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.

It’s time vaping offences had tougher consequences

It’s time vaping offences had tougher consequences

Speaker: Ben Chester Cheong 19 Aug 2025

The extent of Singapore’s vaping crisis has come into sharp focus in recent months. Between January 2024 and March 2025, over 17,900 individuals were caught for possession, while $41 million worth of devices were seized – more than five times the total value of confiscations from 2019 to 2023. Mr Ben Chester Cheong, Associate Academic Fellow at the Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law, NUS Faculty of Law, remarks that vaping has evolved from a tobacco substitute into a sophisticated drug delivery system, a reality that calls for stronger consequences within Singapore’s established legal pathways.

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Singapore’s social cohesion faces big test in the age of borderless viral hate speech

Singapore’s social cohesion faces big test in the age of borderless viral hate speech

Speaker: Speaker: Associate Professor Jaclyn L Neo  | 20 December 2025

Coming face to face with war in a wildlife sanctuary

Coming face to face with war in a wildlife sanctuary

Speaker: Speaker: Prof Teo Yik Ying | 17 December 2025

Does it really matter where our food is grown?

Does it really matter where our food is grown?

Speaker: Speaker: Prof Lawrence Loh and Florence Leong | 16 December 2025

Harmless fun? People are using Sora to create problematic videos

Harmless fun? People are using Sora to create problematic videos

Speaker: Speaker: Elvin Xing and Sophy Tio | 11 December 2025

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