On November 22, the 2021 Guangzhou Honorary Citizen Awarding Ceremony was held at LN Dongfang Hotel, Guangzhou. Professor Lam Khin Yong, Senior Vice President (Research) of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Chairman of the Governing Council of the China-Singapore International Joint Research Institute (hereinafter referred to as CSIJRI), was conferred the title of Guangzhou Honorary Citizen. Guests who attended the ceremony include Mr Zhang Shuofu, Secretary of the CPC Guangzhou Municipal Committee, Mr Wen Guohui, Mayor of Guangzhou, Mr Shi Qizhu, Director of the Standing Committee of Guangzhou Municipal People’s Congress, honorary citizens who were previously conferred and guests from all parts of the world. Mr Otto Wen Quan, General Manager of NTU China Office, received the award on behalf of Prof Lam. Dr Gu Haiwen, Vice President of CSIJRI and Mr Zeng Peng, President of NTU Guangdong Alumni Association were present at the ceremony.
Prof Lam’s acceptance speech was broadcast at the Awarding Ceremony
Mr Otto Wen Quan, General Manager of NTU China office, received the award on behalf of Prof Lam. (From left to right: Mayor Wen Guohui, General Manager Otto Wen Quan, Secretary Zhang Shuofu)
On November 12, a delegation led by Mr Li Hongwen, Deputy Director of the United Front Work Department of CPC Guangzhou Municipal Committee visited CSIJRI. Guangzhou Honorary Citizen Award is a recognition of Prof Lam’s outstanding contributions to Guangzhou in scientific and technological innovation. Using CSIJRI as the leading platform, Professor Lam has been facilitating the exchange and collaborations between Singapore and Guangzhou in the fields of research and innovation. On behalf of Prof Lam, Dr Gu Haiwen, Vice President of CSIJRI, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the delegation for their visit.
The title of Guangzhou Honorary Citizen is known to be awarded to overseas Chinese, fellow citizens from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and foreign nationals who have made significant contributions to Guangzhou’s economic and social growth, the development of education, science, and culture in the city, as well as the facilitation of international exchange and cooperation between Guangzhou and the rest of the world.
Prof Lam Khin Yong’s Profile
Prof Lam Khin Yong is an ethnic Hakka Chinese from Singapore. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Engineering Singapore. In 2018, he received the prestigious President’s Science and Technology Medal. He obtained his BSc with First Class Honours in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London in 1980 and his Master’s and PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1982 and 1985, respectively. In 2010, he completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. Since 2006, Prof Lam has assumed several roles at NTU Singapore, including the Dean/Chair of the School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Associate Provost for Graduate Education & Special Projects, Acting CEO of NTU Innovation, Chief of Staff, and Acting Provost. In 2014, he started leading NTU’s university-wide research and its implementation as Vice President (Research). He was subsequently named NTU’s Senior Vice President (Research) in Jan 2020.
Prof Lam is a strong advocate of the Triple Helix Framework, which emphasises research and innovation partnerships involving university, industry, and public agencies. Together with his colleagues, he fronted many collaborations with major local and foreign industries and academic institutions, including the establishment of corporate labs and joint labs on campus.
As a scholar and researcher, Prof Lam’s research areas include computational mechanics, smart materials modelling for active control, computational nanoscience/BioMEMS/Hydrogels, multiscale simulations, and computational methods in engineering. In 2017, he was awarded the French National Order of the Legion of Honour (Chevalier) for advancing research. Other accolades include the Honorary Professorship of the South China University of Technology (2020) and Shandong University (2018), the guest professorship of the University of Science and Technology of China (2018), the Honorary Doctorate from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine as well as the Honorary Professorship Diploma award, the highest honour and recognition from Lomonosov Moscow State University.
Prof Lam is an advocate for global research collaboration. He has established many collaborations with China, and is one of the main drivers behind the flagship project, the China-Singapore International Joint Research Institute (CSIJRI) in China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City (CSGKC). On 7 Nov 2015, he represented NTU to sign the agreement to set up CSIJRI with SCUT, CSGKC, GKC Co. As the Co-chair of the CSIJRI Governing Council, together with the Council Members, he has guided CSIJRI’s research and development activities. CSIJRI has built research platforms in strategic research fields such as new energy, new materials, and biomedical-related areas. Prof Lam has also brought in industry partners including Alibaba and Webank to conduct joint research at CSIJRI. CSIJRI was recognised as the New R&D Institute by the Guangdong Bureau of Science and Technology in 2018. To deepen cooperation between China and Singapore on the CSIJRI, an agreement was signed in Dec 2020 and concluded at the 16th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation. The agreement supports CSIJRI’s next phase of development, which aims to further strengthen the cutting-edge research done at the institute and accelerate commercialisation of technologies. CSIJRI will set up at least three R&D centres that focus on emerging industries. CSIJRI also seeks to launch at least 40 local and international R&D projects by the end of the agreement.
