NUS SUSTAINABLE
FUTURES FORUM
Accelerating Science Translation through
Public-Private-People Partnership
The NUS Sustainable Futures Forum marks the launch of NUS Sustainable Futures, a whole-of-university effort to drive sustainability research and education and develop innovative solutions for climate challenges, particularly those impacting Asia. A partner event of Ecosperity Week 2025, the forum also features 4 panel discussions on exciting research topics, from emerging energy technologies and climate-resilient agriculture to sustainable urban solutions and capacity building.

6 May 2025
2 ⁠–⁠⁠ 6 PM

Marina Bay Sands,
Lvl 4 Simpor Junior Ballroom,
4811 ⁠⁠– ⁠4813

This event is by invitation only

Event Details

  •    
    1330 hrs Registration
    Marina Bay Sands, Lvl 4 Simpor Junior Ballroom, 4811 ⁠⁠– ⁠4813
    1400 hrs Arrival of Guest of Honour

    Dr Amy Khor

    Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and Ministry of Transport

    Mr Hsieh Fu Hua

    Chairman of the NUS Board

    Prof Low Teck Seng

    Senior Vice President (Sustainability and Resilience), NUS

    Prof Koh Lian Pin

    Vice President and Chief Sustainability Scientist, NUS
    Welcome Address:

    Professor Koh Lian Pin

    Vice President and Chief Sustainability Scientist, National University of Singapore (NUS)
    Opening Address:

    Dr Amy Khor

    Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and Ministry of Transport
    1420 hrs Launch of NUS Sustainable Futures
    Dr Amy Khor, Prof Koh Lian Pin, and Co-Directors/Heads of NUS Sustainable Futures, will be invited on stage to mark the launch of the new initiative.
    1430 hrs Panel Discussion 1: Advancing Grid Modernisation and Renewable Energy Integration for a Sustainable Future
    Focuses on modernising grid infrastructure, integrating distributed and renewable energy resources, leveraging new technologies and addressing regulatory, economic and social aspects, while emphasising the importance of cross-sector collaboration.

    Ms Kitty Bu

    Vice President, Southeast Asia, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP)

    Dr Chan Jhan Yhee

    Southeast Asia Transmission & Distribution (T&D) Leader, Arup

    Mr Low Xin Wei

    Assistant Chief Executive, Markets & Systems Division, Energy Market Authority (EMA) 

    Prof Iain MacGill

    Collaboration on Energy and Environmental Markets, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

    Dr Su Bin

    Senior Research Fellow and Division Head, Energy Studies Institute, NUS

    Prof Lee Poh Seng (Moderator)

    Co-Director (NUS Energy Solutions Hub), NUS Sustainable Futures
    1515 hrs Panel Discussion 2: Transformational Changes for Climate-resilient Agriculture in Southeast Asia
    Discusses the key strategies to secure food production in Southeast Asia in the face of climate change, covering topics such as the potential of AI digital twins for modernisation, the generation of carbon credits from decarbonisation practices and the potential to secure Singapore’s food imports.

    Dr Lesly Goh

    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Scientist, Senior Technology Advisor and Former CTO at World Bank Group

    Prof Kaiyu Guan

    Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

    Asst Prof Janice Lee

    Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University

    Dr Lim Yuan Liang

    Director of Technology, Office for Space Technology and Industry, Singapore Economic Development Board

    Asst Prof Remi Luo

    Department of Geography, NUS

    Assoc Prof L. Roman Carrasco (Moderator)

    Co-Director (Initiatives for Climate, Oceans and Nature), NUS Sustainable Futures
    1600 hrs Tea Refreshment
    1620 hrs Panel Discussion 3: Capacity Building Track by NUS Sustainability Academy
    Focuses on efforts by NUS and its key partners’ roles in developing and delivering continuing education training programmes rooted in climate, conservation and sustainability science and actionable research to help workers chart meaningful career transitions and address critical policy and industry demands.

