Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore

H. Koon Wee is Visiting Associate Professor at the Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore. He teaches the Masters in Architecture Studios and is also helming portfolios at NUS Cities, an open and inclusive multidisciplinary collaborative platform, hosted by the NUS College of Design and Engineering.

He is also an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Faculty Member of the Hong Kong University Advanced Cultural Leadership Program. He served as the former Academic Director of the HKU Shanghai Study Center and Adjunct Professor of the New York University Shanghai Program. He taught previously as a visiting critic and teaching fellow at Pratt Institute and Yale University. At HKU, Koon teaches classes in urbanism, memory and identity, globalisation, and architectural design.

As a registered architect and founding principal of art and architecture practice SKEW Collaborative, Koon gained a number of awards and recognitions from the Asia Pacific Design Center, Condé Nast, Architectural Record Magazine (China), ID Magazine, Modern Media Group, Design Singapore Council, National Arts Council, and Lee Foundation. Koon supports government and non-profit bodies in a number of advisory roles, including the Leaders in Urban Governance Program at the Singapore Centre for Liveable Cities, the Haiti International University Center, Orphans International, AA Asia, Asian Urban Lab, and Design Singapore Council.

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore

Xiaogang He is currently an Assistant Professor with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the National University of Singapore. He is a Princeton-trained Ph.D. Hydrologist with experience in economics, machine learning, and environmental policy. His research interests focus on the fundamental understanding of how climate change, variability, and human interventions affect drought and flood risk across scales, and how to implement an integrative framework (e.g., hydrological modeling, remote sensing, artificial intelligence, nexus approaches) to reduce their societal impact. Before joining NUS, he is a Water in the West Postdoc Fellow at Stanford University working on sustainable groundwater management. Xiaogang received his M.A. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Princeton University in 2016; M.E. in Civil Engineering from the University of Tokyo in 2013; B.Eng (Major, with honors) in Hydraulic Engineering, and B.Sc (Dual) in School of Economics and Management from Tsinghua University, China, in 2011.

Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore

Dr Araz Taeihagh is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. Since 2007, his research interest has been on the interface of technology and society. His work is on: a) how to shape policies to accommodate new technologies and facilitate positive socio-technical transitions; b) the effects of these new technologies on the policy process; and c) changing the way we design and analyse policies by developing innovative practical approaches that can be used to address the growth in the interdependence and complexity of our systems.

Taeihagh is interested in socio-technical systems and their transitions and focuses on the unique challenges that arise from the introduction of new technologies to society (e.g. crowdsourcing, sharing economy, autonomous vehicles, AI, MOOCs, ridesharing, etc.). These new technologies are creating their own set of issues and concerns that require the understanding and appreciation of both technical and social sciences. For addressing challenges of policy design and analysis, he takes an interdisciplinary approach using artificial and collective intelligence techniques and borrows from engineering, complexity and design sciences alongside the traditional approaches in public policy to address the challenges in policy making. Araz has developed and is continuing the enhancement of a new framework and decision support system for the design and formulation of policies to help decision makers in selecting appropriate policy measures to design sustainable policies and better understand the complex interactions among alternative instruments used.

Araz earned his DPhil conducting interdisciplinary research on “A Novel Approach for the Development of Policies in Socio-Technical Systems” at University of Oxford and carried out postdoctoral studies at City Futures Research Centre (Australia’s leading urban policy research centre) at UNSW, and was an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at Singapore Management University before joining LKY School of Public Policy in 2018. Prior to joining Oxford, Araz obtained his MSc in Environmentally Sustainable Process Technology from the Chalmers University of Technology and participated in the MSc program in Engineering Mathematics at the Chalmers University. Araz obtained a BSc in Process Engineering from the Sharif University of Technology. Aside from academic studies, Araz has more than 10 years of experience working with EPC firms mainly dealing with PMC and Design issues relating to chemical, petroleum and construction projects and has provided technical and policy consultation on environmental, transportation, energy, and technology-related issues.

Director of AI Research, AI Singapore

Associate Dean (College of Science), Nanyang Technological University

Dept of Architecture, National University of Singapore

https://cde.nus.edu.sg/arch/staffs/cho-im-sik-dr/

CHO Im Sik (PhD) is Associate Professor (tenured) at the Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore (NUS). She has previously served as the Director of the Master of Urban Planning Programme, Leader of Urbanism Research Cluster, and Deputy Head at NUS' Department of Architecture. Her research addresses the challenges and opportunities that Asian cities face with accelerating social change, focusing on the social dimension of sustainable development.

Cho Im Sik's research expertise lies in urban space planning for sustainable high-density environments and design for social sustainability involving community-based, participatory approaches. Her research on HDB neighbourhoods and communities was recognised as one of the High Impact Research in NUS and its research outcome was included in the Singapore Sustainability Blueprint (SSB) 2015, launched by the Prime Minister and reflected under the chapter of ‘an active and gracious community’ and thrust of ‘vibrant spaces for the community’, as an exemplary case that empowers the community to be involved in designing, maintaining and activating public spaces.

She has extensive research experience in high-density Asian cities and has established a wide network of experts and research collaborators in these cities. Her books include Emerging Civic Urbanisms in Asia: Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, and Taipei beyond Developmental Urbanization (with Križnik, B. and Hou, J.), Re-framing Urban Space: Urban Design for Emerging Hybrid and High-Density Conditions (with Heng. C. K. and Trivic, Z.) and Community-based Urban Development: Evolving Urban Paradigms in Singapore and Seoul (with Križnik, B.).

Head of Department of Geography, National University of Singapore

Prof David’s research examines the human dimensions of environmental change and ranges from basic and exploratory to highly applied. Most of my work – and my most highly cited research papers, including articles in Nature and Science – focuses on environmental, including climate, changes and the ways in which people and ecosystems respond to and interact with these at low latitudes in Africa and Asia. According to the Web of Science and Scopus, my work has been cited over 5000 times and I have an h-index of, respectively, 37 and 41 (June 2023).

