A word from the Dean

Looking back on the past year, there is no question that one issue above all others has dominated our lives.

COVID-19 has made 2020 a year like no other. So much has changed so quickly, pushing us all into a new and unfamiliar territory, which we have had to hurriedly adapt.

Terms like social distancing and safe management measures become part of our daily vernacular as we try to adjust to our “new normal” – and define what it actually means.

As a faculty and university, we have had to learn to adapt to new ways of working, teaching, studying and even carrying out research remotely.

To mitigate learning disruption, our teaching faculty and staff moved quickly to prepare e-learning for our many modules. I would like to thank all involved for their efforts to enable this at such short notice.

At the same time, as the pandemic spread, many of our faculty members quickly took up the call to join the fight against the virus on a range of fronts, pivoting and refocusing their research on innovative treatment and testing solutions, and ways to stem the spread of this new virus.

Their efforts in the face of a global health crisis exemplify the fundamental spirit and purpose of engineering – bringing together scientific expertise, cutting-edge technologies and human-centred design in ways that improve lives and deliver solutions to real-world problems.

More details about our faculty’s work to combat the pandemic can be found beginning on pages 8 to 10 of this report.

Beyond the pandemic, our faculty continued to apply themselves to drive forward impactful research, despite the challenges of remote working and social distancing.

More details about some of the key innovations made by our faculty over the past year can be found from pages pages 12 to 20 of this report.

On the teaching front, the past year saw the Faculty of Engineering, together with the School of Design and Environment, announce the launch of a new Common Curriculum designed to give students a more holistic learning experience.

Starting in August 2021, undergraduates will be able to enjoy greatly expanded learning pathways under the new curriculum, which offers a more flexible, studentcentric structure for them to design their own degrees.

These changes will give students greater choice in charting their university journeys, enabling them to develop competencies across different fields. For instance, an Engineering student may now choose to major in Civil Engineering while pursuing two minors in Project Management and Architectural Studies.

The Common Curriculum has been designed in conjunction with industry leaders, to be a new and flexible approach to learning, ensuring our graduates remain adaptable and relevant in an everchanging employment market.

For more details about this exciting innovation in our teaching programmes, turn to pages 28 and 29 of this report.

Beyond the campus, our alumni continue to make waves both here in Singapore and overseas. I am pleased to see how our alumni adapted to the challenges of the pandemic, demonstrating the creativity, flexibility and innovative spirit of NUS Engineering.

One particular highlight for the past year was the emergence of PatSnap, co-founded by NUS Biomedical Engineering alumnus Jeffrey Tiong, as the first NUSsupported unicorn – a start-up valued above US$1 billion.

Above all, the story for NUS Engineering over the past year is the demonstration of resilience shown by our faculty, staff and students through all that the pandemic has thrown at us.

Looking back, I am impressed and grateful for the spirit all have shown. As the pandemic continues to bring new challenges, the rapid transition to online teaching and testing, split-team operations, support for students, and fellow staff during these unprecedented times are some of the many examples of quick-to-adapt and resilient spirit that NUS Engineering has shown.

There will undoubtedly be further challenges to come, but at NUS Engineering we have shown we can adapt positively to unknowns and uncertainties.

In this spirit I would like to wish all our colleagues, alumni, partners and their friends and families the best of health. Stay safe and let’s look forward to a healthier and happier year ahead.

Professor Aaron Thean Dean, NUS Engineering