Thought Leadership

Some of the world’s leaders, and leading thinkers from NUS and overseas, regularly gather and add to the rich diversity of thoughts and ideas on our campuses, in Singapore and across the globe.
Here’s what they had to share.

Kopi, kaya and a longer life: Hawker centres hold the key

Kopi, kaya and a longer life: Hawker centres hold the key

Speaker: Dr Daniel Mahadzir 27 November 2025

Apart from ordering food, hawker centres play another role, tackling social isolation.

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I started @katong.joochiat to document my neighbourhood. This is how it has reshaped my ideas of heritage

I started @katong.joochiat to document my neighbourhood. This is how it has reshaped my ideas of heritage

Speaker: Speaker: Tan Li Ming, Associate Scientist | 30 July 2024

Air-con a need or a want? Evolving expectations require fine-tuning of social support

Air-con a need or a want? Evolving expectations require fine-tuning of social support

Speaker: Speakers: Associate Professor (Practice) Terence Ho | 25 July 2024

Herding Cats: Coordination Challenges in ASEAN’s Approach to China

Herding Cats: Coordination Challenges in ASEAN’s Approach to China

Speaker: Speaker: Associate Professor Chong Ja Ian | 23 July 2024

Many seriously ill patients end up living for treatment

Many seriously ill patients end up living for treatment

Speaker: Speakers: Assoc Prof Alethea Yee, Asst Prof Shirlyn Neo and Asst Prof Gillian Phua from the Lien Centre for Palliative Care at Duke-NUS Medical School | 18 July 2024

Parents and kids can be better off if we widen concept of merit

Parents and kids can be better off if we widen concept of merit

Speaker: Ms Tan Poh Lin, Senior Research Fellow from the Institute of Policy Studies, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS | 15 July 2024

More S’pore women may skip marriage. Are gender relations behind this?

More S’pore women may skip marriage. Are gender relations behind this?

Speaker: Speaker: By Dr Kalpana Vignehsa, Senior Research Fellow from the Governance and Economy Department at the Institute of Policy Studies, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS | 12 July 2024

Maybe JB: Can Johor’s infrastructure cope with its rising popularity?

Maybe JB: Can Johor’s infrastructure cope with its rising popularity?

Speaker: Speaker: Dr Serina Abdul Rahman, Lecturer from the Dept of Southeast Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, at NUS | 5 July 2024

Singapore is right to be tough on Airbnb-style short stays

Singapore is right to be tough on Airbnb-style short stays

Speaker: Speaker: Prof Sing Tien Foo, Provost’s Chair Professor at the Dept of Real Estate at NUS Business School | 4 July 2024

Will the social media battle sway voters?

Will the social media battle sway voters?

Speaker: Speaker: Dr Teo Kay Key, Research Fellow at the IPS Social Lab, Institute of Policy Studies, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NU | 4 July 2024

When someone close to you is happy – and it eats away at you

When someone close to you is happy – and it eats away at you

Speaker: Speaker: Prof Chong Siow Ann, Adjunct Professor, NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and Vice Chairman, Medical Board (Research) and Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, Insititute of Mental Health | 1 July 2024