I view environmental pollution as one of, if not the, grand challenges facing humanity - anthropogenic climate change being just one effect of environmental pollution - both now and into the future. Research in this area has many dimensions, including how we prevent pollution in the first place, how we mitigate and adapt to pollution impacts, how we repair human and natural systems damaged by the effects of pollution (including climate change), and who should pay? These are all fertile areas of future research - and tropical latitudes, as a major source and sink for pollution, are a great place to base such studies. I consider myself very fortunate to be able to teach a module on environmental pollution here at in the Department of Geography NUS – a great example of research and teaching/learning informing one another.

Pollution of the air, land and water was an element of the "Transboundary Environmental Commons in Southeast Asia" research project. TECSEA was a major, five year-long research project funded by the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) under its Thematic Grant (TG) call of 2016 (MOE 2016-SSRTG-068), based in the Asia Research Institute (ARI), NUS, which has recently ended. I was the PI of the project. I am also the PI of a major new multi-institutional, collaborative research project, also funded by the SSRC, this time under its TG call of 2021 ~ "Carbon Governance of Nature-based Carbon Sinks in Southeast Asia". The new project commenced in October 2022, will run for five years and provides funding for one Senior Research Fellow, three Research Fellows, three PhD students and one Research Associate.

I am also a Co-PI of the Integrated Tropical Peatlands Research Programme, or INTPREP, a multi-million $ NUS-based programme that commenced in late 2019. INTPREP focuses on the science of tropical peatland functioning and recovery from drainage and burning. The programme currently provides opportunities for two postdocs, a PhD student and a RA working linked to the Department of Geography alone ~ with several other researchers employed on other parts of the research based in NUS's Environmental Research Institute (NERI) and in Indonesia.

In addition, I hold a Cornell – NUS Global Strategic Collaboration Award along with Dr. Jenny Goldstein at Cornell University. The grant is funding an examination of seaweed farming in Indonesia and the Philippines as a potential climate change mitigation strategy.

I spent the AY 2018-19 on sabbatical in what was then the School of Geography, University of Melbourne, Australia. I still retain close links with geographers at the University of Melbourne, where I have a Honoray (Principal Fellow) Professorship position. Since my return to Singapore following my sabbatical I have taken on the position of Head of Department, Department of Geography, National University Singapore, and am now in my second term of three years.

Before commencing my sabbatical in July 2018, I was Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee and Graduate Studies Coordinator (January 2013-July 2018), on Research Committee and was a member of the Department's executive decision-making body (the Geography Management Team, or GMT). I was also Chair of the Tropical Environmental Change research group (the largest of three research groups in the Department) for three years (2012-2015). At Faculty level I was a member of the Faculty's Graduate Studies Committee to July 2018. In June 2016 I ended my stint as a member of the Faculty Promotion and Tenure Committee in order to join the University Promotion and Tenure Committee (UPTC). I ceased to be a member of the UPTC, which advises the Provost on matters relating to senior academic appointment, promotion and tenure decisions, on commencing my sabbatical. Outside of the Department and Faculty structure at NUS, I am a Research Associate of the Asia Research Institute (ARI) at NUS, where I am linked to the Inter-Asia Engagements cluster. Outside of NUS I am a member of the editorial boards of two journals (Journal of Environmental Science and Management and the Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography) and Director (equivalent of Editor-in-Chief) of the Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography. I am also a member of the European Science Foundation College of Expert Reviewers (2010-present), a member of the Expert Panel for the Social Sciences Research Committee, Singapore (2020-), and an Expert Reviewer for the Technical Support Unit of Working Group III of the Intergovenmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). I was one of the reviewers of the recently released (August 2019) IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land.

Before rejoining NUS in 2012 - and for more than eleven years - I held the Professorship (College Chair) in Geography at Trinity College, University of Dublin (January 2001-August 2012). I was also a Professorial Fellow at Trinity College (2004-2012), Head of the Department of Geography (2001-2005), the first Head of the School of Natural Sciences (a combination of the disciplines of Botany, Environmental Sciences, Geography, Geology and Zoology) (2005-2008), Pro (acting)-Senior Dean (2005-2006) and Chair of the Trinity International Development Initative (TIDI, 2011-2012). As Pro Senior Dean at Trinity College, University of Dublin, I was specifically responsible for handling academic staff disciplinary cases. I have also recently stood down from my membership of the Council of the British Academy-funded British Institute in Eastern Africa, after more than a decade as a member, and the Board of the Governors of the Dublin, Ireland-based Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice. Mary Robinson, formerly President of Ireland - and the first woman to hold that position - and the UN High Commisioner for Human Rights, has recenly become the UN Special Envoy for Climate Change.

Director of the Centre for Green Energy Management & Smart Grid

Dipti Srinivasan is a Professor in the Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, where she also heads the Centre for Green Energy Management & Smart Grid (GEMS). Her recent research projects are in the broad areas of optimization and control, wind and solar power prediction, electricity price prediction, deep learning, and development of multi-agent systems for system operation and control. She has secured over S$20 Million in external funding for research projects in these areas.  Her current research focuses on the development of novel computational intelligence-based models and methodologies to aid the integration of the new Smart Grid technologies into the existing infrastructure so that power grid can effectively utilize pervasive renewable energy generation and demand-side management programs, while accommodating stochastic load demand. She has authored more than 400 publications which have been highly cited.

Dipti is a Fellow of IEEE, and was awarded the IEEE PES Outstanding Engineer award in 2010. She is currently serving as an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation, IEEE Transaction on Neural Networks and Learning Systems, and IEEE Computational Intelligence magazine.

