to support the region's most promising young entrepreneurial talents and inspire the next generation of leaders.

A new lens on entrepreneurship

After a long journey and multiple layovers, Dina Kalibekova, a Year 4 Mathematics student from Nazarbayev University, touched down in Singapore with quiet excitement. Beyond just a programme, she found an experience that fundamentally shifted her perspective on entrepreneurship and her own path forward.

With a math background and product management experience, she previously viewed product development through a purely technical lens. However, NUSSP taught her that success is not about creating the “perfect product”, but one that solves real user needs. By combining an entrepreneurial mindset with her technical skills, she learned to build not just what works, but what matters.

Meanwhile, serving as a student ambassador for the programme reshaped how Anson Ng, a Year 1 NUS Computer Science student, viewed entrepreneurship. No matter how grand a breakthrough idea was, it eventually took a backseat to a deeper appreciation for everyday businesses that quietly solve real problems.

A particular remark from Mr Dennis Chua of Timah Partners stuck with him: “Unsexy businesses are great businesses”. That insight reframed his view of opportunity, proving that overlooked industries often create the most value.

Learning from the architects of innovation and impact

NUSSP connected participants with visionary leaders and unicorn founders, including Mr Jeffrey Tiong, Founder and CEO of PatSnap, and Mr. Philip Yeo, former Chairman of Singapore’s Economic Development Board. Through curated fireside chats, attendees gained firsthand insights into the realities of building enduring ventures, navigating uncertainty and growing innovation ecosystems.

Drawing from his own entrepreneurial journey, Jeffrey shared a simple yet powerful Chinese proverb: “Reading ten thousand books is not as valuable as travelling ten thousand miles”. The wisdom captured the value of experiential learning — that meaningful innovation comes not only from knowledge, but from exposure, exploration and real-world encounters.

Integrating AI into the entrepreneurial journey

Throughout NUSSP, AI was viewed as more than a tool — it became a mindset that shaped how participants identified opportunities, solved problems and created impact. This approach came to life through interactive learning journeys, AI-focused workshops and panel discussions on future tech.

At ShopBack, Anson reflected on the opportunity to engage with NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) alumnus and ShopBack co-founder Mr Joel Leong, “What struck me most was how confidently and openly they embraced AI, treating it as a tool that everyone in the company could use to prototype and iterate, rather than something to be feared. I left that session with a clear and energised sense of how I hope to build in the future.”

This was echoed by Dina, who was inspired by how AI had become part of ShopBack’s everyday culture. “What stayed with me most was their habit of meeting biweekly just to share AI use cases — open to everyone, no tech background needed. I have already brought this practice to my own team.”

At Alibaba Cloud, Joshua Jovano Sibarani, a final-year Industrial Engineering student from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), explored AI technologies like Qwen, learning how intelligent systems can drive entrepreneurship.

During his visit to AI tech services company NCS, he saw this vision in action through Sunshine.coder, an internal tool designed for human-AI collaboration. “I was particularly inspired by how AI agents handle repetitive tasks, while NCS professionals provide direction and apply business judgement,” he said.

Innovation with purpose

Beyond technology and venture creation, participants explored another — arguably more important — dimension of innovation: its ability to create meaningful societal impact.

On top of a panel discussion on purpose-driven leadership, participants visited social enterprises such as Dignity Kitchen and Social Collider, where they saw how startups addressed real-world challenges, including projects that advanced corporate sustainability and empowered people with disabilities.

Meeting founders and witnessing the impact of their work reinforced a powerful lesson: innovation is not just about new ideas, but also creating solutions that truly matter.

Global voices, one shared vision

Collaboration came alive during the innovation challenge as participants used their varied backgrounds to solve real-world problems. Partnering with teammates from Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam, Joshua saw firsthand how diversity elevates ideation.

“We all had different ways of communicating and approaching problems. But as we developed CashBuddy, an AI-powered financial accountability app, those differences became our greatest advantage. Every discussion challenged our assumptions, and every perspective made our solution stronger,” he said.

Similarly, Anson and his project team, Team SMEily, discovered that diversity was their greatest strength. For Anson, the highlight of the journey was not the final idea, but the bonds forged through late-night rehearsals and honest discussions. These shared efforts transformed a group of strangers into a close-knit team.

At Demo Day, their hard work paid off when they won the Best Pitch Team award for both their track and the corporate problem statement challenge, underscoring the power of collaboration.

One rhythm, one goal

The bottom line: behind every impactful innovation are people who come together with a shared purpose.

The focus on collaboration extended beyond the classroom, as participants discovered during a dragon boating activity on the Kallang River. Working together across cultures and backgrounds, they experienced firsthand that success relies on trust, coordination and a collective vision, rather than simply individual strength.

By NUS Enterprise

As the 2026 Nurkse Visiting Professor, Associate Professor Ng delivered a series of lectures in Estonia on Singapore's approaches to population ageing, behavioural insights and Smart Nation policy implementation. The appointment fosters international academic exchange and recognises his contributions to advancing research and policy discussions on public sector innovation and governance.

At LKYSPP, Associate Professor Ng's research examines ageing, behavioural science and public policy, drawing on AI and data analytics to better understand societal perceptions and inform evidence-based policymaking. His interdisciplinary work has earned international recognition and reflects NUS' strengths in research that addresses real-world challenges and shapes public policy.

Click here to read more.

The relationship between the two universities is rooted in a shared history that predates their establishment as separate institutions in 1962. Over the years, their ties have been sustained through academic collaborations and traditions such as the annual golf tournament.

Activities commenced on 29 July, with a social golf game played at Singapore Island Country Club, followed by the UM-NUS Joint Academic Symposium on Artificial Intelligence: Challenges and Opportunities, held at The Capella on Sentosa.

Exploring AI opportunities

This was the third year in a row that a joint symposium was held in conjunction with the broader UM-NUS programme, a reflection of the multi-faceted relationship between the universities. Led by the NUS AI Institute and supported by the NUS Office of Alumni Relations, the symposium featured a series of invited talks, thematic discussions, keynote presentations and demo showcases by researchers and scholars from disciplines including computing, science and medicine.

“The breadth of topics covered at this year's Symposium — from smart hospitals and precision healthcare to drug discovery and robotics — reflects the transformative potential of artificial intelligence,” said Professor Mohan Kankanhalli, Provost’s Chair Professor of Computer Science and Director of NUS AI Institute.

“Bringing together researchers from NUS and UM allows us to learn from one another and explore how our complementary strengths can advance research and innovation.”

Speaking at the UM-NUS Gala Dinner held later that evening at Capella Singapore, NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye (Science ’85) spoke to the importance of the continual collaboration between the universities, noting that this year’s UM-NUS activities “demonstrate the strength of our partnership and our shared commitment to advancing innovation, nurturing talent, and fostering regional growth for the benefit of our institutions and the communities we serve”.

Professor Dato' Seri Ir. Dr Noor Azuan bin Abu Osman, Vice-Chancellor of UM, echoed this sentiment in his remarks at the event: “Together, we can build new connections, shape regional standards and strengthen trusted networks in facing future turbulence with resilience and foresight.”

The gala dinner was hosted by NUS Chancellor and President of the Republic of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnamand Mrs Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam, and attended by HRH Sultan of Perak Nazrin Shah, Chancellor of the University of Malaya, and HRH Raja Permaisuri of Perak Tuanku Zara Salim Also in attendance were UM Pro-Chancellor Tan Sri Dato' Seri Mohd Annuar Zaini; NUS Pro-Chancellor Mr Po’ad bin Shaik Abu Bakar Mattar; Chairman of the NUS Board of Trustees Mr Hsieh Fu Hua; UM Vice-Chancellor Professor Dato' Seri Ir Dr Noor Azuan Abu Osman; and Ms Ovidia Lim-Rajaram (Political Science and History ’89), NUS Chief Alumni Officer.

More than 200 participating academics and golfers from UM and NUS joined the formal event, which included performances by NUS Dikir Barat, NUS Indian Dance and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music’s alumni octet.

Honouring tradition through sport

Following the social golf game that happened on the preceding day, the competition for the Tunku Chancellor Cup took place on 30 July at the Tanah Merah Golf Club. First held in 1968 as a symbol of the strong relationship between UM and NUS, the UM-NUS Inter-University Tunku Chancellor Golf Tournament is hosted alternately by the two universities.  

Led by golf captain Ms Angelia Tay, Head of Marketing and Communications at NUS-ISS, the NUS team delivered a commendable performance to claim the win.

From the exchange of ideas at the Joint Academic Symposium to the camaraderie demonstrated on the fairway, the annual UM-NUS programme continues to forge friendships, foster new collaborations and celebrate an enduring connection between two leading universities in the region.

By NUS Office of Alumni Relations 
 

The SNAS Fellowship honours exemplary individuals for their exceptional and enduring contributions to science and education. As the nation's scientific leaders, SNAS Fellows are a distinguished group entrusted with guiding national policy and research direction, driving thought leadership, and championing science education for the public good. These outstanding scientists are also committed to upholding scientific ethics and advancing the research ecosystem in Singapore.

Prof Novoselov holds a Tan Chin Tuan Centennial Professorship at NUS, where he is also Director of the Institute for Functional Intelligent Materials and a faculty member of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the College of Design and Engineering, NUS. An established physicist, specialising in condensed matter physics, mesoscopic physics and nanotechnology, Prof Novoselov has broad research interests from mesoscopic phenomena in ferromagnets and superconductors to electronic properties of two-dimensional (2D) electron gas in GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures and graphene. He also has a vast background in nanofabrication and nanotechnology. 

In 2010, Prof Novoselov (together with Prof Andre Geim) was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research in graphene. His groundbreaking discovery of graphene introduced a material that is the most conductive, stretchable, and strongest known, and opened a new realm of multidisciplinary research.

Prof Novoselov was knighted as Commander of the Order of the Netherlands Lion in 2010 and subsequently awarded knighthood of the British Empire in 2012. A highly decorated and cited researcher with over 600 peer-reviewed publications, he has also received numerous international accolades such as the Europhysics Prize, the Leverhulme Medal and the Dalton Medal among many others, and is a Fellow of The Royal Society. 

For his transformative and seminal discovery of graphene and exploration of other two-dimensional (2D) materials, Prof Novoselov has been elected as a SNAS Fellow. He joins the prestigious ranks of only 62 SNAS Fellows inducted since 2011.

The AI lab is dedicated to advancing foundational AI research and defining the future of gaming intelligence. Building on Razer's broader investments in AI, the new lab serves as a hub for exploration and innovation, accelerating breakthroughs in areas such as digital humans and ambient intelligence. This includes Razer AVA, a vision to build a digital human companion designed to deliver natural, personalised interactions through personality, memory, contextual awareness and adaptive behaviour, as well as Project Motoko, a wearable AI headset that brings ambient, highly advanced multimodal generative AI capabilities into a familiar, everyday form factor. 

The global AI in gaming market is projected to grow from US$4.2 billion in 2025 to US$66.8 billion by 2035, representing a 32 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) during the forecast period from 2026 to 2035. Reflecting this trend, a recent survey found that 79 per cent of gamers are receptive to at least one AI-enabled feature they believe would improve their gaming experience. As AI increasingly transforms the way people interact with technology, Razer is deepening its investments in research and innovation to lead and shape the future of gaming experiences. 

Introducing Gaming Artificial Narrow Intelligence (GANI) 

For a start, Razer and NUS Computing are introducing Gaming Artificial Narrow Intelligence (GANI), a new research domain focused on AI models purpose-built for interactive digital environments. For instance, GANI could power an AI teammate that dynamically adjusts tactics to a player’s skill and playstyle, generates context-aware objectives and dialogue in real time, and seamlessly adapts difficulty during live matches to enhance engagement and fairness. 

This research also strengthens the intelligence layer behind Razer's existing AI innovations. The same real-time adaptability and contextual awareness that GANI aims to develop are directly relevant to Razer AVA's ability to sustain natural, personalised interactions, and to Project Motoko's ambient, always-on responsiveness, giving both a stronger foundation as they evolve from concept to product. 

“Gaming presents some of the most demanding environments for AI, requiring systems to respond in real time, adapt to changing contexts, and enhance the player experience. By establishing GANI as a new research domain, we're building the scientific foundation for AI that is purpose-built for gaming,” said Li-Meng Lee, Chief Strategy Officer, Razer. 

