WELCOME REMARKS
National University of Singapore,
Singapore
Professor Tan Eng Chye
President
Professor Tan Eng Chye was appointed President of the National University of Singapore (NUS) on 1 January 2018. He is the University’s 5th president, and the 23rd leader to head Singapore’s oldest higher education institution. Prof Tan is a passionate and award-winning educator. He was a pioneer architect of the current academic system in NUS and has seeded many initiatives such as the Special Programme in Science, University Scholars Programme, University Town Residential College Programme, Grade-free Year, and Technology-enhanced Education. He was recognised with the University Teaching Award for Innovative Teaching in 1998. Prof Tan is a member of the Singapore’s Future Economy Council, which is tasked with driving the growth and transformation of the country’s future economy. He is on the boards of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR); National Research Foundation (NRF); and NUS High School of Mathematics and Sciences. He is a member of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Steering Committee.
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW
Associate Professor Lum Sau Kim
Associate Vice-President, Global Relations
Associate Professor Lum Sau Kim is Associate Vice President for Global Relations at the NUS Global Relations Office, and a faculty member of the NUS Business School. A former ASEAN scholar, she obtained her B.Sc. (Estate Management) honours degree from NUS and Masters in Land Economy from University of Aberdeen. After joining NUS as a Senior Tutor, Assoc Prof Lum pursued a PhD in Business Administration (Finance and Real Estate) from University of California at Berkeley. Winner of several teaching awards, Assoc Prof Lum currently teaches real estate finance and securitisation. Her research interests cover the areas of housing and land policy, index construction and green finance. Assoc Prof Lum developed the official suite of indices for the Singapore housing sector. She has also consulted for various organisations including Citibank, GIC, Housing & Development Board, Ministry of Housing of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Law of Singapore, Singapore Land Authority and Urban Redevelopment Authority. She sits on the Valuation Review Board of the Ministry of Finance.
National University of Singapore,
Singapore
AI & EDUCATION
National University of Singapore,
Singapore
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Professor Simon Chesterman
Vice-Provost (Education Innovation)
Simon Chesterman is David Marshall Professor and Vice Provost (Educational Innovation) at the National University of Singapore, where he is also the founding Dean of NUS College. He serves as Senior Director of AI Governance at AI Singapore and Editor of the Asian Journal of International Law. Previously, he was Dean of NUS Law from 2012 to 2022 and Co‐President of the Law Schools Global League from 2021 to 2023.
Prof Chesterman is the author or editor of more than twenty books, including We, the Robots? Regulating Artificial Intelligence and the Limits of the Law (CUP, 2021); One Nation Under Surveillance (OUP, 2011); You, the People (OUP, 2004); and Just War or Just Peace? (OUP, 2001). He is a recognised authority on international law, whose work has opened up new areas of research on conceptions of public authority — including the rules and institutions of global governance, state‐building and post‐conflict reconstruction, the changing role of intelligence agencies, and the emerging role of artificial intelligence and big data.
National University of Singapore,
Singapore
Associate Professor Kan Min-Yen
Vice-Dean (Undergraduate Studies), School of Computing
Min-Yen Kan (BS;MS;PhD Columbia Univ.; SACM, SIEEE) is an Associate Professor and Vice Dean of Undergraduate Studies at the National University of Singapore. Min is an active member of the Association of Computational Linguistics (ACL), currently serving as a co-chair for the ACL Ethics Committee, and previously as the ACL Anthology Director (2008–2018). He is an associate editor for Information Retrieval and the survey editor for the Journal of AI Research (JAIR).
His research interests include digital libraries, natural language processing and information retrieval. He was recognised as a distinguished speaker by the ACM for natural language processing and digital libraries research. Specific projects include work in the areas of scientific discourse analysis, fact verification, full-text literature mining, lexical semantics and large language models. He leads the Web Information Retrieval / Natural Language Processing Group (WING.NUS)
Like other revolutionary advances before it, artificial intelligence (AI), particularly machine learning and generative AI, is disrupting the world. Tools like Chat GPT are able to generate complete essays, solutions and seemingly original work with a few mere prompts. They are also able to process massive volumes of information quickly, reveal interesting data-patterns, and summarise material, thus offering insights and facilitating decision making. It is important for institutes of higher education to leverage on the opportunities that AI presents, circumvent its challenges, and offer leadership on how our communities can thrive in an AI augmented world. In these sessions, we hope to discuss and develop strategies to address the following AI-impacted-issues as they relate to Education.