    More speakers to be confirmed at a later date
     

    Mr Gavin Chua

    APAC Head of Stakeholder Engagement, Meta

    Mr Tony Goldner

    CEO, Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)

    Prof Lawrence Loh

    Director, Centre for Governance and Sustainability, NUS Business School

    Ms Melissa Low (Moderator)

    Head (NUS Sustainability Academy), NUS Sustainable Futures
    1705 hrs Panel Discussion 4: Inclusive Cities for a Sustainable Future: Community, Health and Social Capital
    Examines the intersection of social capital, microclimate and health impacts, particularly on vulnerable communities in urban settings, and explores how urban sustainability efforts can integrate climate adaption strategies with social resilience to improve well-being in cities.

    Mr Chiu Wen Tung

    Group Director (Research & Development), Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)

    Dr Hee Limin

    Director of Research, Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), Singapore

    Prof Yu Qin

    Department of Real Estate, NUS 

    Prof Emeritus Dr Schubert Renate

    Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, ETH Zurich

    Adjunct Asst Prof Amanda Zain

    Deputy Director, Centre of Sustainable Medicine, NUS

    Assoc Prof Yuan Chao (Moderator)

    Co-Director (Integrative Urban Solutions), NUS Sustainable Futures
    1750 hrs Closing Remarks
  • 6 May 2025 | 2 – 6 PM 
    Marina Bay Sands, Lvl 4 Simpor Junior Ballroom, 4811 ⁠⁠– ⁠4813 
    For enquiries, please contact sustainability@nus.edu.sg 

Speakers

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Dr Amy Khor

Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and Ministry of Transport

Dr Khor has been the Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment since October 2015, when the Ministry was known as the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. She has held appointments in various Ministries, including the Ministry of Health (2011-2020) and Manpower (2012-2015). She holds a PhD in Land Management from the University of Reading, UK.

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Professor Koh Lian Pin

Vice President and Chief Sustainability Scientist, National University of Singapore (NUS)

Prof Koh helms NUS’ sustainability agenda, bringing stakeholders together to enhance the climate resilience and sustainability of Singapore through system-level mitigation and adaptation solutions. He oversees sustainability-related research at NUS, tackling the twin planetary crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, through a whole-of-university strategy that bridges academia with policymakers, industry and civil society. He leads the NUS Sustainable Futures and is the Director of the NUS Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions. He is also the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Professor of Conservation.

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    Ms Kitty Bu

    Vice President, Southeast Asia, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP)

    Ms Bu is an impact-driven leader passionate about catalysing system transitions towards achieving net-zero economies at scale. At GEAPP, she leads a team in identifying and executing opportunities to catalyse investment in critical solutions for decarbonising the region. She draws on her extensive experience in the private sector and working at the nexus of business, policy, and finance to enable disruptive technologies and business models to thrive. Prior to joining GEAPP, Kitty served as Asia Chief Representative for Impossible Foods. She had earlier launched the China program for the Rocky Mountain Institute’s work in energy transition and a new renewable energy practice at the European Climate Foundation.

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    Dr Chan Jhan Yhee

    Southeast Asia Transmission & Distribution (T&D) Leader, Arup

    The Southeast Asia T&D Leader at Arup, Dr Chan specialises in energy infrastructure projects and has provided advice to renewable developers, network operators and government agencies on utility-scale energy storage, power quality and regional grids in Southeast Asia.

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    Prof Iain MacGill

    Collaboration on Energy and Environmental Markets, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

    Assoc Prof McGill's teaching and research interests range from electricity industry restructuring and the Australian National Electricity Market, to sustainable energy generation technologies, distributed energy resources, energy efficiency options, energy and climate policy and environmental regulation.

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    Mr Low Xin Wei

    Assistant Chief Executive, Markets & Systems Division, Energy Market Authority (EMA)

    In his current role at EMA, Mr Low spearheads the development of the future energy systems blueprint while ensuring a well-designed electricity market and future-looking industry with the necessary capabilities to deliver desired outcomes to consumers. Prior to his current appointment, he served as the Group Chief Technology Officer at the Public Sector Science and Technology Policy and Plans Office (S&TPPO) under the Prime Minister's Office, and has made significant contributions to Singapore's advancement in the field of technology and energy, especially in areas of sustainability and decarbonisation. 