“As gaming pushes AI to operate under some of the highest requirements for responsiveness, personalization, and immersion, the breakthroughs developed here have the potential to inform applications far beyond gaming, from interactive entertainment to education, simulation, and other real-time digital experiences. By combining NUS’ research excellence with Razer’s gaming ecosystem and industry expertise, we’re bridging AI research and real-world game development, equipping developers with the tools to build smarter AI, accelerate content creation, unlock new gameplay experiences, and lay the groundwork for innovations beyond gaming.” 

From Research to Real-World Play 

Research is currently being conducted to future-proof products with the goal of extending AI experiences beyond gaming over time. The Razer-NUS Joint AI Research Lab will focus on three pillars: core model innovation, real-time content systems, and advanced personalization capabilities. 

“Universities play a crucial role in advancing scientific discovery and shaping the evolution of emerging disciplines. The Joint AI Research Lab with Razer provides GANI with a dynamic testing ground it needs, leveraging NUS’ strong research expertise in AI while offering direct access to Razer’s live engineering environment,” said Associate Professor Ooi Wei Tsang from NUS Computing’s Department of Computer Science, who also serves as Director of Razer-NUS Joint AI Research Lab. 

“By co-establishing GANI as a new research frontier, NUS and Razer are charting the pathway towards next-generation intelligent systems that will shape the future of interactive gaming experiences. Our goal is to create innovations that transform how millions of players interact with the games they play.” 

The lab will pursue an iterative research-to-translation model, testing and validating advances in both simulated and live gameplay environments and, where appropriate, integrating successful outcomes into Razer’s proprietary systems. Findings intended for the wider community will be published through open research channels, while proprietary innovations will enhance Razer’s global product ecosystem. Under the partnership, NUS Computing will lead research activities and talent development, and Razer will align projects with industry needs, validate real-world use cases, and enable product integration. The lab will be hosted in a dedicated space within NUS. 

In 2025, Razer has launched its AI Center of Excellence (CoE) in Singapore which is currently home to more than 100 engineers, data scientists, and researchers. It also has a CoE powering immersive platform and technologies in France. The establishment of the joint AI research lab marks the next phase of Razer's AI strategy, accelerating innovation in gaming, digital humans, and ambient intelligence. 

For more information on the Razer-NUS Joint AI Research Lab, visit here.

Dabble & Discover: Connecting through hands-on learning

A core component of NUSOne is the ‘Dabble & Discover’ initiative, a curated selection of beginner-friendly workshops.

For instance, NUS Office of Student Affairs’ (OSA) soap recycling workshop taught participants how to manually process lightly used bars of soap and repurpose them into circular hygiene products for vulnerable communities — debunking common misconceptions about the cleanliness of recycled soap.

Beyond gaining a practical skill, participants also got an inside look at the local soap waste scene, such as the industrial and manual processes for sanitising and recycling materials as well as the massive volume of soap discarded by businesses.

Meanwhile, participants unleashed their creativity at the balloon sculpture workshop, also organised by NUS OSA. Beyond mastering the fundamentals of balloon sculpting, they also discovered its power as an effective icebreaker to engage with people of all ages and backgrounds.

A well-rounded education

Besides workshops, NUSOne also encourages students to venture beyond their disciplines, cultivating future-ready skills, adaptability and confidence through a wide array of out-of-classroom activities.

A curated learning journey to Grab Singapore offered 40 students first-hand exposure to product management and data analytics. They learned about Grab’s key product management practices, including lifecycle thinking and cross-functional collaboration, and gained insights into how data and analytics drive large-scale decisions to optimise user experience and platform operations.

“Even the simple action of clicking through the app provides insights that inform how Grab improves user experience, showing that such actions have a big impact in the long run,” said Covan Seah Hao En, an NUS Faculty of Science graduate from the Class of 2026.

Ultimately, the experience equipped students with practical perspectives to innovate and create impact in their future careers. As they reflected on applying Grab’s product strategies to their own future ventures, they gained valuable insights into resilience, customer-centric thinking and continuous iteration.

Real learning impact, backed by research

The positive impact of out-of-classroom engagement is further supported by ongoing research.

To better understand how NUSOne and student life participation support student growth, the NUSOne research workgroup is conducting a phased mixed-methods study. It comprises a quantitative phase involving over 1,600 students, which examines the link between student life participation and qualities such as resilience and adaptability, followed by 10 focus group discussions with close to 60 students to gain deeper insights into university transition challenges and the developmental value of student life involvement.

Preliminary findings suggest that students who participate in student life activities tend to report higher levels of resilience, adaptability, and social intelligence. These findings were presented by Dr Quek Sue Ing and Ms Engie Wong on behalf of the workgroup at the recent Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) Conference 2026.

Not only will these findings shape future initiatives for holistic student development, but they also help students recognise how their academic and co-curricular experiences cultivate essential life skills. This, in turn, will go a long way in empowering them to confidently articulate these competencies to future employers and leverage them throughout their professional and personal journeys.

The event brought together alumni from the inaugural Class of 1961 to the Class of 2026 to reconnect with each other, reacquaint themselves with their alma mater at its new home, and witness the unveiling of a commemorative artwork that marks a new chapter for NUS Law.

Celebrating continuity and change

In his opening remarks, NUS Law Dean Professor Andrew Simester reflected on the Faculty’s rich heritage dating back to 1957, while looking ahead to its future.

Recalling that it has been 70 years since the Faculty’s first Dean, Professor Lionel Sheridan, was appointed to establish a new law school at the University of Malaya at the Bukit Timah Campus, Prof Simester said the return to Kent Ridge marked a new chapter for NUS Law.

“Location does not define an institution. Our values and people do,” he said. The move to Kent Ridge, he noted, better positions the Faculty to prepare students for an increasingly complex world reshaped by technology and geopolitical shifts as “being part of the wider NUS community creates more opportunities for interdisciplinary learning and innovation, while allowing our students to enjoy a more connected and vibrant university experience”.

Prof Simester also reflected on NUS Law’s enduring mission to develop legal talent for Singapore, highlighting how NUS alumni have helped build and administer the country’s legal system. This legacy was celebrated in a specially produced video paying tribute to students, faculty and staff who have shaped NUS Law over the past seven decades.

The optimism about the new campus was shared by alumni from more recent and earlier cohorts.

Ms Shyrie Chopra (Law ’22), who attended the event to catch up with her former classmates and explore the new campus, is excited about the opportunities for NUS Law students.

“When I found out about the move, I thought ‘how lucky these students are’. My advice is to look beyond just the law school. You will discover lots of new friends and activities, and you will come to realise as you move into legal practice how valuable connections outside law school can be,” said the former resident of Residential College 4.

Mr Ho Jun Yi (Law ’11) added that the Faculty’s integration to the rest of NUS creates more opportunities for collaboration and an enriched student life. “Being closer to the rest of the University creates more opportunities to interact with students and faculty from different disciplines. But wherever NUS Law is located, the sense of fraternity will always remain,” he said.

Throughout the afternoon, alumni got a glimpse of the Faculty’s new home during the campus tour, including its iconic library and moot court.

A highlight of the event was a symbolic human chain around the Oculus, the architectural landmark at the entrance to Faculty grounds. Alumni stood in order of graduation year to create a visual spectacle that underscored the enduring bonds within the community across seven decades.

Finally, the gathering also saw the unveiling of “NUS Law: A New Chapter at University Town”, a commemorative photomosaic comprising graduation class photos that celebrates the Faculty’s heritage and future.

Since 2024, the ceremony has gained new meaning with the introduction of an ethics pledge, through which the law freshmen affirm their commitment to uphold the values of integrity, professionalism and service that define the legal profession.

Held at the NUS University Cultural Centre, the event was the culmination of the Faculty’s orientation activities. Gracing the ceremony this year was NUS Law alumnus Mr K Shanmugam (Law ’84), Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, who served as Guest-of-Honour.

Mr Shanmugam encouraged the incoming cohort to approach their legal education with both ambition and realism, describing the legal profession as rewarding and impactful with high demands and trade-offs at the top-end.

“If you choose to be in legal practice, and you want to be at the top-end, the cutting edge, then you must expect the demands to be very high,” he said.

Mr Shanmugam also noted that law graduates have a range of career paths open to them, and hoped that his remarks would help students make wiser choices during law school and as they consider the careers they wish to pursue.

Building on Mr Shanmugam’s message, Professor Andrew Simester, Dean of NUS Law, outlined how the Faculty will prepare students for the future by focusing on three key areas: legal doctrine, skills and perspective.

While students will learn the rules and vocabulary of law, he emphasised that the law is constantly evolving. “Our job is not so much to teach you the rules as if it’s a fixed body of information, but to teach you how to be a lawyer 10 years from now,” said Prof Simester.

He further encouraged them to embrace the transformative journey ahead while staying grounded in their values. “With your induction into the law school today, do not lose sight that the hallmarks of a successful lawyer are good character and using your considerable abilities responsibly,” he added.

In an address to her peers, Gwen Chong, third-year law student and Vice President of the NUS Law Club, shared her personal reflections on navigating law school, as she stressed the importance of friendships, balance and finding one’s own path.

“Take your work seriously, but do not feel like every hour has to be productive. Be ambitious, but do not measure the value of your time here only by the number of achievements you collect,” she said. While she acknowledged that law school and the opportunities it offers are important, she reminded the students that there is no single correct path to spend their four years.

Reflecting on the ceremony, first-year student Putra Zayan Bin Mohd Jaffry shared, “Taking the ethics pledge alongside my classmates was a powerful moment. It made me realise that we’re all starting this journey with a shared commitment to the values that make the legal profession meaningful. I’m grateful to have my family here to witness this milestone and to support me as I begin this new chapter.”

Fellow freshman Arivalagan Sharmadha added, “Prof Simester’s advice really resonated with me — to not panic, work hard and have fun. His reminder that we belong to the NUS Law community was incredibly reassuring as I start this journey. I’m excited to be part of this community and to learn alongside such a talented and committed group of classmates.”

The freshmen and their families also witnessed the sealing of a time capsule containing letters written by the students to their future selves. Mr Shanmugam, Prof Simester and student leaders from the Freshmen Orientation Central Committee and Freshers’ Week (an orientation programme for incoming freshmen), sealed the capsule, which will be reopened upon the cohort’s graduation in 2030.

The reactor uses a thin metal filament, similar to the wire found inside an incandescent lightbulb. When electricity passes through the filament, it heats up to extremely high temperatures, providing the energy needed to drive chemical reactions quickly and efficiently.

Led by Professor Yan Ning, Director of the NUS Centre for Hydrogen and Carbon Innovations (CHCI) and faculty member in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering under College of Design and Engineering at NUS, the research team demonstrated the reactor in three applications: producing hydrogen from ammonia, recycling plastic waste, and converting methane into useful chemicals.

Inspired by a household lightbulb

Many industrial chemical processes require very high temperatures to operate. These temperatures are typically generated by burning fuels, which consumes large amounts of energy and produces carbon emissions.

The NUS team's reactor offers a different approach. Instead of heating an entire reactor, it concentrates heat in a thin metal filament. This allows temperatures of more than 1,200°C to be reached rapidly while keeping the surrounding area much cooler.

Because only a small part of the reactor needs to be heated, the system can perform chemical reactions efficiently while remaining compact. It can also run on electricity, making it compatible with renewable energy sources.

Producing hydrogen from ammonia

The researchers first applied the reactor to ammonia decomposition, a process that breaks ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen.

Ammonia is increasingly being explored as a way to transport hydrogen because it is easier to store and ship. However, converting ammonia back into hydrogen efficiently remains a challenge.

Using the lightbulb-inspired reactor, the team achieved near-complete conversion of ammonia into hydrogen. The reactor is also significantly smaller than conventional systems designed to process the same amount of ammonia.

The researchers are now working with an industry partner to explore how the technology could be used in future ammonia-based energy systems.

The results of this study were published in Nature Chemical Engineering in October 2025.

Recycling plastic waste

The team also used the reactor to recycle common plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene, which are widely used in packaging and consumer products.

Many existing recycling methods produce a mixture of different chemicals, making it difficult to recover materials for reuse. The NUS reactor was able to break these plastics down into simpler chemical building blocks that can be used to make new plastics.

This approach could help support a more circular plastics economy and reduce the amount of plastic waste sent to landfills or incinerators.

This work was reported in Nature Communications in November 2025.

Converting methane into valuable chemicals

In a third study, the researchers applied the reactor to methane, the main component of natural gas.

Methane is an abundant resource but converting it into useful products efficiently remains difficult. Using different temperature zones within the reactor, the team was able to convert methane into valuable chemicals used in manufacturing, while also producing hydrogen.

