NERI-CWR Seminar by Prof. Ng How Yong on 8 Jan 2026

NUS Environmental Research Institute (NERI) and the Centre for Water Research (CWR) at NUS College of Design and Engineering jointly hosted a seminar by Prof. Ng How Yong, “Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Models: Emerging Tools for Wastewater Treatment,” chaired by Assoc. Prof. Olivier Lefebvre.

Prof. Hu Jiangyong, Deputy Director of NERI and Director of CWR, delivered the opening remarks, outlining the strategic collaboration between NERI and CWR and highlighting our shared priorities in water research and sustainability.

Prof. Ng, Adjunct Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at NUS and Professor at Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, illustrated how digitalization and AI are reshaping wastewater treatment—from continuous sensing and real-time monitoring to machine-learning soft sensors for early detection, hybrid models that fuse mechanistic understanding with data-driven intelligence, and emerging LLMs for analytics, optimization, and decision support. The seminar concluded with an engaging discussion on pathways for deployment and collaboration, facilitated by Assoc. Prof. Lefebvre.

AI-enabled solutions are pivotal to strengthening the intelligence, resilience, and sustainability of urban systems. We see clear opportunities to translate research into practice through testbeds and pilots, and build capabilities through cross-disciplinary partnerships and talent development. NERI and CWR look forward to working with industry, agencies, and academia to accelerate impactful AI-driven innovations.