At the ECE department of National University of Singapore, she has been teaching courses in the areas of Sustainable Energy systems, Smart Grid, and computational intelligence methods. She was the winner of NUS Annual Teaching Excellence Award in year 2007, 2008 and 2009, and was placed on the Honours list in 2010. She is the recipient of Engineering Educator Award from the Faculty of Engineering, NUS in 2011 and 2012.

Deputy CEO of Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore

Department of Physics, National University of Singapore

Dr Feng Ling is an Assistant Professor from the Department of Physics, National University of Singapore. He specializes in complex systems research, both in theoretical foundations and practical problems, ranging from the statistical physics behind deep learning to social systems. In his theoretical studies, he looks at the complexity and phase transition phenomena in artificial neural networks, trying to uncover the working principle of deep learning. He has also been working on the various percolation transition phenomenon in inter-dependent complex networks to develop frameworks to construct different phases in spreading phenomena. In the application of complexity theories, he has applied complex network theories to various social and economic networks ranging from social media, financial networks and blockchain networks, building predictive algorithms in synergy with various machine learning algorithms. On the practical side, he has also been actively working on various large scale industry projects dealing with urban complexity, covering transport, land use and energy infrastructure.

Complexity science of deep learning. Biological brains have been found to work near some critical state, and some studies have demonstrated through simulations that certain critical state possess the ability to transfer high amount of information. By examining the modern deep neural networks, we have uncovered the theoretical principle behind this phenomenon, and further pinpointed the critical state to be between periodic cycles and chaos, universal across different dynamical systems. Such finding leads to new potential avenues to design and train neural networks, as well as extracting their explainability. (Feng L., Zhang L. & Lai C. H. Optimal Machine Intelligence Near the Edge of Chaos. arXiv e-prints, arXiv-1909, 2020)

Percolation in complex networks. Many real world systems can be represented as networks, over which interactions occur. Such systems usually, if not always exhibits phase transition behaviors like the melting of ice to water. One thing in common in many of such systems are the spreading events, ranging from infectious disease over human contact network to information over online social media. Typically there are two distinct phases of the spreading outcomes: limited local spread vs. global widespread. In different problems, the desirable phase can be the former or the later. Through percolation theory in statistical mechanics, we have developed frameworks and tools to understand and quantify such phase transitions in various social economic systems, and developed various algorithms to efficiently maximize or mitigate spreading at the systemic level. (Hu Y, Ji S, Jin Y, Feng L, Stanley H E & Havlin S. Local structure can identify and quantify influential global spreaders in large scale social networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 115, 29, 2018)

Senior Advisor of Housing & Development Board

Mr Fong Chun Wah is currently HDB’s Senior Advisor. Mr Fong advises HDB in the planning and design, development and upgrading of HDB towns and estates. He also advises on the implementation of initiatives supporting sustainability in public housing developments, housing and facilities to support seniors in Singapore, planning and architecture.

In Mr Fong’s former role as Deputy CEO (Building), he effectively guided the Building Groups to deliver well on the building and upgrading programmes and achieve greater excellence in the planning, design, quality and construction productivity. He also oversaw HDB’s efforts in advancing R&D.

Mr Fong joined HDB in 1980 after graduating with a Bachelor of Architecture (Honours) from the University of Singapore. He attained his Master of City Planning and Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986.

Mr Fong practised as an architect in the Architectural Department, and held various positions in the Research and Planning Department. He was group director in the Building Quality Group and Development and Procurement Group.

In recognition of Mr Fong’s significant contribution to the Singapore Public Service, he was conferred the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2008, and the Public Administration Medal (Silver) (Bar) in 2017.

On the education front, Mr Fong is also an adjunct professor, having given lectures to NUS College of Design and Engineering undergraduates for 2 modules – Liveable Cities and Cities for All. Mr Fong was also the module leader for Cities for All.

Director of NUS Fintech Lab, National University of Singapore

Jungpil Hahn is a Professor in the Department of Information Systems and Analytics at the School of Computing at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He served as the Head of the Department of Information Systems and Analytics from July 2015 to June 2021. Prior to joining NUS, he was an Assistant Professor of Management at the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University in West Lafayette (IN) and a Visiting Assistant Professor of Information Systems at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh (PA). He has a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Business Administration from Yonsei University in Seoul Korea and he earned his Ph.D. in Information and Decision Sciences from the Carlson School of Management at The University of Minnesota. Professor Hahn's research focuses on open innovation, organizational learning and knowledge management, software development processes, software project management and human-computer interaction. His research has been published in Management Science, MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Organization Science, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Management Information Systems, Information Systems Frontiers, International Journal of Business and Globalization, Theoretical Issues in Ergonomic Science, the ACM Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction and the Korean Management Science Review as well as in proceedings of major conferences such as the International Conference on Information Systems, the Annual Workshop on HCI Research in MIS, the International Conference on Electronic Commerce, the International Conference on Open Source Systems, the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences and the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. His research has also been presented at major conferences such as the INFORMS Annual Meeting, the INFORMS Conference on Information Systems and Technology, the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, the Association of Consumer Research Pre-Conference on Consumer Behavior Online, the Workshop on Information Systems and Economics, the Workshop on Information Technology and Systems and the Annual Meeting of the Productions and Operations Management Society. Professor Hahn has also contributed essays to multiple edited volumes including Economics, Information Systems and Electronic Commerce: Empirical Advances (R. J. Kauffman and P. P. Tallon, eds.), IT-enabled Strategic Management: Increasing Returns for the Organization (B. A. Walters and A. Tang, eds.) and E-Business Management: Integration of Web Technologies with Business Models (M. Shaw, ed.). Professor Hahn has received numerous awards and accolades for his research, teaching and service. He is a recipient of three "Best Paper in Track" Awards for the Sharing Economy, Platforms and Crowd, Advances in Research Methods and the IS Development and Project Management Tracks at the International Conference in Information Systems (2021 and 2022), the "Best Paper Award" at the Workshop on Information Technology and Systems (WITS) in 2016, and the "Best 2013 Published Paper Award" from the Organizational Communication and Information Systems (OCIS) Division of the Academy of Management. He was nominated for the "Best Paper Award" at the International Conference on Electronic Commerce in 2007 and for the "Best Division Paper Award" at the Academy of Management in 2011 (Organization and Management Theory Division) and 2017 (Entrepreneurship Division) . Professor Hahn was named "Krannert Distinguished Teacher" numerous times in the MBA program at the Krannert Graduate School of Management and received the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award (FTEA) at NUS School of Computing in 2014. Professor Hahn's service to the academic community was also recognized by being named "Outstanding Reviewer" for IEEE Internet Computing in 2002 and was awarded the "Best Reviewer Award" in 2009 by the INFORMS Information Systems Society for his outstanding service for Information Systems Research. He has served as Associate Editor of Information Systems Research and is currently a Senior Editor of MIS Quarterly.