The design helps improve both the efficiency of the process and the quality of the products produced.

The team published their findings in Nature Sustainability in April 2026.

A platform for future technologies

While the three studies focused on different challenges, they demonstrate the versatility of a single reactor platform.

The researchers are now exploring additional applications and ways to scale up the technology for industrial use.

“Our goal is to develop practical technologies that can support the transition to a low-carbon future,” said Prof Yan. “These studies show how a simple idea inspired by a familiar household object can be adapted to address different challenges in the chemical industry.”

The award is the highest accolade in Singapore's nursing profession. Launched in 2000, it celebrates nurses who have shown outstanding performance and contributions to patient care delivery, education, research and administration.

For Assoc Prof Zhou, the award reflects nearly three decades of unwavering dedication that has spanned clinical practice, education, research and healthcare leadership. Beyond caring for patients as an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) at the National Neuroscience Institute, she has been instrumental in fundamentally shaping how Singapore develops its APN workforce, strengthening the profession's global standing.

Since helming the Master of Nursing programme as its Director in 2015, Assoc Prof Zhou has spearheaded three major curriculum reforms to better equip APNs for increasingly complex healthcare needs. Among these included the restructuring of the full-time programme from 24 to 18 months, enabling nurses to return to clinical practice sooner while maintaining rigorous competency standards. In 2025, she established Singapore's first Doctor of Nursing Practice programme to prepare experienced nurses to lead transformative change in healthcare through evidence-based practice, innovation and system-level leadership.

Driving national nursing advancement

Beyond NUS, Assoc Prof Zhou has contributed significantly to nursing development nationwide. She championed the implementation of nine Entrustable Professional Activities for APNs across all eight public hospitals, establishing a more consistent national standard for training of APNs and their transition to practice. As the Educational Lead of the Ministry of Health's Advanced Practice Nurse Development Committee, she also helped to strengthen the National Collaborative Prescribing Programme, supported the credentialling of more than 300 APN prescribers and improved timely access to care. In addition, she established the APN Chapter under the Singapore Nurses Association to create a national professional network where APNs can learn from one another and collectively advance nursing practice.

Global leadership and impact

On the international stage, Assoc Prof Zhou has been a driving force in global efforts to strengthen advanced practice nursing education, research and professional practice through leadership roles in the International Council of Nurses (ICN). She served as Co-Chair of the ICN Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nurse Network Research Subgroup from 2018 to 2022 before being elected Treasurer of the Network in 2022. Working alongside international nursing leaders, she contributed to the development of multinational publications and book chapters that continue to inform APN education and policy internationally, such as the ICN's Guidelines on Advanced Practice Nursing (2020) and Guidelines on Prescriptive Authority for Nurses (2021). As ICN’s treasurer, she leads its financial governance and sustainability, actively supporting initiatives to expand the participation of nurses from low- and middle-income countries through fundraising efforts. She also collaborates with hospitals, universities and nursing leaders across Asia to strengthen APN education and mentor future nursing leaders.

Assoc Prof Zhou said, "I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive the President's Award for Nurses. Although my work has expanded into education, policy and international collaboration, my patients continue to remind me why all of this matters. Every patient encounter reinforces the importance of preparing nurses, strengthening healthcare systems and shaping policies that ultimately improve care. I am also grateful for the opportunity to share Singapore's advanced practice nursing journey internationally. We have built our model through years of collaboration across government, healthcare institutions, universities and the nursing profession, and it is rewarding to see other countries learning from our experience as they develop advanced nursing roles to better serve their own patients and communities."

Charting the future of nursing

Looking ahead, Assoc Prof Zhou hopes to continue strengthening Singapore's nursing workforce by preparing the next generation of nurses to take on greater leadership roles in healthcare transformation through the NUS Doctor of Nursing Practice programme. She also aims to deepen international collaborations, enabling countries to learn from one another while contributing Singapore's experience to the continued advancement of advanced practice nursing globally.

Gathering valedictorians and representatives from the Class of 2026, the event was attended by about 300 guests, including NUS Pro-Chancellors Mr Po'ad Mattar and Mrs Theresa Foo; NUS Chairman Mr Hsieh Fu Hua; NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye; and NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost Professor Aaron Thean.

The 14-day season opened with graduates from the NUS School of Continuing and Lifelong Education taking the stage on 9 July and unfolded over 39 ceremonies, concluding with graduates from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. It also saw honorary degrees conferred upon two outstanding leaders, Dr Kay Kuok Oon Kwong and Professor Lim Pin.

Leading the night’s proceedings before an audience that included faculty, staff and alumni, were two student representatives from the Class of 2026. In their welcome remarks, Ms Lim Min Hui, a Life Sciences graduate from the Faculty of Science, and Mr Reddy Kannan Yugesh, a Political Science graduate from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, reminisced on the highlights of their university life and paid tribute to their peers and professors who made their time at NUS all the more memorable.

Passing the torch

This year’s Commencement Dinner departed from tradition, featuring back-to-back speeches by the preceding and current Presidents of the NUS Students’ Union (NUSSU) — both of whom are part of this year’s graduating cohort.

Mr Sean Pang, 46^th NUSSU President and Bachelor of Business Administration graduate from NUS Business School, who juggled academic commitments with caregiving responsibilities after his mother’s illness, paid a heartfelt tribute to those who came before him. He cited his parents’ sacrifices that enabled him to be the first in his family to graduate from university, as well as prominent businessman Tan Jiak Kim’s efforts in galvanising the community to establish NUS’ medical school in 1905.

“Behind every degree scroll is a second, unwritten transcript, filled with the names of family, friends and community... Thank you for the sacrifices, both seen and unseen,” he said. Encouraging the graduating class to carry this legacy forward, he emphasised, “Gratitude cannot be where the story ends. What was given to us now becomes ours to carry forward.”

Taking over the stage from his predecessor was Mr Stephen Chen, a Life Sciences, Business Management and NUS College graduate. The 47^th NUSSU President built on his fellow graduate’s reference to “standing on the shoulders of giants”, drawing on each of his disciplines and sharing key takeaways for the next phase of life.

“Know what you want, focus on the things that you can change, and then just do it... As we enter this next phase of life holding onto our hopes, dreams and worries, let us take heart that we leave NUS equipped not only with more knowledge and skills, but that we leave more connected with one another,” he concluded.

A values-first education

In his speech at the event, NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye built upon his first address to students at the inaugural Commencement ceremony, emphasising that the value of higher education lies not just in the accumulation of knowledge and wisdom, but, more importantly, in channelling them into a force of good to serve humanity.

Acknowledging the anxieties that confront the world today, from AI to geopolitical upheavals and climate change, Prof Tan exhorted the graduates not to give in to unease and apprehension.

“It would be easy to feel that the ground is shifting too quickly beneath us. But I want to be clear about where our footing comes from. The antidote to anxiety is not certainty. It is character and willpower. Because we are human and curious, we innovate; yet because we are human and fallible, we also make mistakes. This has been true of every generation before you, and it will be true of yours,” he said.

With a customary toast to the Class of 2026, he concluded: “Your time as students has ended, but your connection to this community has not... As we raise a glass tonight, we do so not only in celebration of what you all have achieved, but in anticipation of what you will do next.”

Many voices, one spirit

The dinner was interspersed with a pair of vocal performances by NUS student groups, who gave voice to the celebratory mood of the evening.

Taking the stage first was NUS Resonance, an a capella group that aims to connect with audiences across a variety of genres and styles to showcase the versatility and vibrancy of a capella music. The six-person ensemble delivered a selection of contemporary and timeless classics through rich harmonies and punchy vocal percussion, performing a “90s Dance Medley” and Tori Kelly’s rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing”.

NUS Voices, the University’s resident Mandopop interest group consisting of talented instrumentalists and vocalists, followed up with an act to remember, ending the night on a high note with a heartfelt cover of Jessie J’s “Flashlight” and an energetic medley of songs by hit K-pop group BLACKPINK, including “Kill This Love” and “Playing with Fire”.

This story concludes NUS News’ coverage of Commencement 2026, which celebrates the achievements of our graduates from the Class of 2026. For more on Commencement, read our stories and graduate profiles, check out the official Commencement website, or look up and tag #NUS2026 on our social media channels!

This interconnected approach, which she calls “roots to reefs”, recognises that ecosystems do not exist in isolation. What happens upstream in forests, rivers and coastal habitats can shape the health and resilience of mangroves and coral reefs downstream. This holistic vision has become the foundation of her research and teaching at NUS.

Her work spans mangrove restoration at Pulau Ubin to leading expeditions across Southeast Asia, where she uses drones and 3D mapping technologies to create detailed digital models of coastal ecosystems. She also produces immersive 360-degree conservation films — one of them, entitled Roots to Reefs 360, clinched the Bronze accolade at the 2023 QS Reimagine Education Awards.

As we observe World Mangrove Day on 26 July, Dr Coffman discusses Singapore’s mangrove story, why these forests matter for our climate future and what gives her hope in the next generation of mangrove champions.

World Mangrove Day puts a spotlight on mangrove ecosystems globally. What’s the current state of Singapore's mangroves?

Around 13 per cent of our coastline was originally fringed by mangroves, but today less than 1 per cent of Singapore’s land area remains as mangrove habitat. Against a backdrop of continued mangrove loss across Southeast Asia, Singapore has become a regional leader in mangrove conservation through projects such as Sungei Buloh Nature Park Network and Sungei Durian in Pulau Ubin.

Singapore’s mangroves also remain rich in biodiversity. We have 35 species of true mangroves – almost as many as Indonesia, the global leader with about 48 species. Singapore’s mangrove flora is exceptionally diverse for a highly urbanised nation.

Every year, I begin my Aquatic, Riparian and Coastal Systems course at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve because it tells one of Singapore’s greatest conservation stories. In the 1980s, the Nature Society Singapore recognised the site was internationally important for migratory shorebirds. Their advocacy helped protect it, making it Singapore’s first ASEAN Heritage Park. It is a powerful reminder to students that conservation succeeds when passionate people speak up and scientists, communities, policymakers and citizens work together.

What excites me most is that Singapore is no longer conserving isolated patches but restoring connected coastal ecosystems, reflecting the “roots to reefs” approach that underpins my research and teaching. The healthier these ecological connections become, the more resilient our wildlife, coastlines and communities will be.

Mangroves have been described as “climate infrastructure”. Can you explain what that means?

The word “infrastructure” brings to mind bridges, roads or seawalls. Mangroves perform many of those same functions naturally, which is why scientists call them natural climate infrastructure.

Mangroves are among the planet’s most efficient ecosystems for capturing and storing carbon, particularly in their deep waterlogged soils. Over hundreds of years, this builds up like an underground carbon bank.

But carbon is only part of the story. Mangroves reduce wave energy, buffer storm surges, stabilise shorelines, filter pollutants and provide nursery habitat for fisheries. A seawall protects a coastline, but a mangrove forest does this while storing carbon, supporting biodiversity and improving water quality.

As sea levels rise, our future resilience will depend on combining engineering with healthy ecosystems through nature-based climate solutions.

You bring NUS students into mangrove ecosystems for field learning. What do students discover that they cannot learn in a classroom?

One of my favourite moments happened during a field research trip in a mangrove forest in Lombok. After collecting data, I asked students to sit quietly on the mangrove roots, close their eyes and listen. They described hearing birds calling, crabs clicking beneath the mud and how surprisingly cool the forest felt.

It was a simple exercise but it changed how they saw mangroves — not just as muddy coastal forests but as a living, interconnected ecosystem.

While lectures provide the scientific foundation, students develop deeper understanding by seeing and doing. They learn to observe like scientists and understand how every species plays a role.

I also want students to see themselves as future conservation leaders. In my course, teams choose a degraded mangrove site and develop restoration proposals. Successful restoration requires understanding tides, sediments, biodiversity, communities and long-term management. The best strategies bring together ecologists, engineers, planners, policymakers and communities to design solutions beneficial for people and nature.

As an educator nurturing the next generation of conservation leaders, what gives you hope?

I see hope in the moment curiosity turns into connection. Students often arrive thinking mangroves are muddy, smelly places. By day’s end, they’re excitedly pointing out mudskippers and kingfishers, imagining how these places can be restored.

I see the same hope when working alongside communities across Southeast Asia as I meet people who care deeply about restoring coastal environments. Conservation succeeds when local communities lead, because they continue caring long after researchers leave.

People protect what they understand, and understanding often begins with experience. I hope that everyone experiences a mangrove forest at least once. Once you’ve experienced that magic, it’s hard not to want to protect it.

