The National University of Singapore (NUS) has appointed Professor Koh Lian Pin as the university’s first-ever chief sustainability scientist (CSS).
As CSS and associate vice president, Koh will oversee and consolidate sustainability-related research at NUS, says the university on Nov 15.
According to NUS, Koh will also be responsible for developing a whole-of-university strategy to bridge academia with policymakers, industry and civil society, driving the change needed across all sectors to tackle the twin planetary crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.
Koh will continue to serve as director of the NUS Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions (CNCS), which he founded in 2020 upon joining the university. NUS CNCS aims to spur efforts in tackling the challenges of climate change by protecting, restoring and better managing natural ecosystems.
He will also continue to helm his existing roles and appointments as the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Professor of Conservation, vice dean (research) at the Faculty of Science, and director of the Tropical Marine Science Institute.
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Koh was formerly a Swiss National Science Foundation Professor at ETH Zurich, the chair of applied ecology and conservation at the University of Adelaide and vice president of science partnerships and innovation at the Conservation International Foundation.
Koh’s research is centred on developing policy-relevant science, as well as science-based decision support tools, to reconcile humanity’s needs with environmental protection.
Koh has participated in the United Nations’ COP sessions and also served in the 14th Parliament of Singapore as Nominated Member of Parliament between 2021 and 2023.
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“I am honoured to be named the first chief sustainability scientist at the National University of Singapore,” says Koh. “Science is critical in helping the world deal with sustainability challenges, whether it be climate change, biodiversity loss or pollution. But for science to be a guiding light for policymakers, businesses or civil society, research must go beyond academia.”
He adds: “At CNCS, we have tried to help different segments of society see the relevance of our research through capacity building and communication efforts. In my new role, I hope to build on the lessons learnt through this experience to see how NUS’s vast research in other areas of sustainability, from energy to food and water security, could contribute to the global search for sustainability solutions.”
