NIE Graduate Research Conference: Reshaping Future Landscapes: Innovating Research and Practice for a New Era
Our registration is now closed! See you at the conference.
To access our program information, please view our conference booklet below!
In an era defined by rapid change and uncertainty, research and practice must continually evolve to remain responsive and adaptive in addressing the complexity of global challenges.
Reshaping Future Landscapes underscores the critical importance of innovation in advancing scientific inquiry, challenging conventional boundaries, fostering interdisciplinarity, and driving meaningful change.
This conference invites scholars and educators to present pioneering research that promotes positive impact and contributes to the envisioning of forward-looking futures.
Participants and audience are to take note of the venue for the main activities:
- Conference Day 01 | 📅17 October 2025 - Friday | 📍In-Person @ NIE – Lecture Theatre 1
- Poster Presentations
- Conference Day 02 | 📅18 October 2025 - Saturday | 📍Online Zoom
*Conference programme and timing is subject to minor intra-day adjustments to support programming purposes – Conference programme booklet will be sent to all registrants’ emails closer to the date of the conference.
| CONFERENCE DAY 01 (In-Person @ NIE) | |
| Time (SGT / UTC+8) | Activity |
| All-Day | Poster Presentation (Concurrent) |
| 0900 – 0930 | Registration & Morning Refreshments |
| 0930 – 1000 | Conference Opening by Committee |
| 1000 – 1045 | Conference Day 01 Keynote Speech |
| 1045 – 1200 | Ignite Talks |
| 1200 – 1315 | Lunch Break |
| 1315 – 1430 | Open Minds |
| 1430 – 1500 | Tea Break |
| 1500 – 1530 | Closing Day 01 by Committee |
| CONFERENCE DAY 02 (Online Zoom) | |
| Time (SGT / UTC+8) | Activity |
| All-Day | E-Poster Virtual Gallery Showcase (Concurrent) |
| 0900 – 0915 | Online Registration |
| 0915 – 0930 | Welcome by Committee |
| 0930 – 1015 | Conference Day 02 Keynote Speech |
| 1015 – 1145 | Oral Presentations Session 1 |
| 1145 – 1315 | Oral Presentations Session 2 |
| 1315 – 1445 | Conference Workshop |
| 1445 – 1500 | Closing Day 02 by Committee |
OpenMinds 2025
OpenMinds 2025 is an event organized as part of the NIE Graduate Research Conference (NIE-GRC) and provides opportunities for you, NIE students, to interact with each other while spurring intellectual dialogic conversations.
Shortlisted finalists will present their innovative ideas on NIE-GRC Conference Day 01 which is set to happen on 17 October 2025 (Friday).
The theme for this year is The Future of Education.
In this event, participants will form groups of 3-4 members (or you can sign up as individuals and we will place you in a group) and prepare a presentation on their vision on the Future of Education. Each team will then prepare a set of presentation slides and submit to the panel for selection.
The top team will walk away with $800 and the runner-up team with $400 based on audience voting and judges scores. All presenting teams will receive attractive prizes.
IgniteTalks 2025
IgniteTalks 2025 is an event organized as part of the NIE Graduate Research Conference (NIE-GRC) and provides opportunities for you, NIE students, a platform to showcase your research in a heart-pulsing format where you have 5 mins to present your idea / work using 20 slides where the slides automatically advance every 15 secs!
Shortlisted finalists will present their innovative ideas on NIE-GRC Conference Day 01 which is set to happen on 17 October 2025 (Friday).
Recommended presentation content:
The top presenter will walk away with $300 and the runner-up with $200 based on audience voting and judges scores. All presenting finalists will receive attractive prizes.
Education Research Scientist, Centre for Research in Pedagogy & Practice (CRPP)
Research Scientist, National Institute of Education - Office for Research (OfR)
Education Research Scientist, Centre for Research in Pedagogy & Practice (CRPP)
Research Scientist, National Institute of Education - Office for Research (OfR)
AI Meets Education: A Glimpse of Research and Real-World Impact
Workshop Synopsis: This interactive online workshop explores how research at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Education translates into practical applications and use cases in educational settings. Apart from gaining insights into emerging AI-driven tools, data analytics for learning, and ethical considerations that shape the classroom of the future, the workshop also draws from current studies and highlights potential use cases of AI supporting teaching, learning, and assessment. Designed in a sharing-based format, the workshop encourages students to participate in dialogue and Q&A, to connect theory with practice and critically consider AI’s evolving role in educational settings.
About the Workshop Speakers:
Speaker #1: Dr. Yuan's research focuses on AI in Education (AI-ED), knowledge building pedagogies, and integrating AI teaching into primary and middle school students' learning to foster collaborative learning and problem-solving skills. She has led projects on AI-coding hackathons for low-SES students, Brainwave responses to idea improvement using EEG, and Empowering Elementary Learning with A Generative AI Chatbot. Her work emphasizes equitable AI literacy, epistemic agency, and innovative learning spaces. She is also interested in bridging theoretical AI frameworks with practical applications for diverse teachers.
Speaker #2: Dr. Lee leads research in Artificial Intelligence in Education, Learning Analytics, Knowledge Building, Technology-Enabled Assessment, and Internet of Things. His prominent works incorporated machine learning and learning analytics to understanding collaborative learning and knowledge building discourse. He has chaired international sub-conferences and doctoral consortiums and was the first APSCE student wing chair in Asia-Pacific. His honors include a Fulbright Visiting Scholar Award to the University of Pennsylvania, twice awardee of the NIE Dean's Commendation for Research, Outstanding Mentor Award in the Science Mentorship Program, and a 3M Best Poster Award. He currently teaches post-graduate students and in-service teachers on AI in Education.
