FYI
What's happening in and around NTU
by Derek Rodriguez
Scene + heard
“The NTU professors taught us many concepts in areas such as machine learning, computer vision and natural language processing. All the training sessions were enjoyable, but my favourite was the week-long bootcamp, where we bonded as a team and got to know the professors better.”
Shine Xu (far left) from NUS High School of Math & Science, part of Singapore's team at the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence in Beijing, China. NTU faculty led their preparation, with two team members clinching second and third place among 284 contestants.
NTU: Singapore's best uni, 1st globally for AI
The rankings speak for themselves. NTU is the youngest university in both the global top 12 of the QS World University Rankings and the top five of the QS Asia University Rankings, where it is ranked first in Singapore.
In the latest Times Higher Education Interdisciplinary Science Rankings, NTU placed fifth – the only university in Singapore and Asia to rank in the global top five.
NTU also leads globally in several subject rankings. Most recently, it was ranked first in the world for artificial intelligence (Al) by ShanghaiRanking in its Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, standing out for its high-quality Al research and world-class faculty at the forefront of the field's latest developments.
Excuse me, are you a first author?
NTU undergrads are making waves in the world’s top journals through the University's Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus (URECA) programme. In the last academic year, 14 URECA students were first authors on papers that got published in reputable journals, nearly double the previous year’s eight. From mindsets and emotion regulation to soft robotics and Alzheimer’s disease, their research shows that breakthroughs aren’t only led by graduate students or professors.
Hall 6 gets a glow-up
Hall 6 is getting a big refresh and will be ready for residents next academic year. Apart from all rooms getting air-conditioning, there will be a social kitchen for residents to cook, dine and mingle, a dedicated food and parcel collection room, and a central laundry, pantry and lounge in each block.
No debate, we’re tops
Students from NTU’s Debate Squad dominated the Asian British Parliamentary Championships debating tournament in Kuantan, Malaysia, taking top honours in both team and individual categories. The prestigious event drew 112 teams from 10 countries across Asia. Beyond clinching the championship title, speakers from NTU also claimed first and second overall best speaker awards, as well as the best speaker at the grand finals.
We've got your back
Visual: Bing Image Creator
United by a belief in supporting students, NTU professors and staff have raised over $169,000 for the SG60 NTU Bursary Fund - surpassing the $160,000 target - to help financially needy undergraduates pursue their dreams.
One supporter, Prof Adam Switzer from the Asian School of the Environment, says: “I gave immediately because I believe that no student should be held back by circumstance. Supporting SG60 is not just a donation. It’s an investment in resilience, potential and the future of our community at NTU.”
Close encounters of the NTU kind
Martin (second from left), Yi Jia (third from left) and Jia Min (second from right) with some of the movie’s cast and crew at the New York Asian Film Festival.
Did you catch We Can Save The World!!!? Produced in part by nine NTU alumni, including Lee Yi Jia, Martin Loh and Tan Jia Min from the Class of 2019, the sci-fi comedy about a ragtag group of misfits in Singapore who try to prevent an impending apocalypse made its global premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival and was a smash hit when it was shown on local screens in September and October. “We wanted to make a film from the perspective of how younger people see Singapore,” says Yi Jia. “Not just in language or setting, but in spirit. We want people to watch it and feel uplifted.”
Reeling in gold
Fishing for solutions to marine pollution has paid off for two NTU students. PhD student Koo Pooi Ling and undergraduate Quek El Lynn were part of an inter-country team that clinched gold at a global competition that called for innovative solutions to world problems. Their winning idea? Biodegradable fishing nets made from natural substances found in fish scales, designed to break down naturally in seawater and cut marine waste. Now, they are eager to turn their pitch into a prototype and are seeking partners to bring it to life.
This story was published in the Jan-Feb 2026 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.