How can one experience the “Mangrove Magic” this World Mangrove Day?

Visit Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Chek Jawa Wetlands or Pasir Ris Mangrove Boardwalk. Pause, listen to the birds, watch the mudskippers and crabs and look out for the otters.

Consider joining a kayak tour at Pulau Ubin, or participate in mangrove planting and coastal clean-ups organised by NParks, the Nature Society Singapore and the International Coastal Cleanup Day in Singapore.

Once you spend time in a mangrove forest, you begin to see it differently.

World Mangrove Day is observed annually on 26 July to raise awareness of mangrove ecosystems and promote their sustainable management, conservation and restoration.

Held from 6 to 9 July 2026, HERDSA welcomed 1000 participants who explored the theme “Re-envisioning Higher Education for Tomorrow’s Learners”. Through a variety of keynote sessions, panel discussions and lightning talks, participants discussed approaches to nurture habits of inquiry, judgment and adaptability that empower students to keep learning, in addition to cultivating habits of mind that enable students to use knowledge well.

As technology reshapes how the world lives, works and learns, conversations revolve around maintaining a human-centric approach in higher education amidst these changes. A key highlight was the panel “Re-envisioning Higher Education for Tomorrow’s Learners: How Can We Develop Human-Centric, Workforce-Ready Graduates in the AI Era” held on 9 July. Moderated by Dr Misty So-Sum Wai-Cook from NUS’ Centre for English Language Communication, HERDSA 2026’s co-convenor together with Dr Mark Gan from the Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Technology (CTLT), this session brought together Asia-Pacific higher education leaders and scholars to explore how universities can redefine learning in an AI-enabled world.

What it means to be human

The panel discussion focused on the importance of “human-centric” learning. Associate Professor Soo Yuen Jien, who leads the pedagogy team at NUS’ Artificial Intelligence Centre for Education Technology (AICET), advocated for more experiential learning by incorporating more project work into courses and encouraging more students to do internships or community service.

Assoc Prof Rachel Fitzgerald, Deputy Associate Dean (Academic) from the University of Queensland, called on educators to take a big-picture view of higher education, focused on learning, rather than “small measures of success” such as the ability to complete certain tasks.

“We don’t know what the future is going to look like, but we do know the values we want our graduates to have. We want them to be ethical leaders, caring, courageous and good members of our community,” she said.

Professor Giovanni Russello, who heads the University of Auckland’s School of Computer Science, also cautioned educators against being “hyper-focused” on AI. “There are other technologies coming our way, and it often takes years for the curriculum to catch up. We need to focus on teaching our students how to learn – fundamental knowledge and intellectual curiosity are what is going to differentiate us from the machine.”

The role of the educator

Discussions also addressed the evolving role of educators preparing students in a job market where AI is increasingly replacing entry-level roles. “The bar is higher,” observed Assoc Prof Soo, suggesting educators could consider exposing students to more situations that mimic real-world challenges.

He also urged re-evaluating assessment methods. “Rather than focus on detecting if a student has used AI, perhaps educators should ask themselves: What kind of assessment can I design for students who are augmented by AI?”

Even as they support students, educators themselves could benefit from more support in using AI.

Fellow panellist Akriti Sethi, a PhD candidate from Monash University (Malaysia), noted that educators need a safe space to experiment with the technology.

“I’ve had educators tell me, ‘I’d love to create an AI-enabled environment, but I don’t know where the line is. When does it go from creating an AI tech-savvy environment to overuse and over-reliance?’ Experimentation cannot come out of fear,” she added.

Looking to the future

With AI’s growing prevalence, human skills are paramount. NUS is committed to fostering environments where students cultivate resilience, as well as collaborative and communication skills. Our evolving educational framework equips students to connect diverse ideas and acquire the skills to thrive in this complex, changing world.

In this series, NUS News explores how NUS is accelerating sustainability research and education in response to climate change challenges, and harnessing the knowledge and creativity of our people to pave the way to a greener future for all.

Singapore is often considered safe from major natural disasters, but climate change is quietly changing that.

In fact, Singapore experiences around 200 days of thunderstorms each year. Over the past few decades, the Meteorological Service Singapore has observed a steady increase in both annual rainfall and intense downpours.

When rain falls faster than the ground can absorb it, saturation excess and infiltration excess can occur, causing the excess water to become surface runoff (also called overland flow).

In a low-lying city like Singapore, sudden and intense rainfall can quickly overwhelm the ground and drainage systems, resulting in flash floods. Understanding how rainfall generates runoff is therefore critical, particularly as hydrologists still do not fully understand these processes in tropical environments due to the limited field data. With climate change expected to intensify extreme rainfall events, improving flood prediction is increasingly important for safeguarding Singapore.

At the NUS College of Design and Engineering, Professor Simone Fatichi from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is working on the first-of-its-kind research in a tropical city, to track what happens from the moment rain hits the ground.

Using the campus as a living laboratory, Prof Fatichi and his team have been studying an 8.6 ha land area stretching behind NUS Central Library to NUS Business School in order to track what happens when it rains – how much water seeps into the soil, how much of it turns into runoff, and how it flows through the drainage system.

Using meteorological stations, soil moisture sensors, groundwater wells, and pressure transducers and cameras to measure water flow in drains, the team records data every five minutes to capture the rapid changes in infiltration, soil moisture and runoff caused by Singapore’s short but very intense rainfall.

After 22 months of research, the team found that saturated hydraulic conductivity – a measure of how easily water can move through soil – is generally very high in parks and forests, allowing water to be absorbed quickly. However, during major rainfall events, soils in many areas become nearly fully saturated, producing hydrological responses that are almost as intense and rapid as those from impervious areas.

To illustrate, imagine a lake just a few tens of centimetres below the ground, which leads to large volume of water released as flash floods. This effect can be mitigated by highly vegetated areas which deplete soil water storage by up to a few meters below the ground during dry periods, thereby buffering the runoff response during intense rainfall events.

“Generally, if we can make better predictions of the catchment response to these extreme rainfall events and convective storms, we can alert the public to avoid certain areas. We can even come up with models which allows simulation of floods all around Singapore ─ to pinpoint and forecast flood risk hotspots,” explained Prof Fatichi.

Staying one step ahead

This research goes beyond simply understanding rainfall-runoff response as it has the potential to transform how Singapore prepares for floods by improving its model capabilities.

With more accurate predictions, authorities can identify flood-prone areas earlier, enabling better planning and more targeted deployment of resources to mitigate impact. The public can also be alerted in advance, allowing them to take necessary precautions.

This is the second story in a two-part feature on NUS’ sustainability research on coastal protection and flood prediction. Read the first part here.

Anthropology courses have been offered at NUS since the 1960s under the Department of Sociology. Building on that strong foundation, the University launched its standalone undergraduate major in Anthropology in 2022 and renamed the department the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, reflecting the discipline's growing prominence in teaching and research.

“At a time when AI is transforming many aspects of our lives, anthropology reminds us of the importance of understanding people, their experiences, cultures and relationships,” said Professor Vineeta Sinha, a fervent advocate for the introduction of the undergraduate major during her tenure as Head of Department.

The pioneer cohort’s graduation also comes at a time when anthropology's emphasis on understanding people, cultures and lived experiences has taken on renewed significance, Prof Sinha noted.

Comprising just 18 students, the cohort arrived as pioneers of the new major, without senior batches to learn from or established traditions to inherit. So they built a close-knit community of their own, organising welcome teas every semester, student-led reading groups, writing workshops, field trips and career talks. They also started the NUS Anthropology Circle, a Telegram community that connects students and faculty across different cohorts.

Beyond the community they have built, they leave behind something less tangible but equally enduring: a new way of thinking shaped by an anthropological lens.

A new generation of anthropologists

At its heart, anthropology is the study of people and asking why we think, behave and relate to one another the way we do.

For the inaugural cohort, anthropology was about learning to see the world through fresh eyes. Rather than providing easy answers, the discipline challenged them to reexamine familiar assumptions instead of accepting them at face value, appreciate diverse perspectives, and navigate complexity with curiosity and empathy, said graduates Michelle Zhuo and Delia Shamaney.

Through classroom discussions, fieldwork and ethnographic research on different cultures and communities, they learned to look beyond the surface of an issue. They believe this way of thinking will become increasingly important as artificial intelligence reshapes the way people live and work.

“Rather than preparing you for one particular job or career path, the knowledge and skills gained studying anthropology equips you with a way of understanding people and the world in depth,” said Michelle.

Indeed, that many students chose to pursue second majors or minors in disciplines ranging from Political Science and Philosophy, to courses outside the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, including Public Health and Chemistry, is a testament to how anthropological thinking complements a wide range of fields and careers.

The cohort also became ambassadors for the discipline, representing NUS at international academic conferences for the first time.

In 2025, four students co-organised a roundtable at the European Association of Social Anthropologists' Teaching Anthropology Network conference, while another presented honours research at an academic workshop organised by the Taiwan Society of Anthropology and Ethnology.

“We were fortunate to have a cohort of students who were confident and motivated enough to try their hands at serious academic work,” said Prof Sinha.

“Their enthusiasm has helped establish a vibrant student culture that future Anthropology majors will inherit.”

The human advantage

In addition to providing new perspectives, anthropology offers a much-needed counterbalance to rapid technological change.

“With AI rapidly technologising our realities, it is necessary to slow down and pay attention to the systems that affect our everyday lives. We need to evaluate, advocate and collaborate with communities who are often excluded and overlooked. This is where anthropology is relevant,” said fellow major Anna Wee.

As Delia put it, it is about ensuring that humans remain at the centre of the conversation even in an AI-driven future.

Her course mate Ethan Zhang added, “By asking what it means to be human, I not only learn about other people's experiences but also find my own place in the world.”

These are precisely the kinds of capabilities that will distinguish anthropology graduates in the years ahead, said Prof Sinha.

“Technology can process vast amounts of information, but it cannot fully interpret cultural contexts, emotions and the richness of human experience. Anthropology equips students to understand those complexities — and to ask what it means to be human in a rapidly changing world.”

When the Anthropology graduates first enrolled in 2022, there were naturally questions about what a brand-new major would look like and where it might lead. Four years on, they leave behind a legacy of curiosity, empathy and a deeper understanding of what it means to be human.

This story is part of NUS News’ coverage of Commencement 2026, which celebrates the achievements of our graduates from the Class of 2026. For more on Commencement, read our stories and graduate profiles, check out the official Commencement website, or look up and tag #NUS2026 on our social media channels!

Farming data for the community

One of the first things that Agrolitik founders Jayden Tan, Tsui Yi Wern, and Yong Li An did when they moved into THE HANGAR, a launchpad for early-stage start-ups by NUS Enterprise, was to plant a small garden.

They were testing Agrolitik’s precision farming tool, which would help fix common problems that Southeast Asian farmers face — insufficient knowledge on soil conditions leading to wastage from over-fertilising and over-watering, and inconsistent soil quality.

Agrolitik supports smallholder farmers through automation. Through its efforts, the start-up advances four of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Climate Action.

Once its sensor is stuck into the soil, Agrolitik’s mobile app gives farmers insights into soil moisture, temperature, pH and NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium) levels. Building the app took some work. Yi Wern, a Computer Science major from the School of Computing, created multiple iterations of the application for a smoother user experience. She also factored in the possibility that some farmers could not read, and simplified both the language and user flow of the application.

Being incubated at THE HANGAR proved a great help. Fellow start-up founders became their first testers, providing feedback on app functionality and identifying bugs and glitches. But more than that, the spirit of entrepreneurship drove them to continuously improve their product and business model.

“They are deeply aspirational in building everything from nothing. There's a mutual accountability that forms around us,” said Jayden, referring to fellow start-up founders at BLOCK71.

Since Agrolitik’s start in November 2024, the trio have rolled out their product in Indonesia, and now sees over 40 users in more than 10 farms using their sensors and app.

In a trip to Medan in 2025, organised by Jayden, a Data Science and Analytics major at the College of Humanities and Sciences, the team conducted a field validation, the first on a farm after many tests in the garden. The feedback from farmers was positive. Most of the equipment on their farms were analogue, and they were intrigued by how the smart equipment could tell them about soil conditions.

Agrolitik was selected for the highly competitive Climate Catalysts Programme, an initiative by the United Nations Development Programme and Microsoft to empower youth-led ventures. The programme advances scalable innovations in clean air, food security, renewable energy, circular economy, and water to foster resilient communities across the Asia-Pacific.