WELLBEING
It is widely reported that incidences of mental health and wellness issues have been rising globally, and exacerbated by circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The same pattern can be observed in the university community, with more students reporting higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression, and more faculty and staff reporting burnout due to increased workload and staff shortage as a result of the pandemic. The impact of how universities manage mental wellbeing, particularly for youth experiencing their transition into adulthood (a period when mental health issues often develop), can be profound and wide ranging, affecting communities’ health, social, academic, retention, graduation, and financial outcomes. We review our collective experiences and wellness programmes, and address wellness management issues faced by the ASEAN community.
University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Associate Professor Dr Ngo Thi Phuong Lan
President
Associate Professor Ngo Thi Phuong Lan is the President of University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (USSH, VNUHCM). Before assuming the office, she was formerly Vice President for Research and External Affairs, and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Anthropology. An anthropologist by training, Assoc Prof Lan received her education in Vietnam and Canada under national and international acclaimed scholars.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Assoc Prof Lan led series of initiatives to ensure teaching and learning continuity, international scholarly engagement and mental wellness of the University’s students, faculty, and staff members and the wider public. In the time of COVID-19 peak and lockdown in Ho Chi Minh City, USSH’s “Vaccine for Mental Health” campaign was praised as a timely engagement providing comprehensive mental support for those in need. Assoc Prof Lan also endorsed the establishment of on-campus premises for mental health support for students, faculty, staff as well as members of the public.
National University of Singapore,
Singapore
Dr Andrew Tay
Chief Wellbeing Officer
Dr Andrew Tay, Chief Wellbeing Officer at NUS, leads groundbreaking initiatives at the HWB unit, achieving unprecedented success since 2020. His leadership in innovative programs like "return-to-work case management" and destigmatization campaigns has significantly enhanced the university community's wellbeing. Pioneering the WellNUS framework, he revolutionises mental health approaches. Recognised with prestigious awards like the WorkWell Leaders "Wellbeing Organisation of the Year" and the "Global Healthy Workplace Award," Andrew's impact is evident. With a medical background in tech and pharma, he has shaped employee benefits at Facebook and GSK. An alumnus of NUS and advocate of music and arts, Andrew plays bass guitar and crafts cocktails in his free time.
STUDENT LIFE
Ateneo de Manila University,
the Philippines
Fr Roberto Yap
President
Fr Roberto C Yap SJ is President of Ateneo de Manila University. Fr Yap received his PhD from University College London, specialising in Environmental Economics. He likewise holds a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government; a Master of Arts in Theology from Ateneo de Manila University; a Master of Arts in Economics from New School for Social Research (NY) and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics (Honors Program) from Ateneo de Manila University.
Fr Yap was former President of Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan. He currently serves as president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities-Asia Pacific.
Dr Christine Joy Ballada
Dean of Student Affairs
Christine Joy A. Ballada is the current Dean of Student Affairs of De La Salle University (DLSU) - Manila. As Dean of Student Affairs, she supervises units that deliver programmes and services for student well-being, career development, leadership formation, and discipline formation, among others. She is an Associate Professor under the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology of the Br. Andrew Gonzalez FSC College of Education. She holds a Ph.D. In Educational Psychology, majoring in Quantitative Methods from DLSU. She also teaches graduate courses under the Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Master of Learning and Teaching programs.
De La Salle University,
the Philippines
Dr Fairuzeta Ja’afar
Director of Studies
Dr Fairuzeta Ja’afar is the Director of Studies under the Office of Assistant Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, overseeing academic matters and leading a curriculum review to address the challenges posed by Generative Artificial Intelligence. She is also an Assistant Professor in Physical Chemistry, whose teaching portfolio includes Fundamentals in Physical Chemistry, Chemical Thermodynamics, Surface Chemical Phenomena, Molecular Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemistry. She was awarded the “Teaching Excellence Award in Sciences” in 2020 as part of UBD’s Staff Excellence Awards.
