C J Koh Professorship in Education

Each year, outstanding professors in the field of education are hosted by the National Institute of Education under the C J Koh Professorship in Education programme. The C J Koh Professorship has been made possible through a generous donation by the late Mr Ong Tiong Tat, executor of the late lawyer Mr Koh Choon Joo’s (C J Koh) estate, to the Nanyang Technological University Endowment Fund.

About the Professorship

C J Koh Professorial Lecture Series

Find out more

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The C J Koh Professorial Lecture Series was launched by the Office of Education Research on 1 March 2011 to foster knowledge building and sharing among our local and international education stakeholders. Each lecture offers valuable insights drawn from the C J Koh Professorship visits, benefiting educators, policymakers, and partners across the sector. Since 2016, the Professorship and Lecture Series has come under the purview of NIE Director’s Office.

Named C J Koh Professors

17th C J Koh Professor (Sept - Oct 2025)

Professor Christopher Chapman

Areas of Expertise: Understanding and influencing how educational and public policy intersect with practice to improve outcomes for disadvantaged learners—through leadership, collaboration, equity-driven reform, and evidence-informed systemic change

16th C J Koh Professor (23 Sept - 4 Oct 2024)

Professor Justin Dillon

Area of Expertise: Curriculum and pedagogy, Specialist studies in education, Education systems, Environmental education curriculum and pedagogy, Climate change impacts and adaptation

15th C J Koh Professor (22 May to 1 Jun 2023)

Professor James Arthur

Areas of Expertise: Relationship between theory and practice in education, particularly the links between character, virtues, citizenship, religion and education

14th C J Koh Professor (7 to 18 Oct 2019)

Professor George Siemens

Areas of Expertise: Networks, analytics, and human and artificial cognition in education

13th C J Koh Professor (24 to 28 Sep 2018)

Professor Pam Grossman

Areas of Expertise: Assessment, Testing and Measurement | Professional Development | Teachers and Teaching

12th C J Koh Professor (5 to 12 Oct 2017)

Professor Richie Poulton

Areas of Expertise: Mental health, gene X environment prediction of complex disorders, and psychosocial determinants of chronic physical disease

11th C J Koh Professor (16 to 23 May 2015)

Professor Fernando Reimers

Area of Expertise: Global Education

10th C J Koh Professor (2 to 10 Mar 2014)

Professor Dennis Shirley

Areas of Expertise: Comparative & International Education Curriculum & Instruction Formative and Whole Person Education Philosophy of Education

9th C J Koh Professor (Jun 2013)

Professor Linda Darling-Hammond

8th C J Koh Professor (21 - 23 Nov 2012)

Dr John Seely Brown

Areas of Expertise: Digital youth culture, digital media, and the application of technology to fundamentally rethink the nature of work and institutional architectures

7th C J Koh Professor (30 Apr - 4 May 2012)

Professor Ruth Hayhoe

Areas of Expertise: Chinese higher education and educational relations between East Asia and the West

6th C J Koh Professor (1 - 3 Nov 2011)

Professor Andreas Schleicher

Areas of Expertise: Teacher policies and student assessment practices

5th C J Koh Professor (Feb to Mar 2011)

Professor Andy Hargreaves

Areas of Expertise: Professional capital, collaborative professionalism, leading from the middle, education and equity, student engagement, well-being, and educational change

4th C J Koh Professor (Oct 2010)

Professor Hannele Niemi

Areas of Expertise: Teachers' professional development, quality of teacher education, moral education, and technology-based learning environments.

3rd C J Koh Professor (2010)

Professor Robin Alexander

Areas of Expertise: (i) curriculum conceptualisation, development, reform, expertise and management; (ii) international, comparative and development education; (iii) pedagogy, teachers, teacher education and professional development; (iv) policy and policy-making in education; (v) primary education; (vi) talk in teaching and learning, and dialogue in education

2nd C J Koh Professor (Mar 2009)

Professor Susan Fuhrman

Areas of Expertise: State policy design, accountability, deregulation, and intergovernmental relationships

1st C J Koh Professor (Jul 2006)

Professor Marilyn Cochran-Smith

Areas of Expertise: Practitioner inquiry and teacher education research, practice, and policy with a focus on social justice and equity