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Shaping Future Society

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Shaping Future Society

Shaping public policy

The Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions (CNCS), helmed by conservation scientist Prof KOH Lian Pin, represented the University at the United Nations 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27), held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022. The CNCS team supported the Singapore government at the inaugural Singapore Pavilion by developing the Pavilion’s thematic programmes on nature-based climate solutions, biodiversity and climate finance.

Prof Koh also shared his expertise at numerous panels, including ‘Tackling the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss through nature-based solutions’ and ‘Carbon prospecting for climate change mitigation’. Our researchers observed negotiations to better inform climate research in Singapore and Southeast Asia. The Centre’s presence at COP27 boosted NUS’ thought leadership in climate policy and action.

Our alumni also provide their expertise to shape public opinion on diverse causes, through education, advocacy or collaborations with interest groups.

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Fighting infectious diseases

“Our work helps to shape evidence-based public health policies and interventions to safeguard human health.”

Previously the Director of the Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research in Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, Asst Prof Vincent PANG (Life Sciences, 2007) led a multidisciplinary team to tackle emerging infectious diseases locally and globally through research, surveillance and risk assessment. He has also supported the World Health Organization (WHO) on pandemic preparedness, as well as the Ministries of Health (MOH) and Manpower (MOM) on COVID-19 epidemiology, containment and recovery policies. 

In July 2022, he assumed a new appointment at the Duke-NUS Centre for Outbreak Preparedness, where he strengthens primary healthcare systems and genomic surveillance regionally for early prevention and detection of pathogens with high pandemic potential.

Healing the mind through music

“Music has the power to uplift and touch the lives of people.”

Alumna Ms Eileen CHAI (Life Sciences, 2001) had early success in athletics, gymnastics and springboard diving. However, it was in giving through music that she truly discovered herself. An accomplished violinist, Eileen is also a teacher and social entrepreneur at her own company, Chai360.

 ‘3am Music Collective’ and ‘Strings for Kindness’, two of her enterprises, harness the power of music to advocate social acceptance of people with mental health conditions and to empower youths in society, respectively. Both are groundups of the Singapore Kindness Movement and National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre. Her bestselling book Teach a Life, for Life is a must-read on resilience for students.

Credit: The Straits Times

Sparking action on social issues

“Through creativity and expression, I hope to generate conversations and raise awareness on issues that are difficult to talk about.”

For alumnus CHUA Wei Qian (Major in Environmental Studies and Minor in Chinese Translation, 2022), his passion for the performing arts led him to join NUS’ Chinese Drama. His play, ‘Blindspot’, drew from interviews with visually impaired persons and Social Service Agencies to offer insights into communities who live on the fringes and the challenges they face. Wei Qian hopes to bring into focus how blind spots prevent us from seeing those in need and encourage discussion on social issues that might be hard to broach.

Wei Qian was a recipient of the Tan Eam Kiam Arts Award (2019, 2021). He plans to continue giving a voice to these causes as a journalist.  

A growing appetite for meat-free innovations

“Applying chemistry in the alternative proteins space has brought the dream of affordable, delicious and nutritious plant-based meats closer to reality.”

Novel foods like meat-free alternatives are making waves in Singapore. To address growing consumer demand, research fellow Dr Max THAM, a Chemistry alumnus (2020), co-founded tHEMEat Company Pte Ltd, a food technology startup specialising in the manufacture of vegan heme-based meat flavouring and heme-infused plant-based meats.

Its proprietary flavour catalysis technology accurately replicates the look, smell and taste of vegan-based animal meat. Food waste valorisation techniques are used to convert unwanted vegetables into nutritious functional ingredients.

Dr Tham (first from right)

A quality diet for quality sleep

“Poor sleep is more prevalent among ageing populations. I hope to help the elderly by formulating effective dietary strategies to improve sleep-related outcomes.”

Poor sleep may lead to health issues, such as mental distress and the higher risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.

Food Science and Technology research fellow Dr Clarinda Nataria SUTANTO studied the relationship between protein intake, including their amino acid components and sources, and sleep quality in middle-aged and older adults in Singapore. She found that the source of protein, such as plant-sourced protein, may improve sleep quality. Her work plugs a research gap in this area and could potentially address unwanted side effects from drug treatments for sleep.

Contributing to regional and international development

The Faculty continues to make meaningful contributions in the region and beyond, through collaborative projects to exchange information and expertise.