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    Dr Su Bin

    Senior Research Fellow and Division Head, Energy Studies Institute, NUS

    Dr Su leads the energy modelling programme at the Energy Research Institute and is actively involved in energy modelling related projects commissioned by government agencies. His research interests include energy and environmental systems modelling and analysis.

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    Prof Lee Poh Seng (Moderator)

    Co-Director (NUS Energy Solutions Hub), NUS Sustainable Futures

    Prof Lee’s research interests include microfluidics and microscale heat transfer, high performance thermal management techniques (in particular microchannel single- and two-phase cooling) and hybrid solar energy harvesting systems. He is also the Head of the NUS Department of Mechanical Engineering.

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    Dr Lesly Goh

    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Scientist, Senior Technology Advisor and Former CTO at World Bank Group

    Dr Goh is a distinguished international policy advisor working to leverage data and technology innovations in developing countries in AgTech, FinTech, and Digital Transformation in Government. In October 2023, she was a resident at The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Centre where she designed an innovation ecosystem bringing multi-stakeholder partnerships for decarbonisation of agriculture. Her work explores how biodiversity benefits that could unlock a “triple win” — supporting human health, environmental sustainability, and economic resilience.

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    Prof Kaiyu Guan

    Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

    Prof Guan's research uses satellite data, computational models, fieldwork, and machine learning approaches to address how climate and human practices affect crop productivity, water resource availability and ecosystem functioning, with a focus on solving real-life problems, such as crop monitoring and forecasting, water management and sustainability, and global food security.

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    Asst Prof Janice Lee

    Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University

    Much of Asst Prof Lee's work focuses on the social and ecological consequences of human impacts on the environment, especially within Southeast Asia. Specifically, she is looking at the conservation and development challenges faced by commercial and small-scale agricultural expansion in the tropics.

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    Dr Lim Yuan Liang

    Director of Technology, Office for Space Technology and Industry, Singapore Economic Development Board

    Having previously made significant contributions to defense technology at Defence Science Organisation, Dr Lim's current role involves planning and developing technological initiatives that bolster Singapore's space industry, promoting innovation, and facilitating international partnerships.

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    Asst Prof Remi Luo

    Department of Geography, NUS

    A climate change ecologist, Asst Prof Luo examines the impacts of climate variability and long-term trend on terrestrial ecosystems. His research interest is in studying the dynamics of the terrestrial carbon cycle, using data from several networks of ecological observations, Earth System Models, remote sensing, and results from field experiments.

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    Assoc Prof L. Roman Carrasco (Moderator)

    Co-Director (Initiatives for Climate, Oceans and Nature), NUS Sustainable Futures

    Assoc Prof Carrasco is the Deputy Head of the NUS Department of Biological Sciences. His research interest revolves around the reconciliation of biodiversity conservation, food security and economic development in the tropics including identifying the mechanisms for global market systems to internalise the true economic value of tropical forests.

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    Mr Gavin Chua

    APAC Head of Stakeholder Engagement, Meta

    Mr Chua leads stakeholder engagements to develop Meta’s internet investment interests in Asia. He is a regional spokesperson for Meta and sponsors social and economic impact programs in relation to digital skills, sustainability and AI. In Singapore, he is vice-chair of SGTech, Singapore’s leading tech trade association, and executive member of Climate Action SG Alliance. Prior to Meta, he was a partner at Control Risks advising multinationals on business risks as they invested in emerging markets. Early in his career, he co-founded a data analytics start-up and gained experiences from the Singapore civil service (PM’s Office), university teaching (SUSS), and think tank advocacy (SIIA).

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    Mr Tony Goldner

    CEO, Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)

    Mr Goldner has been working at the intersection of finance, sustainable development and diplomacy for over two decades. Prior to joining TNFD, he was an adviser to government, financial sector and philanthropic leaders on a range of sustainable development challenges, including as a Senior Adviser with the World Bank Group. As a Partner at Monitor Deloitte, Tony led the development of national reform strategies and advised on the design of governance arrangements and performance management frameworks aligned to the SDGs. He was a senior member of Monitor Group’s global public sector advisory practice, has advised Fortune 500 US companies on their sustainability strategy and co-authored a seminal 2008 report on the investment behaviour of Sovereign Wealth Funds.

