Director's Message
For nearly two decades, the CN Yang Scholars Programme has been an incubator for science and engineering talent at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. With its cross-disciplinary curriculum and tightly-knit student community, it provides one of the most unique educational experiences at NTU, and indeed worldwide.
At the CN Yang Scholars Programme's launch in 2006, NTU had just begun its transformation from a narrowly focused engineering school to a full-fledged research university. The university's leadership, led by then-President Professor Su Guaning, conceived of a programme to attract a new kind of NTU undergraduate: one deeply curious about all aspects of science, passionate about exploring the frontiers of knowledge, and keen to work alongside similarly-minded peers.
Today, this vision has materialised into a vibrant scholarship programme admitting over 50 exceptional students each year. Our scholars come from many diverse backgrounds, but the common thread uniting them is scientific curiosity. This curiosity guides and motivates them through the programme's challenging curriculum, which includes a broad swathe of topics in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, and Earth Sciences, along with in-depth undergraduate research experiences.
However, each scholar need not face these challenges alone, due to the CN Yang Scholarship Programme's exceptionally vibrant student community. The experience of taking courses with scholars from different disciplines, working together on complex projects, and often staying at the same residence halls, forges strong life-long social bonds. In addition, thanks to the programme's support for overseas experiences, our scholars have the chance to build valuable academic and social networks all over the world.
Alumni of the CN Yang Scholars Programme have gone on to work at leading companies, from startups to global tech giants, or proceeded to advanced studies at top universities worldwide. Our students are graduating into a world facing many challenges, from the energy transition to the disruptions of artificial intelligence, but the values embedded in the CN Yang Scholars Programme — curiosity, scientific rigour, teamwork, and an international outlook —are the key to tackling these problems. I am confident that the privileges and opportunities given to CN Yang scholars at NTU will translate into lasting contributions for society.