Assistant Professor Lydia Cheng receives prestigious MOE START Award

Assistant Professor Lydia Cheng has been awarded the Singapore Teaching and Academic Research Talent Scheme (START) Award, a prestigious Ministry of Education (MOE) award that supports outstanding aspiring academics in pursuing impactful careers in research and teaching at Singapore's Autonomous Universities. This year's recipients were recognised for their academic excellence and potential at the award ceremony held on 31 July 2026, officiated by Minister for Education Desmond Lee. 

A WKWSCI faculty member and alumna, Lydia completed both her Bachelor of Communication Studies (2014 – 2018) and Master of Communication Studies (2018 – 2020) at WKWSCI before pursuing her PhD in Media and Communications at the University of Sydney under the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship. She returned to WKWSCI as a faculty member following the completion of her doctorate. 

Lydia's research examines lifestyle journalism, soft news, social media influencers and magazine studies, with a particular interest in how journalism is evolving in response to digital platforms and commercial influences. Her work has been published in leading international journals Journalism, Journalism Studies and Social Media + Society. 

^{(From left) Professor Edson Tandoc Jr., Assistant Professor Lydia Cheng and Professor Lee Chei Sian at the Ministry of Education START Award Ceremony 2026.}

On receiving the award, Lydia said, “I am very grateful to receive this award, which would not have been possible without the unwavering support of Professor Jack, Chair of WKWSCI, and Professors Chei Sian and Edson, my academic mentors. A shout-out also to all my colleagues at WKWSCI, whose brilliance and kindness inspire me every day.” 

Congratulations to Lydia on this well-deserved recognition. We look forward to her continued contributions to WKWSCI through her research, teaching and service.