Prof Emma Mary Hill
Professor, Nanyang Technological University
School Chair (ASE), Interim Director (EOS)
President's Chair in Earth Sciences
Professor, Asian School of the Environment
Interim Director, Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS)
Deep Thinking in an Age of Distraction: Why It Matters for Wicked Problems
Keynote Synopsis: Climate change and other global challenges are “wicked problems” – complex, evolving, and deeply entangled with social and environmental systems. Solving them demands deep, integrative thinking, yet our ability to think this way is eroding. Social media fragments attention, work cultures prioritize responsiveness over reflection, and large language models are reshaping cognition. Research shows that our plastic brains are adapting: skimming and multitasking are reinforced, while focus and deep thought decline. This shift not only weakens our problem-solving capacity but also our well-being, as deep engagement – or “flow” – is a key source of fulfilment. This presentation will explore the nature of wicked environmental challenges and offer a call to action for educators and researchers: to defend and nurture the mental habits needed to confront complexity with creativity and care.
About the Speaker: Prof Emma Hill is Chair of the Asian School of the Environment, Interim Director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore, and President’s Chair in Earth Sciences at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her research focus is geohazards and sea-level rise across Southeast Asia. In teaching and leadership, she is passionate about building environments that protect people’s ability to conduct creative, fulfilling, deep thinking. Prior to joining NTU in 2010, Emma was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, USA. She obtained her Ph.D. in Geophysics from the University of Nevada, Reno, USA, and her B.Sc. in Surveying and Mapping Sciences from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.
Assoc Prof Soo Yuen Jien
Associate Professor
National University of Singapore
Associate Professor NUS School of Computing
Director, Centre For Development Of Teaching & Learning
AI in Education - Experience and Perspective Sharing
Keynote Synopsis: In this talk, we will share NUS's key directions in responding to the impact of Artificial Intelligence, especially Generative AI on tertiary education. The two-pronged AI strategy differentiates the impact of AI on day-to-day teaching and learning; as well as the impact on the academic disciplines (majors). Lessons and ideas learned along this journey can serve as potential exploration topics in education research and education training.
About the Speaker: Prof Soo Yuen Jien is the Director (Teaching & Learning) of NUS Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) and a faculty member in NUS School of Computing. An avid and innovative educator, Yuen Jien has been recognized by multiple teaching awards at NUS, including the NUS Outstanding Educator Award in 2018. Yuen Jien has developed several pieces of educational software and platforms, a number of which were cross-disciplinary collaborations with colleagues from other faculties and schools. In recent years, Yuen Jien oversees the effort of "AI in Education" in NUS, focusing on supporting faculty members to understand and integrate AI meaningfully in teaching and learning.
Our call for submissions has closed. We look forward to seeing you at the conference!
Poster presentations will take on the following format:
- Presentation will be held on Conference Day 01 (In-Person@NIE)
- Printed A1 poster
The poster presentations will have two categories. You should choose the appropriate category based on the nature and stage of your research:
Category 1 – Empirical Poster
- Studies that have already obtained results and findings.
- Suitable for mid to late-stage Master's by Coursework (dissertation route) / Master's by Research / PhD students who have already undergone data collection or researchers who have completed studies.
Category 2 – Research Proposal / Theoretical Poster*
- In-progress research proposals or theoretical pieces.
- Suitable for Master's by Coursework (coursework-only route) students (e.g., research proposals written for assignments / Integrated Project / etc.).
- Suitable for early-stage Master's by Coursework (dissertation route) / Master's by Research / PhD students who have not undergone data collection but have done substantial literature review.
*Research Proposal / Theoretical Posters will have the category reflected on the certificate.
Application / Abstract Submission Guidelines:
- Title: 15 words
- Abstract: 300 words. In your abstract please include:
- Author’s name
- Author’s university and school
- Brief mention of key literature and research gaps
- Your research question(s) or reason(s) for the topic being addressed
- Brief mention of key findings / discussions / arguments (for Category 1 – Empirical Posters) OR
- Brief mention of research or study plan and methodology (for Category 2 – Research Proposal / Theoretical Posters)
- Keywords
Poster Presentation Guidelines:
- Please use the NIE-GRC Poster Template to craft your poster.
Please refer to the other guidelines here.
Note:
- Presenters are required to submit a softcopy of their poster to the organizing committee when prompted through their registered mail closer to the date of the conference for programming purposes.
- The top posters from the Empirical Poster Category and the Research Proposal/Theoretical Poster Category will each be selected via audience voting to receive a prize of $200 each.
- Each participant will be eligible to receive only one prize across the poster categories (Empirical and Research Proposal / Theoretical), regardless of the number of submissions made.
Oral presentations will take on the following format:
- Presentation will be held on Conference Day 02 (Online Zoom)
- 15 mins presentation
- 10 mins Q&A segment
Application / Abstract Submission Guidelines:
- Title: 15 words
- Abstract: 300 words. In your abstract please include:
- Author’s name
- Author’s university and school
- Brief mention of key literature and research gaps
- Your research question(s) or reason(s) for the topic being addressed
- Brief mention of key findings / discussions / arguments
- Keywords
Oral Presentation Guidelines:
- Please refer to the other guidelines here.
The topics listed below are some recommended topics that graduate students can consider presenting on. The field and topics are non-exhaustive and graduate students can present their research in consideration of its alignment with the conference theme.
Examples include but are not limited to fields and topics such as Educational Psychology, Counselling, Sociology, Special Needs and Early Childhood Education, Multimedia and Information Technology, Curriculum Development, School and Educational Management, Educational Management, New Literacies, Digital Literacies, Cross-Disciplinarity, and Psychology.
Organising Committee
Learn more about the amazing team behind this year’s conference
Meet Our People