Credit: CNA

This year, the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum inked an agreement with the Natural History Museum in London to catalogue over 10,000 historically important specimens of Singapore’s biodiversity collected over the last 200 years.
Credit: Tan Heok Hui

The Museum also signed another agreement with the Directorate of Forestry, Coffee and Industrial Plants, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste in August 2021, to promote joint biodiversity research and conservation activities.

Our students and alumni have also made us proud by clinching international sporting accolades, putting Singapore on the world map.

Lifting Singapore into history

Serving our community

Our Science family continued to contribute generously to help communities in need. 

The NUS Students’ Science Club clinched a Silver for raising $11,000 for the National University of Singapore Students’ Union (NUSSU) FLAG this year, contributing to the welfare of less privileged communities under the National Council of Social Service Community Chest.

Helping seniors with digital connectivity
Nurturing young children

Some of our students took up the new Teach Singapore (Teach SG) integrated service-learning module to provide academic coaching and character mentorship for school students from lower income households.

Paying it forward

The National Day Awards recognise various forms of merit and service to Singapore. 

Assoc Prof KANG Hway Chuan
Department of Chemistry
Prof TEO Yik Ying
Department of Statistics and Data Science

Assoc Prof KANG Hway Chuan and Prof TEO Yik Ying received the Public Administration Medal (Silver).

Assoc Prof CHEW Fook Tim and Prof Peter HO received the Public Administration Medal (Bronze).

Assoc Prof CHEW Fook Tim
Department of Biological Sciences
Prof Peter HO
Department of Physics

Shaping Future Solutions

Biological Sciences

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Credit: AsiaOne

Lifting Singapore into history

“Discovering I am capable of more, mentally and physically, drives me to push the ceiling. I hope to inspire athletes and others to chase their own dreams.”

Alumna Farhanna FARID (Pharmacy, 2015) has broken five Asian records and set three world records at International Powerlifting Federation-sanctioned championships.

She rewrote her deadlift world record at the Southeast Asian Cup (2022), just three months after becoming the first Singaporean to win an Open category and set a world record at the World Open Classic Powerlifting Championships in June 2022.

Farhanna works as a Medical Information Specialist at pharmaceutical company IQVIA.

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Helping seniors with digital connectivity

“I’ve been interested in community service since secondary school. At NUS, I work with like-minded peers to come up with student-led projects to benefit different communities.”

Carine HO, a Year 3 student who majors in Data Science and Analytics and minors in Economics, was part of ‘Project Smartphone and Me’, where she taught senior citizens smartphone literacy in applications such as WhatsApp, YouTube, QR code scanners, Zoom, Facebook and Grab. Her team of eight designed learning materials in English and Mandarin and worked with the Chinese Development Assistance Council to overcome the challenges of reaching out to the elderly during the pandemic.

Carine is also District Head of Singapore Red Cross’ Project R.I.C.E.+, which distributes daily essentials to vulnerable families.

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Nurturing young children

“It is a joy to build my ‘extended family’ of kids. Seeing the children grow up happily and healthily, as though they are my own, is especially fulfilling.”

After building a career in biodefence, alumna Dr Catherine ONG (Life Sciences, 2000, 2011) gave it all up and decided to plunge into early childhood education in 2019. As Director of Operations at Kids and Kins Child Care Centre, she oversees her team to provide a safe and caring environment for preschoolers.

Her work helps to lay the foundations of various developmental domains of young children, including the cognitive, socioemotional and physical aspects, thereby preparing them to become useful members of society in the future.  

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Rafiqi (seated at right)

Paying it forward

“I learnt to be more cognisant of the diversity among youths and gained greater empathy in my interactions with others. These are valuable skills as I aspire to be an educator.”

Year 4 Chemistry student Muhammad Rafiqi B LEMAN has a keen interest in youth mentoring and took the opportunity to participate in the College of Alice and Peter Tan’s active citizenship and community engagement as well as the Teach SG initiative in February 2022.

Under Teach SG, he and his peers mentored over 20 students from Bedok Green Primary School. He also planned and organised fun activities such as sports, board games and terrarium workshops to develop his mentees’ confidence, teamwork and creativity.

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Sharing Public Policty
Contributing regional and international development
Serving our community
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New bent-toed gecko species in Timor-Leste

“We have barely scratched the surface of Timor-Leste’s biodiversity. New discoveries can have profound impacts on conservation and policy-making.”

In August 2022, we led an expedition to Timor-Leste in collaboration with Conservation International and the government of Timor-Leste. The Museum’s herpetologist, Dr CHAN Kin Onn, discovered a new species of bent-toed gecko which was named Cyrtodactylus santana, in reference to the Nino Konis Santana National Park, in which the gecko was discovered.