Agrolitik’s expansion plans to Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam are on track. Following applications by Li An, a Computer Science major, to leading start-up programmes, Agrolitik has not only secured its spot at THE HANGAR but is now part of NUS Enterprise’s Venture Initiation Programme (Impact Track), which provides funding of up to S$10,000.

Solving pain points

For College of Design and Engineering student Leipakshi Gupta, pain kick-started her start-up journey. She had experienced back pain after sitting all day during her internship. Her doctor told her to “sit better and be more aware”. But the question was, how?

Together with co-founders Benecia Tang and NUS alumna Pragya Jha (Computing ‛25), she set out to build posture care start-up s’up in September 2025. Through wearable sensors attached with adhesive patches, the s’up’s app could provide actionable insights on spinal alignment throughout the day. These remind users about their posture while at the desk, whether they are hunched or twisting their spine while seated.

Leipakshi drew on her Electrical Engineering background to apply sensors for alignment tracking, while Benecia contributed market research experience from her Business Analytics modules in the School of Computing (SoC). She also applied her knowledge from launching a previous start-up and an NOC module on ideation.

But it was at the N-House residence that s’up really came together. There, they were kept accountable with N-house’s boot camp, which consisted of weekly check-ins with resident mentors and monthly pitch nights.

After presenting at Demo Day, where students showcase their start-ups and receive feedback, they refined their proposal for Pitch Night, which dangled a top funding prize of S$5,000.

Benecia and Leipakshi won second place and got a first taste of pitching s’up live. Building it from there was a learning journey in itself.

“In the beginning, I was very product-focused. I even thought of building a circuit myself,” said Leipakshi. But Benecia convinced her to get the prototype out fast.

“It's about getting validation before you have a very sophisticated, over-engineered product,” Leipakshi explained. Benecia talked to different stakeholders for ideas on how they could rapidly prototype “instead of wasting time on the nitty-gritty”.

They leaned on each other. Leipakshi was full of ideas, while Benecia was the voice of reason and kept them grounded. In 2026, they received the Venture Initiation Programme @ SoC grant, and will use the S$10,000 to move on to prototyping, user testing, product development, and manufacturing.

Currently they are working on automation to incorporate features like real-time form correction during workouts and reminders while users work. Its beta version was released in June 2026, with over 200 people on their waitlist who can provide feedback.

The founders are also speaking to physicians and doctors for insights. Their ultimate aim is to develop a medtech solution for those with chronic back pain. To kickstart this, s’up is working with the National University Hospital on a study timeline.

A nose for business

To launch her scent-based marketing business, Jocelyn Lim first had to keep her nose to the grindstone. Over a few months, she sent out over 80 personalised emails to pitch Scentura, a start-up she co-founded with fellow NUS Business School student Valerie Wong in August 2025.

Scentura aims to use food scents to help cold food businesses — which lack the natural, appetising smells of hot meals — strengthen brand identity and attract customers. Examples include caramel scents for pastry cafés and brownie scents for chocolate shops.

The idea first came to Valerie during her NOC programme in Shenzhen, where she found that many tea shops had distinct scents, creating memorable customer experiences. Jocelyn, who was attending an NOC programme in Toronto, found while working in a start-up there that it was invigorating — she wanted to be part of this culture where her impact was so visible.

When the pair met in N-House, Scentura took shape. They began preparing for Pitch Night with help from advisors and seniors. Fellow competitors chipped in too, helping with pitch practices where the pair showcased a coffee scent for a café. Fellow N-Housers even helped with brewing coffee to create the scent — a true display of camaraderie from N-House’s start-up community.

Valerie tapped the skills from her Business Analytics and Management & Organisation programme to prove that Scentura had a place in the market based on market analysis and data on the efficacy of scent marketing. Meanwhile, presenting and pitching came naturally to Jocelyn, who had often done both in her Marketing classes.

“Jocelyn speaks to the client — she’s like the heart of the business,” said Valerie. “And Valerie is the head,” Jocelyn added. “She's the logical side, thinking about and gathering data so our clients can trust us. That’s why I’m the heart; I get them excited!”

As part of the N-House experience, the pair could also consult resident mentors, attend founder talks for inspiration, and seek advice on problems they were facing. From these sessions, Jocelyn learnt that sales calls were not just pitches, but opportunities to refine Scentura to better suit clients’ needs.

The two have decided to go all in for the next few months after graduating. While they have moved out of N-House, they remain connected to its community through alumni events. They are now working on research and development for their first pilot with an ice cream shop.

This story is part of NUS News’ coverage of Commencement 2026, which celebrates the achievements of our graduates from the Class of 2026. For more on Commencement, read our stories and graduate profiles, check out the official Commencement website, or look up and tag #NUS2026 on our social media channels!

Dr Noeleen will join current NUS Pro-Chancellors Mr Gautam Banerjee, Mrs Theresa Foo, Professor S Jayakumar, and Mr Po’ad Mattar in the University’s Chancellery, headed by the NUS Chancellor. University Pro-Chancellors act on behalf of the Chancellor during the Chancellor’s absence from the University and preside at the annual Commencement ceremonies.

“NUS is honoured and privileged to welcome Dr Noeleen Heyzer as our Pro-Chancellor. Dr Noeleen’s exemplary leadership at the United Nations and lifelong dedication to sustainable development and social progress reflect the values we cherish,” said NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye. “Dr Noeleen’s global vision, deep commitment to public service, and unwavering drive for positive change will deeply enrich our university community. Her rich experience will guide us as we nurture leaders, advance knowledge for the public good, and strengthen NUS’ role as a leading university shaping the future of Singapore, Asia and the world.”

A trailblazer of women’s global leadership for equality, development and peace

An NUS alumna, Dr Noeleen Heyzer has dedicated her life to building a more peaceful and sustainable world and raised Singapore’s international profile during her career at the United Nations (UN) and beyond. She served as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) from 2007 to 2014 and was the highest-ranking Singaporean in the UN system during her term.

She was the first woman to serve as the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) since its founding in 1947. Under her leadership (2007-2014), ESCAP had grown in profile and stature, focusing on regional co-operation for a more resilient Asia-Pacific, founded on shared prosperity, social equity, and sustainable development. Major milestones included intergovernmental agreements on regional transport and logistics, inclusive socio-economic policies, disaster preparedness, paperless trade, and financing and technology for an inclusive and green future.

Prior to this, Dr Noeleen was the first woman from outside North America to head the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). During her tenure (1994-2007), she transformed UNIFEM from a small organisation into a leading powerhouse empowering women globally. She was instrumental in securing the landmark UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security which criminalises sexual violence, and recognises women as essential to sustainable peace and post-conflict recovery.

As the UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for Timor-Leste (2013-2015) and later as Special Envoy on Myanmar (2021-2023), Dr Noeleen worked closely with conflict-affected communities and leaders to forge a path towards peace. Between these appointments, she served as a member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation (2017–2021), where she contributed her expertise to support mediation efforts in diverse conflict settings worldwide.

A trusted voice in global governance, Dr Noeleen continues to contribute her insights through her service on many boards and committees, including the NUS Board of Trustees from 2013 to 2019. She currently serves as the Rector of the Ridge View Residential College at NUS.

In recognition of her visionary leadership in advancing the empowerment of women globally, raising Singapore’s international profile and making a global impact, Dr Noeleen was conferred the NUS Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters in 2025. The Honorary Degree is the University’s highest form of recognition of outstanding individuals who have rendered distinguished service and have had a noteworthy impact in Singapore and globally.

Dr Noeleen said, “I am deeply humbled and profoundly honoured to be appointed as a Pro-Chancellor of our nation’s most distinguished university. The National University of Singapore (NUS) has shaped generations of thinkers, doers, and leaders with character and purpose whom it sends into the wider world. I shall do my utmost to serve NUS with integrity, wisdom, and unwavering commitment, and to uphold the values of excellence that it represents.”

 The opening ceremony was officiated by Mr Heng Swee Keat, Chairman of the National Research Foundation (NRF), and attended by leaders from academia, research institutions, industry and government agencies.

 Launched in 2025 as a S$130 million national initiative supported by the NRF, NIRBA was established to advance Singapore’s capabilities in RNA biology and its applications. Bringing together researchers and expertise from NUS, Nanyang Technological University, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, and other partners, NIRBA aims to position Singapore at the forefront of one of the most rapidly evolving areas of modern science.

 The opening of the NIRBA Hub represents the next phase of this journey. Serving as the focal point of NIRBA’s hub-and-spoke model, the Hub will unite researchers, clinicians, technology platforms and industry partners to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and accelerate innovation in RNA science.

 This new development is closely aligned with the ambitions of Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 (RIE2030) plan, which seeks to strengthen the nation’s scientific base, deepen innovation capabilities, develop talent and translate research into economic and societal outcomes.

 RNA Innovation: Advancing Singapore’s bioeconomy, healthcare, and biomedical frontiers

 RNA biology has emerged as a transformative field with the potential to reshape healthcare, biotechnology and the broader bioeconomy. Through initiatives such as NIRBA, Singapore is building capabilities that will enable the advancement of scientific discovery, and also the translation of research into solutions that create value for society and the economy.

RNA-based technologies have already demonstrated their game-changing potential through advances in vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. Looking ahead, they are expected to play an increasingly important role in precision medicine, disease prevention and treatment, synthetic biology, and future bio-based industries. By strengthening Singapore’s capabilities across the research and innovation value chain, NIRBA is expected to contribute to the nation’s ambitions of becoming a leading global hub for biomedical innovation, medtech development and advanced biomanufacturing.

Professor Ashok Venkitaraman, Executive Director of NIRBA, said, “NIRBA was founded on the belief that breakthroughs in RNA science will increasingly shape the future of medicine, biotechnology and human health. The Hub provides a collaborative environment where researchers from diverse disciplines can work together to tackle fundamental questions in RNA biology and translate discoveries into meaningful applications. We are grateful for the strong support from our partners and look forward to advancing Singapore’s ambitions in this important field.”

Catalysing scientific breakthroughs

Located at Block S9 on NUS’ Kent Ridge campus and spanning 2,000 sqm, the NIRBA Hub serves as the central node of NIRBA’s national hub-and-spoke network. It will support research across areas such as RNA therapeutics, cancer RNA biology, infectious diseases, RNA-based diagnostics, and AI-enabled RNA design, while providing a collaborative environment for talent development, technology innovation and industry engagement.

In addition to advancing research, the Hub will serve as a platform for talent development and international collaboration. It will support the training of the next generation of scientists, foster partnerships with industry, and strengthen Singapore’s connections with leading research organisations around the world.

The opening of the NIRBA Hub underscores Singapore’s commitment to investing in frontier science and building capabilities that will create long-term value for the nation. Through sustained collaboration across institutions and sectors, NIRBA aims to drive scientific excellence, innovation and impact for Singapore and beyond.

Pioneering cutting-edge research

NIRBA brings together multidisciplinary teams to advance the next frontier of RNA science through an integrated research programme spanning RNA modification detection, disease biology, and therapeutic engineering. It will build four peaks of excellence that are of strategic importance to Singapore:

· Cluster 1 focuses on how Asian genetic diversity impacts the RNA biology of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other conditions relevant to Singapore. Scientists will examine whether Asian genomic variants affect RNA expression, modification and function in different cell types linked to these diseases.

· Cluster 2 explores how chemical modifications on RNA alter host immunity. RNA modifications, or small chemical changes made to RNA molecules, play a crucial role in helping our body balance immune responses, enabling the body to fight off infections while protecting our own healthy cells.

· Cluster 3 explores how RNA molecules enter cells and are transported within them to lay scientific foundations for effective RNA-based therapeutics that selectively target diseased tissues.

· Cluster 4 focuses on how RNA-based drugs exert their effects and are cleared from the body after administration, a critical enabler for the development of RNA-based therapies and vaccines in Singapore.

Researchers will collaborate as a highly interconnected ecosystem, where each discovery propels the next. Clusters 1 and 2 focus on designing and testing improved RNA molecules, while Clusters 3 and 4 develop delivery strategies and track their effects in disease models — all working together to create precision RNA medicines for Singapore’s most urgent health challenges, including cancer, metabolic diseases, and cardiovascular diseases.

“I would learn how to get away with things,” quipped the 26-year-old psychology graduate from NUS. “Eventually… I realised I had a gift for listening to people and observing how they interacted in the world around me.”

Beneath the cheeky admission was a quality that has shaped his academic path: His innate ability to listen to people and understand how they navigated the world around them.