Director of Centre for Liveable Cities

Dr Limin Hee is Director of Research at Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), a nexus and knowledge centre for liveable and sustainable cities, where she focuses on research strategies, content development and international collaborations.

Under Dr Hee’s leadership in research, the CLC has developed its signature Urban Systems Studies series, which capture the practices and knowledge underlying Singapore’s transformation over the last 50 years. She is also the project lead for collaborative research projects, including research and publications with the Urban Land Institute such as Creating Liveable Cities though Car-lite Urban Mobility, Creating Healthy Places through Active Mobility, and 10 Principles for Highly Dense, Liveable Cities, and multi-agency efforts to promote thoughtful design to enhance liveability in new towns, and research on how to make sustainable, integrated districts as prototypes of future living in Singapore.

She played similar leading research roles at the National University of Singapore School of Design and Environment, as well as at the Centre for Sustainable Asian Cities and the Asia Research Institute.

Recognized as a creative leader in her field, she leverages on her creativity, bringing it to the fields of research, writing and publications. Adept at communications and known for her insights in city solutions, technologies and design, she has been a sought-after keynote-speaker, moderator, facilitator, and panelist at international symposiums and events. As thinker, implementer and influencer who is outcome-oriented and able to motivate and inspire people, she has a proven track record of excellent research as well as publications on both individual and organizational levels.

Dr Hee’s individual research focuses on urban liveability and sustainability and their agenda for architecture, urbanism and public space. She has been the recipient of several accolades and her work on cities has been widely published, including in international refereed journals and architectural reviews. Her forthcoming and recent books include A City in Blue and Green: A Singapore Story (Springer: 2019 - forthcoming), Constructing Singapore Public Space (Springer: 2016) and Future Asian Space (NUS Press: 2012).

She obtained her Doctor of Design from Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where she has been invited to speak as a notable alumnus. She obtained her Master of Arts (Architecture) as well as her professional degree in Architecture, for which she received top honours, from the National University of Singapore.

Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore

Co-Director of the Future Resilient Systems

Dr Jonas Joerin is the Co-Director of the Future Resilient Systems (FRS) programme hosted by the Singapore-ETH Centre and funded by the National Research Foundation of Singapore.

Jonas holds a PhD from Kyoto University, master’s degree from the University of Manchester (UK) and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Zurich. His academic background is in geography, environmental management and disaster management. His research interests are in understanding human-environmental processes, with a particular focus on analysing the resilience of individuals in the context of hazards.

Jonas is active in contributing to the research fields of community and social resilience as well as food system resilience and has done extensive field work in several countries in Asia, Africa and Europe.

Director of NUS Cities, National University of Singapore

Prof Khoo Teng Chye is Practice Professor with the College of Design and Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Director, NUS Cities. He was formerly the Executive Director for the Centre for Liveable Cities, Ministry of National Development (MND)(2010 to 2020), Singapore and continues to be a Fellow at CLC.

He was the Chief Executive Officer/Chief Planner at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)(1992 to 1996), Chief Executive Officer/Group President of PSA Corporation(1996 to 2002), President and Chief Executive Officer of Mapletree Investments and Managing Director (Special Projects) of Temasek Holdings(2002 to 2003) and Chief Executive of PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency(2003 to 2011).

He sits on the Boards of the Tropical Marine Science Institute (NUS), Institute of Real Estate and Urban Studies (NUS), the National University Health System Pte Ltd (NUHS), and is Chairman of the NUSDeltares Governing Board. He is a member of the NTU Graduate Advisory Committee and of the Monash University Commission on Intermediate Cities. He serves as a member of the Development Projects Advisory Panel (DPAP) set up by Ministry of Finance (MOF), Singapore. He is an advisor to the Land Transport Authority and the East Coast Town Council. He is an advisor to the Pictet Bank (Switzerland) Smart City Advisory Fund, and Global Board member of the Urban Land Institute, Global Governing Trustee and Chairman of the Asia Pacific Executive Committee. He is a Senior Fellow of the URA Academy, a Fellow of the Singapore Academy of Engineers, and the Institution of Engineers, Singapore.

Prof Khoo graduated with First Class Honours in Civil Engineering from Monash University, Australia. A President-cum-Colombo Plan Scholar, he also holds a Master of Science in Construction Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from the National University of Singapore. He attended the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School.

He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 2018, the Public Administration (Gold) in 1996 and the Public Administration (Silver) in 1987 by the Singapore government. He was also conferred the Meritorious Service Award by the National Trade Union Congress in 2008.

Vice President of Campus Infrastructure, National University of Singapore

Mr. Koh Yan Leng leads the University Campus Infrastructure (UCI) office at the esteemed National University of Singapore (NUS). As the Vice President (Campus Infrastructure) in NUS, he combines his rich experience and visionary leadership to ensure the university's physical environment fosters innovation, sustainability, and an exceptional student experience.

