Drawn to NTU

Text: Sadia Roohi

Prof Christian Wolfrum
Deputy President and Provost 

Biomedical scientist Prof Wolfrum left ETH Zurich in Switzerland for Singapore, attracted by NTU’s strengths in science and engineering, and its interdisciplinary approach to education and innovation.

“I believe that research and education in a university are deeply intertwined,” he says. “I’m excited to help sustain an environment where discoveries in the lab inform classroom teaching, and where questions raised by students inspire new research.”

A firm believer in translating ideas into real-world impact, Prof Wolfrum founded two startups and works closely with pharmaceutical industries. At NTU, he’s eager to guide students and researchers in turning their innovations into patents and spin-offs.

“NTU and Singapore are vibrant, agile and dedicated to excellence. People here want to move forward, to develop something novel to advance their fields. I look forward to helping shape the next generation of researchers and graduates,” he adds.

Prof Ernst Kuipers
Vice President (Research)

“NTU’s journey over the past 30 years has been amazing,” says Prof Kuipers, a renowned gastroenterologist who was the Dutch Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport before joining the University.

The clinician-scientist and former hospital CEO says he was drawn to NTU’s “remarkable rise” as a young institution that has achieved a global standing comparable to universities with far longer histories. “NTU has the expertise, the young talents and the infrastructure for working on many issues for the long term,” he notes.

Prof Kuipers envisions NTU as a place where ideas transcend silos to address global challenges like climate change and infectious diseases, which demand multidisciplinary solutions.

“For example, responding to climate change involves various areas, such as climate science, earth science, social science, communications, international studies and medicine. We also need financial experts to think about the systems to finance the measures required to tackle climate change. As such, we must create opportunities for people at NTU to interact and find one another,” he explains.

He is already putting this vision into action, building partnerships with universities and companies.

Prof Jon Wilson
Dean, College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences

For Prof Wilson, what led him to NTU was the opportunity to be part of an institution where cross-disciplinary collaboration is more than a catchphrase.

“Lots of universities talk about ‘oneinstitution’. It is a reality at NTU, with many possibilities for cross-college, cross- disciplinary, maybe even whole university collaboration,” he says.

“At NTU, scholars think about connections between fields and places in a way I’ve not seen elsewhere.” 

A historian of Asia and the post-colonial world, Prof Wilson brings over 16 years of academic leadership from King’s College London, where he led one of the UK’s most globally engaged history departments.

Now at the helm of NTU’s humanities, arts and social sciences college, he draws on his expertise in the history of Asia and global politics, along with his passion for connecting ideas across disciplines, to shape the college’s next phase of growth. 

A priority is strengthening the faculty through targeted recruitment and talent development initiatives.

“I also want to promote innovative research, foster cross-college programmes and connect scholarship with broader audiences,” he says.

Prof Warren Chan
Dean, College of Engineering 

“NTU is in an exciting phase, with endless possibilities to innovate in education and research,” says Prof Chan, a pioneer in nanobiotechnology who spent two decades at the University of Toronto.

Inspired by this momentum, he chose to continue his career in Singapore – and now leads efforts to recruit top global faculty and strengthen engineering research and education at NTU.

Seeing how a meal brings people together, he often organises team events that combine food with open conversations to spark creativity.

“Everyone loves food here, right? The idea is to get people together to talk about science and engineering in an environment that is not stressful. That’s how new ideas, new projects, or even companies come about,” says the co- Founder of four startups.

Prof Chan, an avid cook, likens leadership to making a good pizza: define the goal, gather the right ingredients, execute, then refine based on results – an approach he brings to managing NTU’s College of Engineering.

Prof Jun Yang
Dean, Nanyang Business School 

An expert in corporate governance and fintech, Prof Yang spent over 20 years at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business before joining the Nanyang Business School (NBS) as Dean.

What drew her to NTU was its strong foundation in technology, its global standing and NBS’s unique role as a business school embedded within a leading technological university. The University’s commitment to interdisciplinary research, international collaboration and sustainability closely aligns with her vision for business education that drives meaningful, real-world impact.

“I’m fortunate to work with a talented team here, and my goal is to harness that talent to shape the future of business education and research through innovation and purpose,” she says.

Holding dual PhDs in finance and engineering management, she brings a multidisciplinary lens to leadership.

Since arriving, she has engaged broadly across the community, led outreach to top global institutions, and focused on recruiting world-class faculty to strengthen NBS’s global reputation in education and research.

This article first appeared in issue 6 of U, the NTU alumni magazine.