Asia's top-ranked university appoints new president

The National University of Singapore, Asia’s top-ranked higher education institution, has appointed a new president.

Tan Eng Chye, who has served as deputy president (academic affairs) and provost since 2007, will take charge at the university in January 2018.

The mathematician and academic leader succeeds Tan Chorh Chuan, who has led NUS since 2008 and will be seconded to Singapore’s Ministry of Health at the end of 2017.

Under Professor Tan Chorh Chuan’s leadership, NUS overtook the University of Tokyo in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings as Asia’s top-ranked university in 2016. It is currently placed at 24^th globally, just ahead of the London School of Economics (joint 25^th).

The university’s chairman, Hsieh Fu Hua, praised the “extraordinary trajectory of excellence” achieved under Professor Tan Chorh Chuan’s tenure.

“We are particularly grateful that he has developed a deep bench of talent with outstanding individuals for the next leadership team,” he said.

The incoming president, who has spent 32 years at NUS, is a “deeply respected academic, and a steadfast, open and decisive leader, who has a strong passion for our university”, he added.

Professor Tan Eng Chye, an NUS graduate who also holds a PhD in mathematics from Yale University, had been “absolutely pivotal to NUS’s rapid rise to be among the best universities in the world", the chairman pointed out, saying he will, “continue to lead the university with a clear vision and a fierce commitment to excellence".

Professor Tan Eng Chye said he was “deeply honoured” to be appointed, adding that he was keen to “accelerate NUS’s transformation by driving innovation across talent development, education that is future-focused and research that impacts lives and society".

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com