One of his primary responsibilities involves crafting and executing long-term plans for the campus's physical growth and development. Yan Leng manages construction and renovation projects, ensuring that new facilities align with the university's evolving needs while maximizing the use of existing spaces. Additionally, he takes charge of maintaining, repairing, and operating all university facilities, including academic buildings, residence halls, libraries, sports complexes, and administrative offices.

With a strong focus on sustainability and environmental consciousness, Yan Leng plays a crucial role in implementing eco-friendly practices and initiatives throughout the campus. These include spearheading energy efficiency programs, devising waste reduction strategies, and promoting sustainable construction practices.

Beyond infrastructure management, Yan Leng actively contributes to designing a comprehensive student experience. His vision encompasses retail and dining options, residential facilities, transportation services, sports amenities, and cultural offerings, all geared towards creating a smart, well and sustainable campus that sets the standard for the future.

Drawing from a wealth of experience in general management, Yan Leng has an impressive background in various industries, including airlines, hospitality, and higher education. Over the course of his career, he has been deeply involved in operations, business development, and strategic planning across different organizational functions. Notably, he has worked with internationally renowned brands such as Singapore Airlines, Ascott Serviced Residence (under CapitaLand), and Far East Organization. This breadth of experience has taken him to various cities worldwide, enriching his market knowledge and fostering intercultural work skills from Auckland to London, Madrid to Shanghai, Tianjin to Sydney, Melbourne to Brisbane, and of course, Singapore.

Academically, Yan Leng holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) Hons Class 2A degree from NUS, which he proudly earned in 1999.

Director of Centre for Remote Imaging Sensing and Processing

Mr KWOH Leong Keong is the current Director of the Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing, NUS. He played a key role in the establishment of the Center for Remote Imaging, Sensing & Processing and its remote sensing ground station. Research interests include very high-resolution satellite photogrammetry, remote sensing data analytics and data applications for optical, SAR and hyperspectral sensors.

Previously, he was head of the photogrammetry section of Singapore’s Mapping Unit and a part-time lecturer at the Singapore Polytechnic.

Mr Kwoh holds a Master of Engineering Science, Remote Sensing from the University of New South Wales, and a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from the Singapore Institute of Management. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Surveying from the University of South Australia.

Dept of Physics, Centre for Quantum Technologies

Director of the Centre for Governance and Sustainability, National University of Singapore

Prof Lawrence Loh is Director, Centre for Governance and Sustainability (CGS) at NUS Business School, National University of Singapore where he is Professor in Practice of Strategy and Policy. He is Visiting Professor at Wealth Management Institute in Singapore.

Prof Loh received a PhD in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His thesis on technology governance was awarded global first prize in the worldwide doctoral competition in the field of management information systems. While at MIT, he completed the doctoral general examinations in strategy and policy and the doctoral qualifying examinations in finance and economics.

At CGS, Prof Loh leads key sustainability initiatives for Asia-Pacific, ASEAN and Singapore. He steers the Singapore Governance and Transparency Index and ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard. Prof Loh also heads studies on business integrity and leadership diversity.

In the specific domain of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) relevant for strategic management and sustainable finance, Prof Loh has extensive professional engagements in the global and regional arenas. He directs the CGS initiative that is commissioned by the Singapore Exchange to conduct sustainability assessments of all listed companies on the Exchange. He also heads the ASEAN sustainability reporting initiative covering 6 countries in collaboration with ASEAN CSR Network and steered the Asia-Pacific sustainability reporting assessment covering 13 jurisdictions with PwC. Prof Loh was a lead investigator on a study in sustainable banking for all listed banks in ASEAN in collaboration with WWF. He spearheads a new study on climate reporting in ASEAN companies in partnership with GRI.

Prof Loh was lead consultant for technology and innovation manpower studies commissioned by the Singapore government. He was chief facilitator for Singapore’s National Technology Plan and served on the Think Tank for Science and Technology. Prof Loh consulted for Fortune 500 companies and international organizations in technology policy. He has been active in advising entrepreneurial start-ups in strategic advancement.

Prof Loh is a regular commentator on business and policy issues for leading global media such as AFP, BBC, Bloomberg, China Central Television, China Daily, China Global Television Network, CNBC, CNN, Deal Street Asia, Eco-Business, Financial Times, Forbes, NetEase, Nikkei Asia, People’s Daily, South China Morning Post, Tech in Asia, The Washington Post, Xinhua, Yahoo Finance as well as Singapore media such as Berita Harian, CNA, Lianhe Zaobao, Singapore Business Review, The Business Times, The Edge Singapore, The New Paper, The Straits Times and TODAY. Prof Loh has a citation and commentary count of about 600 per year, including numerous front-page headlines, across various media worldwide.

Prof Loh has delivered executive development programs in sustainability and ESG for many leading clients and institutions across Asia, ASEAN and Singapore. He is also a regular speaker at global and regional events on themes in ESG strategies and investments.

Prof Loh is a winner of the NUS Annual Teaching Excellence Award and the NUS Business School Teaching Excellence Award.

Regional Director for Asia-Pacific, Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl

Mr Leonard Ng Geok Poh is Country Director for Ramboll and a partner in Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl. Ramboll Dreiseitl has under Leonard’s guidance made important contributions to Singapore’s urban landscape - Ang Mo-Kio Park, Jurong Eco-Garden and Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay are a few stellar examples. As a testament to that, he won the prestigious The Danish Export Association & His Royal Highness Prince Henrik’s Medal of Honour.

Leonard’s academic background and design interest lies at the juncture between mankind and its environment, with the aim of finding a long-term sustainable balance between them. He leads the Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl Singapore studio.

His approach involves extensive collaboration with diverse professions to foment holistic landscape-based solutions that engage and educate users while respecting the environment. His recent works features design that integrates the water found on-site with the surrounding urban development, in a sensitive manner.