That instinct drew him to psychology, which he studied at both the polytechnic and university level. What appealed to him most about the discipline was the sense of hope it offered — the idea that even in difficult circumstances, people still had the agency to shape outcomes.

“Psychology is very much, ‘Yes, you’re in a dire situation, but you’re in control of yourself,’” he said. “You have some autonomy, some things in your life that you can influence.”

In 2024, while pursuing his psychology degree at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Joshua was forced to put this belief to the test.

After a fall sustained while bouldering left him in such severe pain that he nearly passed out, medical checks revealed that he had stage three testicular cancer, which had already spread to the lymph nodes in his abdominal area.

“I was quite angry about it (the diagnosis) for a couple of weeks,” he said. “It was the first time I had been angry in life, or at God, in a long while.”

The power of purpose

Although the diagnosis threw his future plans into disarray, Joshua kept his diagnosis largely private. He chose to share it only with family and close friends, mostly on a need-to-know basis.

They rallied together to support him, giving him some measure of comfort as he started to undergo the dreadful process of chemotherapy. “I didn’t want to live, but I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to do anything,” Joshua said, describing his darkest moments.

But as he watched his loved ones come together and pray for him, he discovered a new sense of purpose. During treatment, he wrote in his journal that if his ordeal would lead others to renew or find their faith and purpose in life, then his suffering would not be in vain.

Support came not just from family and friends, but also from the community at NUS.

As part of his minor in Community Development and Leadership, Joshua was involved in a year-long project at the Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre (CTPCLC), but was not able to complete it due to his health circumstances at that time. When they heard about his diagnosis, they were sympathetic, constantly checking in on him and going so far as to offer to raise funds for him.

Their gestures of support demonstrated that the values they taught at the centre extended far beyond the classroom.

“The people at CTPCLC don’t just teach about community development — they really walk the talk to develop the community, even if it's just one student,” said Joshua.

After a six-month leave of absence to complete his treatment, Joshua returned to school with a different approach to the rest of his university journey.

“The diagnosis… gave me the courage to live a bit more unapologetically,” he said. “Let me ask the questions I want, let me study what I want. That’s the point of university, right? To push the boundaries of what is known.”

An empathetic approach to care

Motivated by his experience with cancer, Joshua took up a psychology module focused on patients and healthcare upon his return. “It was not a module I would have taken if not for cancer,” he said. “It helped me put my experiences in a clinical perspective.”

One such experience was when a fellow patient in his ward passed away during one of his hospital stays. “Every other patient in the ward was thinking, ‘That could have been me,’” he said.

It was a deeply confronting psychological experience, one that exacerbated the sense of isolation that often comes with a cancer diagnosis. “When the diagnosis came, everyone started talking to me like I was already dead,” he said.

It was only when he joined the Adolescent and Young Adults Oncology (AYAO) programme, run by the National Cancer Centre of Singapore, that he found enough breathing room to crack jokes about his condition.

“Having the space in the AYAO clinic to speak as if I was just another person with an experience of cancer was deeply helpful,” he said.

Now, he is bringing his unique blend of clinical expertise and lived experience to his role as Senior Programme Executive at the Singapore Cancer Society (SCS), where he has worked since January 2026, after completing his studies in November 2025, the same month he was declared cancer-free.

At SCS, Joshua runs programmes and support groups for cancer patients or survivors like himself. Beyond providing a listening ear, he connects them with others who may be able to relate directly to their experience.

For Joshua, the journey through cancer has reinforced the lesson that first drew him to psychology. While people may not always be able to choose what happens to them, they can find meaning in how they respond, and eventually offer support to others facing a similar challenge.

“I always tell people when they ask what words I have for other people going through a tough time: You need to find a reason,” he said.

“You need to find who or what you’re living for, and make sure that thing is bigger than yourself.”

This story is part of NUS News’ coverage of Commencement 2026, which celebrates the achievements of our graduates from the Class of 2026. For more on Commencement, read our stories and graduate profiles, check out the official Commencement website, or look up and tag #NUS2026 on our social media channels!

At 16, Mervin Tee was clocking hours on a factory floor to give himself a second chance at retaking his GCE O-Levels. Two decades later, at 37, he holds a PhD from the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (SSHSPH), where he studied cognitive decline using neuroimaging.

Growing up in a low-income household with parents who did not have formal education, Mervin had little to no familial support when it came to carving out his academic path. The period of his O-Level exams was particularly challenging. The birth of his baby brother meant tighter finances and new responsibilities, as Mervin spent his free time helping his parents with his newborn sibling – a combination of pressures that unfortunately saw him failing his O-Levels.

As his family could not afford to send him back for another year of secondary school, Mervin decided to take on a full-time role at an elevator manufacturing factory to support himself while preparing to retake the exams. For 10 months, he worked 12 gruelling hours assembling elevator buttons, five days a week, earning only S$3.50 per hour. “I was hired by an agent, so 10 per cent of my salary goes to the agent too,” Mervin explained.

Working at the factory meant waking up at 5.30am and making a 1-hour journey. “By the time I was home, it was after 8pm. That was when I would continue to catch up with my revision for O-Levels,” he recounted.

Seeing his friends begin their studies at the junior colleges, he felt left behind. “I wondered if my life was going to remain that way for the rest of my life, given that I did not feel like I was academically capable.”

His determination landed him a spot at Republic Polytechnic (RP), where he enrolled in the Biomedical Sciences course, a field that aligned with his interests and strengths. Throughout his polytechnic life, Mervin continued working part-time to pay his school fees and sustain his own living allowance; he worked at two fast food chains concurrently and took on ad-hoc event jobs whenever he could. Through RP’s problem-based learning format, where groups of students independently learn about a topic and then teach the class, Mervin started to excel academically. Eventually, his efforts paid off as he was awarded a scholarship to pursue a degree in Food and Human Nutrition offered by Newcastle University in collaboration with the Singapore Institute of Technology.

“It dawned on me that perhaps the traditional teaching methods didn't suit me; it’s not that I wasn't capable. That's when things started to change.”

After graduation, Mervin worked as a researcher in a lab investigating gut microbiota, but found his work increasingly disconnected from the patients it was ultimately meant to help. That pursuit of meaningful purpose led him to social work, where he spent five years working to uplift low-income families, before an unexpected return to research led him to take on a PhD in Public Health at NUS.

Two PhDs, one household

The step back to research came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Mervin started learning data science through online courses.

Seeing his interest, his wife, Cindy Chan, 34, a researcher at SSHSPH, nudged him back towards research. “Why don’t you try it again?” she asked. He took the leap of faith in 2022 and began his doctorate in cognitive decline research at SSHSPH.

“I get an adrenaline rush from solving problems and finding something new,” Mervin shared. While he had found his years as a social worker meaningful in helping vulnerable communities, public health research offered a way to do that on a broader scale through policymaking.

At SSHSPH, Cindy channelled her decade-long expertise in children and adolescent nutrition into a PhD on promoting healthy lifestyles among primary school children through healthy eating and active living.

Much of that journey was shaped by her research supervisor, Associate Professor Mary Chong. “Even though she’s at the professor level, she’s always learning new things,” said Cindy. “The mindset of being open to learning, even when you have reached that level, inspired me to be like her.”

With Mervin diving into his PhD on cognitive decline using neuroimaging, the couple often found support in each other. “Whenever we face a roadblock, we start discussing and bounce ideas off each other,” he said.

His commitment to finish alongside Cindy — she had started a year before him — saw him complete his PhD in 2026, taking just three and a half years instead of the usual four or more years. “He wanted to catch up, so that we could graduate together,” she said.

Baby bonus

If juggling two PhDs was not challenging enough, Mervin and Cindy did it while expecting their first child. The timing was intentional — they had planned for their baby to arrive during the thesis-writing stage, after the bulk of data collection and analysis had been completed.

One unexpected benefit from their PhD journey was how it prepared them for parenthood. “If you are a typical employee, you work from eight to six and your mind switches off after six. For us, that has not been the case for the last four years,” said Mervin.

“We have always been working past midnight to keep our research going. When we converted that into caregiving, we realised our work duration was very similar. Our PhDs kind of prepped us for the fatigue that comes with being parents.”

Beyond the PhD

Outside of the lab, both Mervin and Cindy have cultivated interests that keep them grounded.

Mervin roasts his own coffee beans at home, approaching the craft with the same curiosity and dedication he brings to research. Cindy tends to her garden, sews her own clothes, and plays the violin, although the last has taken a backseat since their daughter arrived. Together, they share a love of hiking, including a memorable 11-day Nepal trek with SSHSPH colleagues in 2024.

For Mervin, the outdoors serves a deeper need. “Outdoor activities help me a lot,” he said. “When I go for a run or a hike, that’s when I start to realign my thoughts.”

Both plan to expand their research horizons. Mervin hopes to explore mental health research, drawing on his background in social work and public health. Cindy is keen to delve into adolescent behavioural science, an area she feels is under-researched.

They also share the same hopes for their daughter. While grateful for the opportunity to pursue their PhDs, they believe that self-worth is not defined by academic achievement alone. “As long as she is happy with what she does, we will gladly support whichever path she embarks on,” said Mervin.

It is a conviction shaped by their own journeys, from which they have derived much purpose, fulfilment, and personal growth.

This story is part of NUS News’ coverage of Commencement 2026, which celebrates the achievements of our graduates from the Class of 2026. For more on Commencement, read our stories and graduate profiles, check out the official Commencement website, or look up and tag #NUS2026 on our social media channels!

Huang Chao Hung: Of data science and musical numbers

While Huang Chao Hung, a double bassist with the NUS Chinese Orchestra (NUSCO), enjoyed composing multimedia “diaries” featuring his own synthesised music and drawings, he didn’t always hit all the right notes. His friend had told him, “You have good intuition, but you don’t have strong training.”

This prompted the Data Science and Analytics major to take up music courses at the NUS Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YST), such as “Introduction to Classical Composition” and “Classical Styles and Romantic Spirits”. When NUS launched its Second Major in Performing Arts at YST as part of its Arts for All initiative to increase student participation in the arts and enhance interdisciplinary learning, he seized the opportunity.

“Music theory has always intrigued me. Though data science and music seem unrelated, both involve breaking down complex concepts into understandable ideas,” shared Chao Hung, 26.

For his YST capstone project in 2026, he took on multiple roles: as producer, composer, performer and script writer. The multimedia performance explored loneliness through instruments including the violin, double bass and piano, with visuals he had drawn projected on screen.

“I wanted to tell people that if you’re going through a phase of loneliness, you are not alone,” said Chao Hung.

He took the same storytelling approach when he organised NUSCO’s annual concert “In Bloom” in 2024 as a student leader. Rather than simply performing pieces, he led his team to create a narrative journey using seeds as a metaphor for people who blossom despite life’s challenges, complete with original graphics and synchronised projections.

Throughout his time leading NUS arts initiatives, Chao Hung found mentors in Ms Sing Mohli, Deputy Head of the Centre for the Arts at the NUS Office of Student Affairs and Mr Moses Gay, NUSCO conductor. “Working with them brought me to a higher level from just a student who follows instructions to someone who creates with a clear purpose and strategy,” he explained.

Beyond NUS, he performs with the Singapore Foochow Association and The Purple Symphony, an inclusive orchestra comprising musicians with and without disabilities. “It’s meaningful to play with people from different backgrounds and age groups who enjoy music like I do – hearing their stories and sharing mine,” he said.

Chao Hung will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Analytics with Honours (Highest Distinction) and will notably be among the first batch of graduates from the Second Major in Performing Arts course. He plans to continue his twin passions after completing a Master’s in Data Science and Machine Learning at NUS, aiming for a public sector career while pursuing music. “I want to use data science to help citizens, while continuing to create and perform music that connects people.”

Toh Chang Hui: Trombonist has a blast giving back to the community

Toh Chang Hui was set to graduate with a diploma in Mechanical Engineering when he made the bold decision to change course. The reason: He had just secured a scholarship from YST to pursue a Bachelor of Music. It was a dream come true.

“I was already in the Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO) and knew I wanted to do music one day. I think I spent more time in the youth orchestra than in polytechnic studying,” said the 24-year-old wryly.

At YST, Chang Hui discovered that music education extended beyond performance. His Music, Collaboration & Production major required him to conceptualise and execute independent projects – developing skills in ideation, planning and community engagement.

Having received abundant support from YST and SNYO during his musical journey, he felt compelled to pay it forward. This shaped much of his time at YST, where he took on projects that created opportunities for young and developing musicians to perform, learn from professionals and grow as a community.

