Thought Leadership

Some of the world’s leaders, and leading thinkers from NUS and overseas, regularly gather and add to the rich diversity of thoughts and ideas on our campuses, in Singapore and across the globe.
Here’s what they had to share.

Chatbots could be first responder for mental health issues, but with limits

Chatbots could be first responder for mental health issues, but with limits

Speaker: Asst Prof Nur Hani Zainal 28 Oct 2025

Mental health chatbots are a useful tool, but Singapore needs clear standards to ensure safe and effective use, with a hybrid approach that includes humans who can step in when needed. Assistant Professor Nur Hani Zainal, Presidential Young Professor in Clinical Psychology at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at NUS and Director of the Optimising Wellness Lab, weighs in on how such first responder bots can miss distress signals, and hence need to operate within clear lines and hand over to humans when a person's needs exceed the bot's limited scope.

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Kopi, kaya and a longer life: Hawker centres hold the key

Kopi, kaya and a longer life: Hawker centres hold the key

Speaker: Speaker: Dr Daniel Mahadzir | 27 November 2025

IPS study: Unity, belonging and pride at the heart of national identity

IPS study: Unity, belonging and pride at the heart of national identity

Speaker: Speaker: Dr Mathew Mathews | 27 November 2025

Singapore's silent crisis: Is grandpa eating well and enough?

Singapore's silent crisis: Is grandpa eating well and enough?

Speaker: Speaker: Prof Teo Yik Ying | 19 November 2025

The antibiotics crisis isn’t the fault of science – it’s market failure

The antibiotics crisis isn’t the fault of science – it’s market failure

Speaker: Speaker: Prof Hsu Li Yang | 18 November 2025

How Singapore should tackle food resilience after dropping '30 by 30' goal

How Singapore should tackle food resilience after dropping '30 by 30' goal

Speaker: Speaker: Mr Bjorn Low | 14 November 2025

Why are Singapore-made shows unappealing to many Singaporeans?

Why are Singapore-made shows unappealing to many Singaporeans?

Speaker: Speaker: Mr Ben Chester Cheong | 8 November 2025

Singapore's multibillion-dollar events industry has a hidden cost

Singapore's multibillion-dollar events industry has a hidden cost

Speaker: Speaker: Assoc Prof Zhang Weina and Mr Yannis Yuan | 6 November 2025

Singlish is so much more than ‘broken English’

Singlish is so much more than ‘broken English’

Speaker: Speaker: Dr Daniel Chan | 6 November 2025

Cashless but confusing: Can Singapore fix its digital payments system?

Cashless but confusing: Can Singapore fix its digital payments system?

Speaker: Speaker: Asst Prof Daniel Rabetti | 3 November 2025

Chatbots could be first responder for mental health issues, but with limits

Chatbots could be first responder for mental health issues, but with limits

Speaker: Speaker: Asst Prof Nur Hani Zainal | 28 October 2025