Leonard is an active voice in Singapore. His recent lectures include presentations at the Skilla Future Singapore Workshops - Framework in Landscape Sector, 2018; the SILA Roadmap 2021 feedback with Awaken Groups, 2018, and 'Designing for Nature' at the International Federation of Landscape Architecture Conference, 2018.

Recent project awards include the International Federation of Landscape Architecture Asia Pacific Award - Outstanding Award in Parks and Open Space, for the Jurong Lake Garden, 2021; President's Design Award - Design of the Year, for Kampung Admirality, 2020; International Federation of Landscape Architecture AAPME Award - Outstanding Award, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, 2018; American Society of Landscape Architecture Award, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, 2016, and the President's Design Award - Design of the Year, for Jurong Eco-Garden, 2014.

Executive Director, National Parks Board

Dr Leong joined the Singapore Botanic Gardens in 1983 as a research officer. He did a stint in the Strategic Planning Division of the Ministry of National Development from 1987 to 1989. In 1990, he was appointed Deputy Executive Director of the National Parks Board. When the Parks and Recreation Department merged with the National Parks Board in 1996, he became the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Specialist Services Department). In 2000, he took over the Board’s Parks Management Department. Dr Leong recently relinquished his appointment as Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Professional Development and Services Cluster) on 21 August 2020. He is currently the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, Director-General, Plant Health, Director-General, Wildlife Trade Control, and also Executive Director (National Parks, Gardens & Nature Reserves Cluster) in charge of Singapore Botanic Gardens, Fort Canning Park & Istana and the Nature Reserves.

Dr Leong chairs the Heritage Trees Panel and the Singapore Garden City Private Limited. He is a Board Member of the Singapore Environment Council, and the Garden City Fund.  He is also a member of the Centre for Livable Cities Experts Panel.

Executive Director of Energy Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University

Prof Madhavi is a Professor in School of Materials Science & Engineering at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. She is the Executive Director of NTU Sustainability Office and Energy Research Institute at NTU (ERI@N). She is also the co-Director of SCARCE (Singapore-CEA alliance for research in Circular economy), a joint lab, in collaboration with French Alternative energies and atomic energy commission (CEA, France) focusing on recycling of e-waste.

Prof Madhavi‘s research focuses on the circular economy with an emphasis on novel energy storage solutions and recycling of e-waste and lithium-ion batteries. She focusses on synthesis, fabrication and application of nanoscale materials/architectures in improving the performance of electrochemical energy storage devices such as advanced lithium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, sodium ion batteries, multivalent aqueous Zn / Al batteries. Her research is also on recycling of lithium ion batteries e-waste by novel hydrometallurgical techniques towards a closed loop approach. Her publications and innovations have yielded 30 patents.

She has also won several prestigious awards including 2019 Asia’s top Sustainability Superwomen, L’Oreal for Women in Science National Fellowships, Great Women of Our Time given by Singapore Women’s Weekly Magazine and NRF Investigatorship award awarded to top scientists in Singapore by National Research Foundation (NRF). She is among an elite group of researchers worldwide who have been recognized for exceptional research performance demonstrated by the production of multiple highly cited research papers which rank in the top 1% by citations for field in Web of Science. She has won the “Nanyang Excellence in Research” award (NTU) in 2014 and the “Nanyang Excellence in Teaching” award (NTU) twice in 2012 and 2017. In addition, she has also won the teacher of the year school award (NTU) twice in 2013 and 2016. She has secured several industry funded projects both nationally and internationally including Energizer (USA), Arkema (France/USA), Rolls Royce(UK), BMW (Germany), Johnson Matthey (UK), Bosch (Germany), Dura power (Singapore), JNC (Japan), Elbit systems (Israel), Regentech Pte Ltd. (Singapore). She graduated with Masters from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT, Madras/Chennai, India) and did her PhD in National University of Singapore (Singapore).

Head of Acoustic Research Laboratory, Tropical Marine Science Institute

Associate Director Technology, Future Cities Laboratory Global

Building Physics engineer with 14 years of experience in the industry working for the international engineering Consultant Ove Arup and Partners in London, Berlin and Copenhagen, delivering complex designs and technical solutions for the built urban environment. Focused on wellbeing, decarbonisation and climate adaptation of the buildt environment through the integral use of innovative digital solutions and sustainable building technologies.

Deputy Director of the Lloyd’s Register Foundation Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk

Dr Olivia Jensen is a social scientist specialising in water and environmental policy with a focus on urban Asia. She joined IPUR in 2018 as Lead Scientist overseeing the Institute’s work related to Environment and Climate and was appointed Deputy Director in 2023. Before joining IPUR, she was a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Water Policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (NUS).

Olivia’s research is concerned with the spectrum of urban environmental risks and the design and evaluation of policy interventions to strengthen the resilience of urban communities. At IPUR, she partners with government agencies and international organisations to develop and deliver policy-relevant research. Her current projects include collaborative assessment of urban water risks; public and expert perceptions of climate risks and responses and the design of interventions to close these perceptions gaps. Past projects have focused on flood and sea level rise risk in Asian cities and the role of citizen science in assessing and managing environmental risks. Prior to joining IPUR, she was based at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy’s Institute of Water Policy as Senior Research Fellow.

Olivia holds a PhD and MSc in Development from the London School of Economics and a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Oxford.

Dept of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore

Dr Olivier LEFEBVRE is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His research work is in electrochemical technologies and advanced oxidation processes for industrial wastewater treatment and reuse. He is also an adjunct Professor at the Research Institute of Mines and Environment of the University of Quebec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT). Olivier is an editor for Water Science & Technology and an IWA Fellow, administrator, newsletter editor and webmaster for the specialist group on water reuse, within the International Water Association (IWA). An agronomic engineer by formation, Olivier obtained his Ph.D. from Supagro Montpellier (France) in 2005, on a collaborative work between the French National Research Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and the Anna University in Chennai, India. The topic was related to biological treatment of tannery wastewater.