Amongst them was a YST Trombone Weekend in 2023, which he organised to allow budding musicians to perform side by side with Singapore Symphony Orchestra brass musicians. “I learnt a lot as I had to do everything from marketing to finance to securing sponsorships. I’m thankful to have YST faculty mentors like Mr Sam Armstrong and seniors who guide me along,” he shared.

That same year, he also co-founded SingaBones, a community trombone orchestra, encouraging trombonists of all levels to play together so less experienced players have the experience of playing alongside professionals. The group has since grown to about 100 members, ranging from secondary school students to professional musicians.

Chang Hui credits the overseas travel opportunities in YST for broadening his musical horizons. His exchange semester at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague in 2024 proved formative as he immersed himself in intensive hours of practice and was inspired by European peers who balanced rigorous musical training with part-time work.

The experience strengthened his belief in creating opportunities for others. Noticing that students there had limited opportunities to perform orchestral repertoire, he rallied peers to sight-read, rehearse and record Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony – all in one day. The project, which mirrored the intensity and discipline of professional music making, also marked his first time conducting an orchestra.

“Music is all about playing with others. I want to share my love for music and try to get as many people on board, just like my seniors did for me,” he said.

In August, Chang Hui will head to Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in Texas to pursue a Master’s in Trombone Performance on a full scholarship.

Kuah Hui Min: Stringing worlds together with the guzheng

When Kuah Hui Min arrived at YST for orientation week, she faced an unexpected challenge: performing with 59 other students – all playing different instruments – to deliver a concert.

For over a decade, Kuah, 26, had played only traditional Chinese music on her guzheng, a traditional Chinese plucked string instrument. This collaborative exercise was unlike anything she had experienced before.

It was a refreshing foretaste of what her time at YST would be like, as her peers and mentors pushed her to explore how the guzheng can be presented beyond its traditional context. YST’s emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration from day one influenced her artistic identity.

“My peers were very spontaneous. We could just go into the practice room and start jamming music. Those small moments made my YST life enjoyable,” she said.

To expand her understanding of music, she enrolled in YST’s Music, Collaboration & Production programme. Through courses like Area Studies, she explored jazz and blues on guzheng, performing with her peers who played electric bass, percussion, drums and keyboard. She also experimented with electronics, connecting pickups to her guzheng and using digital audio software to explore new sonic possibilities.

She shared, “It made me realise the guzheng has many possibilities for experimentation.”

These multicultural influences inspired her 2026 capstone project titled “In Another Light”, featuring guzheng with a string quartet. She wanted to break the assumptions that Chinese instruments can only exist in the Chinese music world.

“The most challenging part was learning about western string quartet instruments, like their range, technique and what kind of phrasing would be suitable,” said Hui Min, who also teaches young children to play the guzheng.

She feels YST has helped shape her into a confident musician who can think critically, perform, collaborate and curate concerts across musical traditions.

“I don’t see myself as a traditional Chinese guzheng player, but as a musician who can do a lot of things, who just happens to play the guzheng,” she explained.

She hopes to continue collaborating with players of western instruments while imparting her knowledge to the younger generation. “I want to share my knowledge with younger students, and help them build a strong foundation,” she said.

This story is part of NUS News’ coverage of Commencement 2026, celebrating the achievements of our graduates from the Class of 2026. For more, read our stories and graduate profiles, check out the official Commencement website, or look up and tag #NUS2026 on our social media channels!

Anchored by the theme, “Innovative Environmental Solutions for Climate Resilience and Mitigation”, the NUS booth brought to life the University’s expertise with interactive research exhibits, digital posters, videos and technology-sharing sessions. Through these engaging displays, NUS reaffirmed its commitment to advancing impactful solutions for pressing environmental and water-related challenges.

Deepening international collaboration in water research, education, and innovation

A key highlight was the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding with Beijing Normal University’s College of Water Sciences and Nanjing Normal University, held at the NUS booth on 17 June 2026. This significant milestone is an important step in strengthening international collaboration in water-related research, education and innovation.

These partnerships will create new opportunities for joint research, academic exchange and knowledge sharing, while further reinforcing NERI’s commitment to advancing impactful environmental solutions for the future.

NERI and partners launch ceramic membrane demonstration plant

SIWW 2026 also marked the official commencement of operations of the Ceramic Membrane Demonstration Plant at Tuas Desalination Plant. The facility, a collaboration between NERI, national water agency PUB and Meiden Singapore Pte Ltd (MSL), will provide valuable insights into ceramic membrane performance under real operating conditions. It will also generate operational data to assess the potential of ceramic membrane technologies for seawater desalination.

To support informed decision-making and accelerate the deployment of more energy-efficient and resilient desalination systems, NERI hosted a workshop on “Ceramic Membranes for Pre-Treatment of Seawater Desalination” during SIWW 2026. Led by Professor Hu Jiangyong, Deputy Director of NERI, co-organised by Dr Tai Zhong Sheng from NERI, and co-hosted with Jonathan Clement, Global Director of JAC Water, the workshop brought together experts from academia and industry, including Mr Daniel Teo from PUB, Dr Hiroshi Noguchi from MSL and Dr Christian Volker Goebbert from Nanostone Water.

During the workshop, the speakers shared valuable insights on ceramic membrane technologies for seawater desalination, including operational challenges, achievements, demonstration projects and future developments. Discussions also explored the impact of algal blooms on desalination operations and the role of ceramic membrane pre-treatment in enhancing resilience under challenging feedwater conditions.

Public lecture and panel discussion on water safety

In conjunction with SIWW 2026, NERI and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering under NUS’ College of Design and Engineering (CDE) jointly hosted a public lecture by Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2026 Laureate Professor Joan B. Rose from Michigan State University on 18 June 2026 at NUS.

Prof Rose delivered an insightful public lecture titled, “Risky Business: The Art and Science of Safe Water” where she highlighted the continuing global challenge of water contamination, from long-standing threats such as cholera to emerging pathogens, and emphasised the importance of Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment in integrating science, engineering, management and policy to support better decision-making.

The lecture was followed by a panel discussion on water safety, public health, resilience and sustainability in the face of global change, chaired by Professor Karina Gin, Acting Head of the Department of Civil and Engineering at NUS CDE.

SIWW 2026 provided an exciting platform for NUS to build new collaborations, showcase its latest research, and demonstrate the impact of its work to a global audience. The University looks forward to building on these new partnerships and continuing to advance innovative solutions for a more sustainable future.

Eliza Lim: Broadening her horizons

An innate curiosity has always fuelled Eliza Lim’s intellectual pursuits. While other teenagers might set aside their books after exams, Eliza was poring over a wide range of books after her A-Levels, from cosmology to geriatrics and human psychology.

“I didn’t grow up in a very good environment,” said Eliza, 24, who came from a low-income background. “Studying helped me to feel a sense of control in my life.”

She received financial aid from primary school to junior college and did not have access to private tuition.

She then set her sights on NUS, where she majored in philosophy at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, supported by a bursary.

It was her love for physics that led her to philosophy. “Philosophy was the first-ever science, before it branched out into physics. I found it very mathematical and I liked it a lot.”

Beyond her demanding academic schedule and extracurriculars, Eliza juggled multiple part-time jobs to support herself and her family. These included working as a freelance copywriter and teaching Japanese, a language she picked up during a year in Japan on an external scholarship.

In her third year, Eliza began applying to graduate school. Following Assistant Professor Lavinia Picollo and Associate Professor Daniel Waxman's advice, she decided to pursue a PhD in philosophy overseas to deepen global exposure. Her dedication paid off and she received an offer from the University of Oxford for their Bachelor of Philosophy in Philosophy course, a Master's level postgraduate degree. She also enrolled in advanced 4000-level philosophy courses, which exposed her to Master's and PhD-level topics, exploring abstract topics from mathematics to computational theory.

Eliza, who will graduate with Honours (Highest Distinction) for her Bachelor of Arts degree and plans to go into academia, particularly valued the investigative and analytical approach of these advanced classes, which offered greater independence in choosing research topics. “You can choose ideas that interest you most, write papers on them, and consider expanding on your research,” she noted.

“Learning philosophy helps us to make decisions. Decision theory can provide theories that explain why we are making certain choices, and encourage reflection on whether to pursue these choices,” she said.

“When I was younger, studying came from a place of desperation. Now, it comes from wanting to improve myself and contribute to society.”

Nicolette Koh: Advocating for inclusivity in healthcare

While most children grow up surrounded by sound, Nicolette Koh was no stranger to silence. Diagnosed with hearing loss at age two, Nicolette went for her first cochlear implant surgery when she was just five. After her second and third procedures at ages 12 and 13, her hearing improved.

Her personal journey with health sparked an early interest in medicine. Prescribed various medications after each surgery, Nicolette’s curiosity was piqued as she researched how the various components of these prescribed drugs aided her postoperative recovery.

This fascination deepened through chemistry and biology in secondary school, and later, pharmaceutical sciences in polytechnic.

“I wanted to help people through medicine, and this also formed part of my motivation to pursue pharmacy at NUS,” said Nicolette, 25.

The Bachelor of Pharmacy graduate from the Faculty of Science was drawn to NUS’ holistic curriculum which integrated all the pharmaceutical topics into distinct modules, with each focusing on a specific body system (i.e. gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, respiratory). In her first year, she and her batchmates also had the opportunity to study cadavers in anatomy classes, providing an up-close understanding of the human body.

Beyond academics, Nicolette was committed to disability advocacy throughout her time in NUS. In her third year, she led NUS SIGNapse, a sign language club comprising students from healthcare courses. As project director, she was instrumental in transitioning sign language classes from a peer-learning model to instruction by deaf instructors. This change allowed students to authentically learn both the language and culture, ultimately aiming to bridge communication gaps in healthcare, and improve access to healthcare for underrepresented communities.

Nicolette is resolute in continuing her advocacy for inclusivity in her future career.

“I aspire to be a pharmacist who cares for each and every patient,” said Nicolette, who has started her training as a pre-registration pharmacist at Changi General Hospital. “They aren’t just names on a piece of paper, but real people who deserve the best possible care, regardless of their condition.”

Yap Yu Ting: From patient’s daughter to doctor

Eight years ago, when her parents did not arrive to pick her up from canoe training, Yap Yu Ting knew something was amiss. Her intuition proved correct: her mother, a teacher, had been rushed to the hospital after suffering a severe headache and vomiting. Doctors diagnosed a ruptured aneurysm, necessitating emergency surgery.

Yu Ting, then 16, spent the following days at Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s intensive care unit. It was there, amidst the anxiety, that she experienced how the healthcare workers took the time to show her compassion.

“They were not only focused on how they could cure my mom, but also very caring,” the 24-year-old recalled. “Their clear explanations, reassurance and presence made the overwhelming situation more manageable.”

This powerful display of empathy ignited her dream of becoming a doctor — a path that would eventually lead her to the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine) a few years later.

However, the journey to medical school was anything but easy. Her mother — who has since made a full recovery and returned to teaching part-time — was hospitalised for over a month, during which she underwent three major surgeries.

During this challenging period, Yu Ting juggled schoolwork, extracurriculars and the responsibility of caring for her younger brother, then only eight. She credits her years in competitive sports, with training sessions taking place both before and after school, for helping her develop the mettle to navigate tough times.

“I learnt a lot about time management and perseverance,” she said.

At NUS, Yu Ting continued her passion for sports, joining the NUS Dragon Boat Team. She competed in two major competitions: the 2023 Singapore Dragon Boat Association Century Race and the 2023 Prime Minister’s Challenge Cup, where her team placed second and third, respectively.

During competition seasons, she would balance rigorous training with her studies and spending time with her family — all while getting eight hours of sleep every night.

“Planning and prioritisation were essential,” she said. “My responsibilities and my passions do not always have to compete with each other.”

Now a house officer at Singapore General Hospital, the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) graduate is determined to embody the very qualities that inspired her as a teenager: compassion and sportsmanship.

“My coach used to tell us that we’re only as strong as our weakest player. We never left anyone behind,” she said. “I hope to carry the same values into my working life in healthcare.”

This story is part of NUS News’ coverage of Commencement 2026, celebrating the achievements of our graduates from the Class of 2026. For more, read our stories and graduate profiles, check out the official Commencement website, or look up and tag #NUS2026 on our social media channels!

The MOU was signed by Associate Professor Chai Kah Hin, Dean of NUS SCALE, and Mr Feroz Akber, Chief Executive Officer of MENDAKI. Witnessing the signing were Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Senior Minister of State for Defence & Sustainability and the Environment, and Chairman of MENDAKI; and Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUS President.