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    Prof Lawrence Loh

    Director, Centre for Governance and Sustainability, NUS Business School

    Prof Loh leads key sustainability initiatives for Asia-Pacific, ASEAN and Singapore, including steering the Singapore Governance and Transparency Index and ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard. In the domain of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) relevant for strategic management and sustainable finance, he has extensive professional engagements in the global and regional arenas.

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    Ms Melissa Low (Moderator)

    Head (NUS Sustainability Academy), NUS Sustainable Futures

    A Research Fellow at the NUS Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions, Ms Low's research focuses on the transformative promise of transparency reporting, particularly on how it can increase the level of governments and stakeholders in ensuring environmental integrity when they enhance their climate ambition.

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    Mr Chiu Wen Tung

    Group Director (Research & Development), Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)

    Mr Chiu leads his team to research for solutions to meet Singapore’s future planning needs and steers URA’s research programmes. He was previously Executive Director (Resource Development) in EDB, responsible for planning and securing resources needed for industries to grow in Singapore.

    Hee Limin

    Dr Hee Limin

    Director of Research, Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), Singapore

    At CLC, Dr Hee focuses on research strategies, content development and international collaborations. Under her leadership, CLC Research spearheads forward-looking studies that consider how cities can prepare for the future and thrive in the face of driving forces such as resource shifts, the push for net-zero cities, ageing societies, and new ways of live-work-play. She previously played similar leading research roles at the NUS School of Design and Environment, as well as at the Centre for Sustainable Asian Cities and the Asia Research Institute.

    Yu Qin_IUS_2

    Prof Yu Qin

    Department of Real Estate, NUS 

    Prof Yu’s research interests include urban economics (on topics related to transportation and real estate market) and environmental economics (on topics related to air pollution and climate change). Her research has been published in leading journals, including Nature Climate Change, Nature Human Behaviour and Nature Water.  Currently, she is the co-editor of the China Economic Review, associate editor of Journal of Economic Behaviour & Organisation, and in the editorial board of Journal of Economic Geography.

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    Prof Emeritus Dr Schubert Renate

    Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, ETH Zurich

    A dedicated researcher and teacher, Prof Renate’s key focus is on behavioural economics, environmental and energy economics, social and political analyses as well as digitisation. She is an advisor to governmental committees and an expert in assessments of research projects and institutions. She is the Dean of the Economics Faculty at UniDistance Suisse and was previously the Professor for Economics at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich and a Research Professor and PI at the Singapore ETH Centre, Future Resilient Systems Program.

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    Adjunct Asst Prof Amanda Zain

    Deputy Director, Centre of Sustainable Medicine, NUS 

    Dr Zain is also the Assistant Dean of Sustainability at NUS Medicine and a paediatric consultant at the National University Hospital. As a paediatric consultant and mother of two, her call to action was when she learned that 88% of the burden of climate change falls on children. She has since been actively engaged in clinical sustainability projects and advanced the community of practice in sustainable healthcare among clinicians across Singapore. She currently leads the Green QI module of the NUH Residency Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Distinction Programme (QIPS).

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    Assoc Prof Yuan Chao (Moderator)

    Co-Director (Integrative Urban Solutions), NUS Sustainable Futures

    Assoc Prof Yuan is an associate professor with tenure at the NUS Department of Architecture as well as the Principal Investigator of Urban Climate Design Lab in NUS. He currently leads a research team – in collaboration with MIT and ETH Zurich – to conduct several studies on urban climate and future resilience for high density cities. His teaching and research focus include urban wind environment, air pollution, anthropogenic heat, passive cooling technologies, and urban greenery.

Contact Us

This forum is by invitation only. If you are keen to attend, please email sustainability@nus.edu.sg.

For more information on NUS Sustainable Futures, click here.

In partnership with:

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