Associate Professor and Deputy Head (Academic Matters) of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore

Dr. PANG Sze Dai is Associate Professor and Deputy Head (Academic Matters) of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore. He is also Director of Research at NUS Cities and Director, Research Centre for Resource Circularity and Resilience (CRCR).

He graduated from the National University of Singapore with B.Eng. (First Class Honours) and M.Eng. degrees in 2001 and 2002 respectively under the Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP), and from the Northwestern University with Ph.D. degree in 2005. He researched on the behaviour of profiled steel-concrete composite structures subjected to blast loading for his M.Eng thesis and on the size effect arising from energetic and probabilistic fracture mechanics in the mechanical properties of quasi-brittle materials for his Ph.D dissertation.

Dr. Pang joined the National University of Singapore in 2006 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and the Engineering Science Programme (ESP). He designed and taught modules for the newly set-up ESP and the fresh approach towards students’ learning was awarded the Faculty of Engineering Innovative Teaching Award. The students that he has mentored in CEE and ESP has won multiple awards at faculty and university levels which include the Faculty Innovation and Research Awards, University Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Awards, University Student Achievement Awards. At international level, the teams that he has mentored for the annual international earthquake design competition in Taiwan and has won top awards every year. On top of the teaching of modules and mentoring of students, he has been active in administrative roles as the Acting Programme Manager for the M.Sc (Civil) and M.Sc (Geotech) programmes in 2008-2010, and is currently the Curriculum Coordinator for the Design-Centric Curriculum which is delivered by Engineering Design and Innovation Centre.

Dr. Pang is currently working on research in the area of protective building and sustainable building technologies using principles from bio-mimicry and is also researching on the size effect in cementitious and metal matrix composites. He has attracted close to S$3 million in research funding as Principle Investigator and collaborator. He has served on the committees for a number of major conferences, reviewed for multiple journal articles and also served as external reviewer for national research projects. He has also provided his expertise to the industry for consultations on structural dynamics, steel structures and seismic engineering.

Director of the Centre for Research on Successful Aging, Singapore Management University

Director of Sustainable Urban Farming

UNESCO Chair on Architectural Heritage Conservation and Management in Asia

Professor Ho holds the UNESCO Chair on Architectural Heritage Conservation and Management in Asia. Having close to 30 years of experience in the academia, Puay-Peng’s main research interests are in architectural history and conservation practices, and how the knowledge can be translated in teaching and practice. Prior to joining NUS in 2017, Puay-Peng was Professor of Architecture and served as Director of School of Architecture and University Dean of Students at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Sustaining his research is the quest to understand religious culture and its architectural forms. His main focus is Buddhist architecture and ritual of medieval China. Puay-Peng is a conservation consultant, architect and adviser to some 100 conservation projects in Hong Kong and Singapore since 2003, including PMQ, Haw Par Villa, Comix Homebase, Oil Street Art Space, Court of Final Appeal, and New Campus for Chicago University Booth School. Puay-Peng Ho was also appointed to many public and private boards and committees in Hong Kong, including as Chairman of the Lord Wilson Heritage Trust, member of Town Planning Board, Antiquities Advisory Board, and currently a member of Senior Advisory Board of Global Heritage Fund and a Patron of the International Dunhuang Project of British Library.

Deputy CEO, National Environment Agency

Mr Ram BHASKAR is the Deputy CEO, Environmental Protection and Director-General, Environmental Protection of the National Environment Agency. He started his long and illustrious career as an Engineer with the then Ministry of Environment (ENV) in 1988. Tasked with the development and management of waste disposal facilities, he was later appointed Chief Engineer (Energy Conservation) and Director (Energy Efficiency & Conservation). As Director, he oversaw energy efficiency policy and programme implementation for the manufacturing, public and households sectors.

Mr Bhaskar won the Public Administration Medal (Bronze) in 2002 and has a MBA from the National University of Singapore and a BSc in Production Techniques and Management from the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences.

Provost’s Chair Professor at the Department of Real Estate, National University of Singapore

Yale-NUS and Dept of Geography, National University of Singapore

Head, Dept of Real Estate, National University of Singapore

Director of Conservation Planning, Urban Redevelopment Authority

Ms Tan Huey Jiun is current Director of Conservation Planning at the URA. She was formerly the Deputy Director and handles the planning and regulatory framework of more than 7000 conserved buildings in Singapore. She oversees the formulation of guidelines, planning strategies and the promotion and outreach of URA’s conservation efforts.

A scholar, Ms Tan has a BA (Honours) in Architecture from the University of Manchester and a Bachelor in Architecture. Upon completion of her studies, she joined the Urban Design department and was seconded to a private architecture firm where she witnessed the restoration of a conserved terrace house.

CEO of Housing and Development Board

Mr Tan Meng Dui is the CEO of HDB from 26 February 2021. He was previously the CEO of National Environment Agency (NEA) from 2018 to 2021.

Before becoming CEO NEA, Meng Dui was the Deputy Secretary (Development) in the Ministry of National Development (MND). In this capacity, he was responsible for the development and advancement of Singapore’s public housing policies to meet the needs of different segments of Singapore’s population. He was also responsible for setting the Ministry's research, strategy and corporate planning directions, and strengthening the corporate support and corporate communications systems at the Ministry HQ and its statutory boards.

Before assuming his appointment in MND, Meng Dui was the Deputy Secretary (Technology) in the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). Prior to that, Meng Dui served in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), and held several key appointments in MINDEF and the SAF.

Meng Dui graduated from the Imperial College London with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. He has a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University, and attended the Advanced Management Programme at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Meng Dui is an Administrative Service officer in the Singapore Public Service. He was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) (Military) in 2006.