The partnership reflects a shared commitment to equip individuals and organisations with the knowledge, skills and capabilities needed to navigate a rapidly changing economy. As technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) continue to transform industries and jobs, the collaboration aims to expand access to quality learning opportunities that support career progression, professional growth and social mobility.

Under the three-year agreement, NUS SCALE and MENDAKI will collaborate in two key areas. The first focuses on continuing education and training for workforce development, including programmes for MENDAKI staff and partner organisations, as well as initiatives in entrepreneurship and innovation. The second centres on skills-based learning pathways, encompassing short courses, professional certifications, academic advising and enrichment opportunities to support higher learning and career advancement.

Another feature of the partnership is its emphasis on research and evidence-based workforce development. Both organisations will explore joint studies on workforce trends, employment patterns and emerging skills gaps to ensure that learning opportunities remain aligned with evolving industry and societal needs.

Assoc Prof Chai said the partnership reflects the shared commitment of NUS and MENDAKI to strengthen career and social mobility through lifelong learning, at a time when AI is poised to change how we work, live and learn.

“By combining MENDAKI’s strength in mobilising the community with NUS’ expertise in continuing education, we aim to help learners renew and deepen their capabilities — particularly in critical thinking, judgement and adaptability — so that they remain relevant and confident in a changing world, while contributing to a more resilient and inclusive Singapore.”

Echoing this sentiment, Mr Feroz described the MOU as an important milestone in MENDAKI’s efforts to prepare the community for the future.

“As industries evolve and new technologies reshape the way we live and work, it is critical that our community has access to quality lifelong learning opportunities that enable individuals to continuously upgrade their skills, deepen their expertise and remain relevant. Through this collaboration, we seek to broaden access to skills development and lifelong learning, equipping Malay/Muslim individuals and organisations to navigate change with confidence and seize emerging possibilities.”

Potential areas of collaboration include courses in entrepreneurship, product design and digital marketing; leadership and social impact programmes for non-profit and volunteer sectors; continuing education pathways for healthcare professionals; youth development initiatives; and data analytics projects to better understand community outcomes and programme effectiveness.

By NUS SCALE

Gan Xin Chen: Shooting for the stars

National shooter Gan Xin Chen first picked up a rifle when she was only 10 years old.  Intrigued by the sport, her fascination quickly blossomed into a lifelong love affair with shooting, taking her from local competitions to international events around the world.

Those experiences also shaped her academic interests. Travelling overseas exposed her to different cultures, political systems and ways of thinking, sparking a curiosity about international relations and global affairs.

That interest eventually led Xin Chen to pursue a double degree in history and political science at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, completing it in four years instead of the usual five, earning a place on the Dean’s List, and graduating with Honours (Highest Distinction).

While her life as a shooter and student may seem disparate at first, they overlap in many ways. “Participating in overseas competitions helped feed my interest in the world,” said Xin Chen. “History provides me with cultural context and the ability to read between the lines.”

She chose to pair political science with history in part because of NUS’ strong reputation in Southeast Asian history. Studying both subjects helped her appreciate the many dimensions of international relations, from culture and science to defence and security.

Xin Chen’s experiences as an athlete often reinforced what she learnt in the classroom. Travelling internationally for competitions gave her first-hand insights into how countries interact and cooperate.

She cited, for example, her experience of travelling overseas for competitions with the team’s air rifles, noting how the security checks varied between countries. While some allowed them to pass with minimal hassle due to diplomatic courtesies, others subjected them to more rigorous scrutiny.

“There’s a lot of undertones of diplomacy that you’ll observe in the sporting world... some things cannot be read or learnt,” she said.

While balancing academics and elite sports was demanding, Xin Chen found that the discipline she developed through shooting helped her navigate both.  “Learning how to control my emotions and stay focused during competitions was good personal growth,” she said. “It helped me in other aspects of my life as well.”

The same mindset shaped her approach to her studies. When assignments did not go as planned, she sought feedback from professors and worked to improve.

It is an academic feat she has replicated in the realm of sports.

Aside from clinching a bronze medal at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, she made her mark at the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup in 2025, placing 16th in the mixed team event.

She has also been long-listed for the 2026 Asian Games, and will soon begin a career in public sector.

Reflecting on her journey, Xin Chen expects to draw on many of the lessons she learnt through sport.

“In a competition, you're bound to make mistakes,” she said. “Through shooting, I learned how to give myself grace and learn from them. No matter how much you train or prepare, you're still human.”

Oliver Lim: ‘Pressure is a privilege’

At 17 years old, Oliver Lim fell during a race and broke his thumb. The injury left the track and field athlete, who had inter-school competitions coming up, distraught.

But a visit to the doctor would ultimately shape his future career. “The doctor said, ‘I want to be able to help you achieve your dream,’” he recalled. Rather than simply treating Oliver's thumb, the doctor took the time to understand what the injury meant to him. Running wasn't just a sport - it was a huge part of Oliver's identity. Together, they discussed the risks and benefits of the available treatment options before making a shared decision that balanced his recovery with his hope of returning to competition.

Oliver went on to compete in the 4×400m relay wearing a protective hand guard and eventually clinched a gold medal with his team.

"What stayed with me wasn't just the decision itself," Oliver recalled. "It was that my doctor saw me as more than just a medical problem to fix. He recognised what running meant to me and took that into account when caring for me. That experience changed how I viewed medicine. I realised that being a doctor isn't just about treating a condition. It's about caring for the whole person.” In fact, Oliver was so inspired that he later applied to study medicine at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.

Although he was rejected on his first attempt, he reapplied the following year and succeeded on his second try. Not only that, but he was even awarded the NUS Merit Scholarship, a prestigious accolade given to top performers.

“I didn’t expect it at all,” he said. “The scholarship gave me a certain level of financial freedom, allowing me to experience living in a hall and spend more time on training. More than that, after being rejected from medicine the first time, it felt like a form of validation that encouraged me to pursue both medicine and athletics wholeheartedly.”

Indeed, Oliver continued to chase his passion for running amid his hectic schedule. “When I’m running, I enter a flow state. Time stands still,” he said, adding that he had never been a gold medal favourite throughout his track and field career.

That changed with his “breakthrough” race in 2024. At the Singapore Athletics All Comers Meet, he shaved two seconds off his personal best in the 800m race to hit a timing of 1 minute and 59 seconds. The result helped earn him a place on the national team, and later gave him the confidence to test himself in the 1500m.

“I decided, ‘Okay, I’m going to treat this as a game,’” said Oliver. “My coach gave me a very specific race plan… I executed (the race) according to how he told me to do it.”

What began as an experiment quickly proved promising. Within a year, Oliver had improved enough to qualify for the Southeast Asian Games in 2025, where he recorded one of Singapore’s fastest 1500m performances in recent years.

Oliver said his experiences in medicine have also shaped the way he views success and setbacks. During his clinical training, he encountered situations that reminded him that not everything is within one’s control.

“It made me realise that it’s important to know your limits,” he said. “In life, we’re given the guise of control, but a lot of times, that’s not true. The best we can do is focus on what we can control and make the best out of the situation when things don't go as planned.”

Although it was hard to juggle studies and training, Oliver made it to the academic finish line and will graduate with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in July.

Looking back, Oliver believes the lessons he learnt through sport have helped him navigate both medicine and athletics. “Pressure is a privilege,” he said. “It was a challenge and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it if I put my mind to it.”

Oliver is now working as a house officer in the Internal Medicine department at a public hospital and will continue to pursue his dual passions for sports and medicine.

Joanna Wu: From mentee to mentor

When Joanna Wu first stepped into NUS, she had only one goal: try everything.

Having spent most of her life playing badminton competitively as a member of the National Intermediate Squad, Joanna graduated from junior college feeling unsure of what came next. “Other than badminton, I felt useless,” she said. “So in university, my goal was to try as many things as possible. I did not say no to any opportunity.”

This never-say-no attitude led the Real Estate undergraduate from NUS Business School to try out squash and tennis during her stints in Temasek Hall and Eusoff Hall. She even ventured beyond the arena of sports, joining the NUS Students’ Sports Club in 2022. There, she served as Project Director for RunNUS, an annual run that raises funds for the NUS Enhanced Financial Aid Scheme.

Her experiences helped her pick up a wide range of skills, from communication and stakeholder management to project planning and leadership. The skills proved valuable during her internships with CapitaLand and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, where she deepened her knowledge of Real Estate through handling placemaking initiatives and property tax.

Yet the experiences she gained outside badminton ultimately brought her back to the sport. After dedicating four years to coaching badminton, Joanna and a business partner launched Wu Badminton Academy in 2025. The venture signalled her shift from mentee to mentor.

“I wanted to help players compete at a higher level,” she said, adding that starting her own school gave her the autonomy to run lessons as she saw fit.

Looking back, Joanna credits NUS with supporting her both on and off the court. As a recipient of the NUS Sports Scholarship, she benefitted from subsidised tuition fees, while staff from NUS’ Office Student Affairs (OSA) also conducted regular check-ins and supported her throughout her university journey.

The support extended beyond campus. OSA staff even turned up to cheer her on during the 2025 Summer World University Games in Germany, which she participated in as a member of NUS’ Badminton varsity team. “Their hotel was far away, but they came down whenever they could and supported us the whole time,” she said. “I was so lucky to have all these people behind me.”

The encouragement bolstered Joanna’s confidence, both as an athlete and as a student.

As Joanna graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Real Estate with Merit this July, an exciting new journey begins, one guided by lessons from both the classroom and the court.

In 2024, global average carbon dioxide emissions reached a new record high. As greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide envelope the earth and trap heat, global warming occurs – our planet is now heating up faster than any point in recorded history, fuelling climate change and its rippling consequences such as increased frequencies of natural disasters, rising sea levels, destruction of food supplies, health risks, among many others. Undoubtedly, it has become increasingly imperative to find decarbonisation solutions.

“Burning of fossil fuels to generate power is the biggest contributor of carbon dioxide emissions,” said Professor Yan Ning, Director of CHCI. “Projects at CHCI directly tackle this issue by researching on hydrogen, a promising alternative to fossil fuels, and developing innovative methods of carbon capture and transformation.”

When used to generate power, hydrogen produces only water as a by-product; no carbon dioxide is emitted. Prof Yan continued, “Our research on hydrogen production and utilisation plays a vital role in curbing carbon emissions. However, translating these scientific innovations into widespread market adoption requires expertise beyond the laboratory. This is where HyLoCC comes in, by filling the crucial gap between academic research and industry. HyLoCC ensures that cutting-edge hydrogen and carbon innovations in the lab can be more readily translated into a reality.”

Forging a decarbonisation powerhouse

HyLoCC aims to drive research commercialisation of decarbonisation solutions by building a robust ecosystem that connects research labs, start-ups, and companies to relevant stakeholders across the value chain to ensure end-to-end technology deployment.

Key activities and services of HyLoCC are as follows:

• Organise regular seminars featuring academic and industry speakers, targeted workshops, and networking sessions
• Facilitate collaborative research through personalised engagements between companies and CHCI researchers to solve specific problem statements
• Provide consortium members with access to CHCI’s integrated equipment and analysis platform to evaluate hydrogen and carbon utilisation technologies, including techno-economic analysis
• Develop talent and expertise through CHCI’s Continuing Education and Training courses and through collaborative postgraduate projects and undergraduate initiatives conducted with consortium members, research partners and companies

“HyLoCC is an avenue where leading experts from various hydrogen and low-carbon sectors can come together to brainstorm ideas and share dedicated resources and information to solve real-world problems,” said Prof Yan. “These synergistic collaborations would build up our arsenal of decarbonisation solutions to fight against global warming and climate change.”

The perspectives and insights of HyLoCC’s founding members will play a key role in shaping the strategic priorities of the consortium. For their remarks, please refer to the Annexe.

About CHCI

The Centre for Hydrogen and Carbon Innovations (CHCI) was formerly known as the Centre for Hydrogen Innovations, first established in July 2022 through an investment of S$25 million, comprising an endowed gift from Temasek along with additional funding from NUS. In July 2024, the Centre inaugurated its 600-sqm advanced research facility, which serves as an innovation hub to boost hydrogen research and its commercial application in Singapore.

The renaming of the Centre on 14 July 2026 at the Industry Day event reflects its broader mission to advance both hydrogen and carbon innovations. CHCI now aims to support Singapore’s transition to a low-carbon future by developing new technologies and fostering collaboration across academia, industry, and government.