Prior to joining UBD, Dr Fairuzeta's academic journey began at Imperial College London, United Kingdom, where she earned her PhD in Chemistry in 2015, preceded by an MRes in Bioimaging Sciences in 2010 and a BSc in Chemistry in 2009. Prior to her current role, she held the position of Deputy Director of Research under the Office of Assistant Vice Chancellor (Research).
Universiti Brunei Darussalam,
Brunei
Assistant Professor Flg Off Chatchai Kunavisarut
Vice-President for Student Affairs and Alumni
Assistant Professor Chatchai Kunavisarut is the Vice President for Student Affairs and Alumni Relations, Mahidol University since 2018. He has been greatly involved in promoting student’s well-being and inclusion at Mahidol University. He was the pioneer in acquiring an online mental healthcare service (OOCA) to provide mental health support for students. During the pandemic, he and his team established a system that provides students access to both physical and mental support when needed. He also served in the Student Well-Being Committee of the Council of University Presidents of Thailand.
Mahidol University,
Thailand
Professor Jaka Sembiring
Vice-Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs
Prof.Dr.Ir. Jaka Sembiring, M.Eng is Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB)/Bandung Institute of Technology's Vice Rector of Academic and Student Affairs Vice Rector of Academic and Student Affairs from 2020 to 2025. He was formerly the dean of the School of Electrical and Informatics Engineering ITB from 2015 to 2020, as well as a professor in the Information Technology research group. He received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Bandung Institute of Technology in 1990, followed by master's and Ph.D degrees in electrical engineering from Waseda University in Japan in 1997 and 2000, respectively.
In addition to teaching, he is actively involved in a number of projects, including the development and implementation of virtual class technology for rural areas with the Directorate General of Higher Education (Kemendikbud – Ministry of Education and Culture), a new resampling algorithm project and the concept of flexible particles on particle filters for location determination on self-driving robots with ITB, and assistance projects to strengthen Perum Perhutani's IT governance in 2012 with the State Forestry Public Company (Perum Perhutani).
Institut Teknologi Bandung,
Indonesia
STUDENT LIFE & EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
With the rapid shifts in learning and teaching methodologies, as well as the impact of disruptive global affairs, we reflect on universities’ role in providing environments conducive to the holistic development of students. Students who integrate well and participate broadly in the various aspects of university life have a sense of belonging to the community and better academic performance outcomes. We explore universities’ roles in offering students both a vibrant student life and the essential resources to support the total wellbeing of those in our communities.
National University of Singapore,
Singapore
Associate Professor Leong Ching
Vice-Provost (Student Life)
Leong Ching is Vice Provost (Student Life) and Associate Professor at the NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Her research interests include water policies, environmental behaviour, public sector reform, and communications strategies, while her teaching interests include Public Management, Leadership and Logic. Assoc Prof Leong also writes widely on water issues in the media with articles in national newspapers and specialised water journals. Her work has appeared in the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (JPART), Global Environmental Change, and International Journal of Water Resources Management. Her commentaries have been published in The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, The Jakarta Post, China Daily, as well as newspapers in Singapore. As Vice Provost (Student Life), she has focused on ensuring greater access and equality for all its students and made student life – including in sports, arts and community engagement - an essential part of an NUS education.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AT RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE
At Ridge View Residential College (RVRC), experiential learning is the core focus, emphasising sustainability education and workplace readiness for young adults. The College offers a unique two-year programme aligned with NUS’ General Education Curriculum and the UN SDGs. Small-group collaborative learning facilitates deeper student engagement and support, and is complemented by co-academic activities to make learning fun. RVRC Fellows implement experiential learning pedagogies, treating the world as a classroom to encourage students to tackle complex issues by acquiring diverse capabilities and implementing novel ideas during and beyond their time at the College.
WELLNESS OASIS AT NUS PITSTOP
PitStops are strategically situated across the campus to offer NUS students moments of respite amidst the hustle and bustle of university life, and help prioritise their wellbeing. PitStop@UTown is the flagship space and a drop-in oasis built exclusively for students to unwind, recharge, and forge meaningful connections with their peers in a supportive and engaging environment. The Office of Student Affairs Student Wellness team and Peer Student Supporters are on duty to provide support, and students can seek guidance, share their concerns or simply connect with someone who cares. PitStops are integral in NUS’ culture where mental health is valued, supported and prioritised at every level so that we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of our students and the broader university community.