CE of Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore

Mr Teo Eng Dih is CE, MPA. He assumes the role in September 2022, and was previously Deputy Secretary (Policy) of the Ministry of Defense (MINDEF). As DS (Policy), he was responsible for MINDEF’s defense policy and diplomacy, strategic and public communications, and Total Defense. He oversaw the expansion of defense cooperation with international partners and strengthening of collaborations at the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting (ADMM) platform. He also enhanced MINDEF’s public engagement initiatives, including revamping the Singapore Discovery Centre.

Prior to MINDEF, Teo was Special Assistant to then-Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and had served in various government agencies in the areas of Policy and Planning, Manpower, Strategy, Technology, Climate Change, Enterprise Services and International Trade. He obtained a Master in Chemical Engineering First Class Honours from Imperial College of Science and Technology and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School.

Director of Urban Climate Design Lab, National University of Singapore

Dr. Yuan is Presidential Young Professor at Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore. He is an architect, urban climate researcher and educator, His teaching and research focus on climate-sensitive urban planning and design for sustainable, resilient cities. The topics cover urban wind environment, traffic related and transboundary air pollution, anthropogenic heat, passive cooling technologies, and urban greenery. His goal is to support and develop practical planning and design in real life.

Dr. Yuan currently leads his research team – in collaboration with MIT and ETH Zurich – to conduct several studies on urban climate and future resilience for high density cities. Dr Yuan serves as Associate Editor for Urban Climate (Elsevier) and Editorial Board Member at Landscape and Urban Planning (Elsevier). His work has been published in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals, book chapter, as well as a self-authored book, titled Urban Wind Environment – Integrated Climate-Sensitive Planning and Design, by Springer Nature.

Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions, National University of Singapore

Dr. Zeng's interest in conservation science and policy started from his time as a PhD student with his work on invasive species. His research utilized ecological knowledge to develop risk assessments to guide management decisions and mitigate invasive impacts. This interest in conservation policy led him to his post-doctoral research on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Funded by the National Research Foundation’s International Collaborative Fellowship for The Commonwealth, his work on the SDGs identified important shortcomings of the main global policy framework that was designed to guide sustainable development policies to the year 2030.

Dr. Zeng's work in the Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions focuses on identifying key strategies to implement nature-based climate solutions and improve climate and conservation policies. He has determined the potential and limits of green and blue carbon financing as a means to protect tropical forest ecosystems, and assess the effects of socio-economic constraints on reforestation in Southeast Asia. He is currently focused on assessing the conservation potential and effectiveness of various area-based conservation measures across the region.

National University of Singapore

Prof. Wong is professor in the Department of Building, School of Design and Environment. He graduated with a B.Sc (Building) (Honours) in 1985 and a Master degree in Building Science in 1991 from National University of Singapore. He received a gold medal award for being the best student in the MSc (Building Science) programme. Subsequently, he received the Overseas Graduate Scholarship (OGS) to do a PhD programme at Carnegie Mellon University in USA and graduated in 1998. Prof. Wong has also been the Deputy Head (Research), Programme Director for B.Sc (PFM), Programme Director for Master of Science (Building Science) as well as Programme Director for Bachelor of Building (Construction Management) and Bachelor of Building (Construction Economics). In terms of research, Prof. Wong was the principal investigator of a number of research projects related to Urban Heat Island, urban climatic mapping and greenery, in collaboration with the various government agencies, such as Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), National Parks Board (NParks), Housing Development Board (HDB), National Environmental Agency (NEA) and Building Construction Authority (BCA). Prof. Wong was also one of the key Principle Investigator for the development of the first Zero Energy Building at BCA Academcy. Prof. Wong has published more than 300 international referred journal and conference papers and was the co-author of 9 books and has been invited to deliver keynote papers and research findings in various conferences and symposiums. He has also been invited to serve in the various advisory committees both locally and internationally.

Group Director, Wildlife Management and Senior Director, Community Projects, National Parks Board

Dr Adrian Loo, Group Director, Wildlife Management and Senior Director, Community Projects, National Parks Board (NParks), graduated with a PhD from the National University of Singapore (NUS) studying palms in the montane forests of Peninsular Malaysia and was a post-doctoral fellow in Kew Gardens and then the National University of Singapore researching population genetics and biodiversity. He also chairs the Otter Working Group in Singapore, co-chairs the Long-Tailed Macaque Working Group. He carries out forest restoration, species recovery, animal rescue and rehabilitation work in the nature reserves.

The Wildlife Management Division manages wildlife in Singapore, in particular, to reduce human-wildlife conflicts through science-based management and outreach and education. The division also enforces illegal wildlife trade, such as the illegal trafficking of wildlife and their parts such as ivory, pangolin scales and wild animals. The Centre for Wildlife Forensics was recently set up to combat illegal wildlife trade through DNA and other molecular technologies.

Dr Adrian Loo is part of a team in NParks that facilitates the One Million Tree movement in Singapore. Through stakeholder involvement, he hopes that he can plant more trees to restore habitats, fight climate change through carbon sequestration, and utilise trees as Nature-based Solutions for coastal protection and species conservation.

Dept of Architecture, National University of Singapore

Yun Hye Hwang is an accredited landscape architect in Singapore, an Associate Professor in MLA. Her research speculates on emerging demands of landscapes in the Asian equatorial urban context by exploring sustainable landscape management, the multifunctional role of urban landscapes, and ecological design strategies for high-density Asian cities.

She obtained a post-professional MLA degree from the Graduate School of Design in Harvard University, USA and MLA degree from Seoul National University. Yun Hye previously worked as a design director for public housing landscape projects in Korea for many years where she received several landscape awards from government authorities.

Yun Hye has won several international design awards for her built works including Landscape Institute award 2017 and IFLA APR excellent awards 2017 and is widely published in book chapters, landscape magazines, and peer-reviewed journals and actively participated in framing landscape design and management guidelines with a collaboration with government authorities including NParks and HDB.