Academic Affairs

Distinct Pathways. Shared Impact. Our Future.

At NUS, academic careers are shaped through clearly defined pathways that support distinct forms of scholarly excellence. Collectively, these pathways reflect diverse aspirations and strengths while advancing the University’s shared mission and vision.

Career Tracks

Faculty begin their academic journey through one of four differentiated tracks, each recognising complementary contributions and offering a clear, cohesive pathway for growth, collaboration, and impact.

Differentiated Faculty Track

*Click on the icon of each scheme find out more (accessible only to NUS staff with nVPN)

Recruitment and Progression

Our recruitment schemes support academics at every career stage – from early career entry programmes to full professorship – fostering sustained growth and contribution.

*Click on each to explore eligibility, timelines, and application details.

NUS Postdoc

NUS Early Career Award (NECA)

Overseas Postdoc

Overseas Postdoctoral Fellowship (OPF)

NUS Early Career Award (NECA)

(Overseas Placement)

Development Grant (DG)

Associate Professor

A*Star-AU Joint Appointment

Returning Singaporean Scientist (RSS)

A*STAR-AU Joint Appointment

Early-Career Opportunities

NUS is committed to nurturing the next generation of scholars through supportive talent pipelines. From graduate scholarships to early career awards, we empower emerging academics to grow, innovate, and lead, providing the funding and mentorship needed to shape an impactful academic career.
*Click on each pathway to explore eligibility, timelines, and application details

Join NUS: Be part of a World-Class Academic Community

Discover current faculty openings and leadership searches, and learn how your academic career can grow with us.

SAN Events

Since its launch late 2025, the Singapore Academic Network (SAN) has organised a range of engaging events aligned with its five core pillars: mentorship and sponsorship, leadership development, global engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community building.

Through forums, networking sessions, fireside conversations, and interactive discussions, SAN aims to strengthen connections, support professional growth, and foster a vibrant and supportive Singaporean academic network.

SAN Inaugural Form, 25 Mar 2026

The inaugural Singapore Academic Network (SAN) Forum brought together more than 80 faculty members across disciplines for an engaging morning of discussions on mentorship, collaboration, academic development, and leadership within the Singaporean academic community. The forum featured opening remarks by Provost Professor Aaron Thean on “Building Singapore’s Academic Future”, followed by Vice Provost (Academic Affairs) Professor Ho Ghim Wei’s introduction to SAN’s vision, structure, initiatives, SAN Champions framework, and a live polling session to gather sentiments and volunteers for the five drivers that form the SAN ecosystem flywheel.

A fireside session with the Provost and Senior SAN Champions further explored challenges and opportunities facing Singaporean academics through lightning talks and an interactive Q&A session. The event concluded with a networking lunch, where themed stations organised around disciplines, interests, and areas of expertise encouraged meaningful conversations and new collaborations across disciplines and career stages.

SAN Core Pillars Co-creation Workshop, 25 May 2026

The SAN Core Pillars Working Session brought together 6 Senior SAN Champions and 24 SAN members for an engaging and highly interactive cocreation session focused on shaping SAN’s future programmes, initiatives, and community activities. Through breakout discussions across the five core pillars — SWAN, Mentorship and Career Progression, Community Building, Research Collaboration, and Global Engagement — participants brainstormed flagship programmes, identified actionable implementation plans, discussed success metrics, and explored sustainable, repeatable formats to build long-term momentum for the SAN ecosystem. The session also fostered new connections and cross-disciplinary conversations, reinforcing SAN’s collective commitment to strengthening Singapore’s academic community.

SAN Ecosystem Drivers

The Singapore Academic Network (SAN) aims to strengthen a connected, resilient, and globally engaged Singaporean academic community at NUS through active participation and shared ownership. The initiative is anchored on five interconnected drivers that collectively reinforce one another within a broader SAN ecosystem.
  • The Singaporean Women in Academia Network (SWAN) supports the development and retention of women academics while providing platforms to share leadership journeys and experiences.
  • The Mentorship pillar supports early-career academics and postdoctoral researchers through career guidance and cross-generational mentorship.
  • Community Building pillar strengthens academic connections across NUS through networking activities, thematic forums, and peer-learning opportunities.
  • Collaboration pillar catalyses multidisciplinary partnerships and cross-faculty research initiatives
  • Global Engagement pillar expands international networks and facilitates global collaborations and exchanges, including connections with overseas Singaporean academics.
Together, these five drivers form the SAN ecosystem flywheel, where mentorship, collaboration, community, and global engagement reinforce one another to strengthen the academic pipeline, leadership continuity, and longterm capability of the Singaporean academic community at NUS.
The continued growth and development of SAN would not have been possible without the strong support, collegial spirit, and volunteerism of many members of the community. We are deeply appreciative of the willingness of colleagues to contribute their time, ideas, experience, and energy towards the co-creation, planning, and implementation of SAN initiatives and activities.
In particular, we would like to acknowledge the following Senior SAN Champions, who have kindly taken on leadership roles across the core pillars of SAN:

Enablers of Success

Community Building

Connect senior and early-career scholars through dialogues, mentorship pairings, and workshops.

Visibility and Recognition

Elevate Singaporean academic talent through stories, showcases, and collaborative projects that highlight national contribution and global impact.

Development and Global Research

Provide access to scholarships, fellowships and international attachment opportunities that broaden professional horizons.