Assoc Prof Phil CHAN Aik Hui

PhD (NUS); BSc (Distinction) (University of Winnipeg)
Department of Physics

CURRENT TEACHING PORTFOLIO

• Astronomy and astrophysics
• Quantum physics and relativity
• Particle physics

TEACHING ACHIEVEMENTS

• Serves as an invited member on a national-level task force seeking to increase Singapore’s pre-university student enrolment in physics
• Chairs a committee overseeing polytechnic student admissions as well as publicity for the physics department
• Invited by Singapore’s Ministry of Education to be a reviewer of physics syllabi and textbooks
• Chaired the Astronomy event of the 37th International Physics Olympiad in 2006 that drew 1500 students from 90 countries
• Led two teams in building astro-observatories at NUS High School and Nanyang Polytechnic for teaching
• Sought after by schools and tertiary institutions across Singapore to deliver talks and judge physics and astronomy competitions

TEACHING STRENGTHS

• Nurtures students to think critically and explore new ideas by posing unique and intriguing questions
• Encourages learning beyond the classroom by organising enrichment activities such as astronomy field trips and celestial observation sessions to help students bridge theory and practice
• Presents abstract topics in an accessible and coherent way
• Makes physics concepts come to life through the use of multimedia and ‘live' demonstrations as well as examples from everyday life

PUBLICATION CREDITS

• Published over 30 research and conference papers in leading journals such as Physics Letters B, Physical Review D and European Physical Journal C
• Co-edited two conference proceedings – 75 years since Solvay: Conference on Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Quantum Field Theory (2008) and Conference in Honour of Murray Gell-Mann (2010)
• Contributed articles to publications by the Institute of Physics Singapore and articles on teaching in university publications

INTERNATIONAL STANDING

• Fellow, Institute of Physics, London, UK
• Council Member and Awards Chair, Institute of Physics Singapore
• Member, Sigma Pi Sigma, American Institute of Physics
• Visiting Scholar, History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge
• Visiting Scientist, Beijing Institute of High Energy Physics, China
• Visiting Scientist, International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

• NUS Annual Teaching Excellence Award (2009/8)
• Faculty Teaching Excellence Award (2008/7, 2007/6, 2006/5); Honours Roll (2009/8)
• Public Awareness of Physics Award, Institute of Physics, London, UK (2001)

TEACHING ASPIRATION
"To teach is to learn; it is a two-way channel between teacher and student. Aristotle said it best when he referred to teaching as ’the highest form of understanding’. From the ingenuity of my students’ questions and projects, I have learnt so much and am encouraged to continue piquing their interest in physics and imparting wisdom through what Nature offers."