Environmental Management ​Leadership Lecture (EMLL) ​Series

NUS University Town

Wednesday, 24 September 2025, 7.00PM to 9.00PM

Transformative Leadership in Climate Action:

Navigating Challenges, Harnessing Innovation

Programme

Wednesday, 24 September 2025 @ NUS UTOWN

7.00 PM

8.15 PM

Welcome

Opening Address

Keynote Speech

Q & A

Closing

Keynote Speaker

Professor Yeoh Lean Weng

Chief Sustainability Officer, A*STAR

Emeritus President, The Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES)

Fellow, Singapore Academy of Engineering
Fellow, International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)

Speaker’s Biography

Professor Yeoh Lean Weng is the Chief Sustainability Officer at A*STAR, where he leads the agency’s strategic sustainability initiatives and represents its capabilities in sustainable technology development. He played a key role in developing a modular decarbonisation testbed to support low-carbon innovation in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors.

Previously, Professor Yeoh served as Senior Director at the National Research Foundation (NRF), overseeing Singapore’s R&D strategies in energy, water, land use, and urban livability. He initiated the national decarbonisation R&D strategy to drive the country’s transition to a low-carbon future.

With over 30 years at the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), he led major systems engineering programmes and developed a systems architecting framework for large-scale infrastructure planning. He continues to contribute expertise in communications, education, energy, and urban systems.

Professor Yeoh is an Adjunct Professor at NUS and has trained over 800 engineers in systems thinking. He is the Emeritus President of the Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES), a Fellow of INCOSE, and a recipient of national honours including the Public Administration Medal and Defence Technology Prize.

Moderator

Professor Koh Lian Pin

Vice President (Sustainability and Resilience)

Chief Sustainability Scientist

Moderator’s Biography

Professor Koh Lian Pin is Vice President (Sustainability and Resilience) and Chief Sustainability Scientist at NUS. Helming the University’s sustainability agenda, he brings a range of stakeholders together to enhance the climate resilience and sustainability of Singapore through system-level mitigation and adaptation solutions. He oversees and champions sustainability-related research at the University, tackling the twin planetary crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, through a whole-of-university strategy that bridges academia with policy makers, industry and civil society.

Prof Koh, who is also the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Professor of Conservation, as well as Director of the Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions, is passionate about promoting societal understanding of the world we live in both locally and globally, amplifying the University’s and Singapore’s contributions to global sustainability efforts.

An internationally renowned name in the field of sustainability and environmental science, he is one of the most highly cited conservation scientists in the world, with over 20 years of international research experience under his belt. His previous stints include Swiss National Science Foundation Professor at ETH Zurich, Chair of Applied Ecology and Conservation at the University of Adelaide, Vice President of Science Partnerships and Innovation at Conservation International Foundation, and Technical Director of the Marine Climate Change Science Programme at the National Research Foundation Singapore.

An NUS alumnus, Prof Koh joined the NUS Department of Biological Sciences in 2020, having returned to Singapore under the National Research Foundation’s Returning Singapore Scientists scheme. His research is centred on developing policy-relevant science, as well as science-based decision support tools, to reconcile humanity’s needs with environmental protection. This is complemented by his rich work in advocacy, which has seen him drive global sustainability efforts in his roles as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and Founding Director of ConservationDrones.org, as well as offer a science-based perspective to socioeconomic and environmental issues on both local and global platforms, including the UN COP sessions, TEDGlobal and TEDx and, locally, the 14th Parliament of Singapore as Nominated Member of Parliament (2021 – 2023), among others.

Prof Koh received a BSc (First Class Honours) and MSc in Biological Sciences from the National University of Singapore and a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University.

About The Event

The EMLL series is an annual lecture series that aims to facilitate interdisciplinary discussion about key issues and new ​developments in environmental management, with its inaugural lecture in year 2024.

This event is organised under the MSc (Environmental Management) (MEM) programme. For more information about the ​programme, please visit the MEM programme website.

The event theme, “Transformative Leadership in Climate Action: Navigating Challenges, Harnessing Innovation”, explores ​the role of transformative leadership as the driving force behind successful environmental management efforts. This includes ​how visionary and innovative leaders overcome obstacles and leverage new technologies to create a sustainable future.

The EMLL logo represents key tenets of environmental management: progress, knowledge, and nature. The letters “EMLL” are ​incorporated into the shape of a mountain, reflecting progress as innovative solutions are sought to balance human ​development with ecological preservation, and the shape of a book, reflecting the knowledge needed to drive forward-​thinking environmental policies and actions. The leaves signify nature as its intricate systems and resilience serve as ​inspiration to create a harmonious coexistence.

The EMLL series will be held on 24 September 2025 as the event to kick start the NUS Sustainability CONNECT Week.