Lester Kok

Science & Innovation branding strategist, digital marketer, content creator, photographer and martial artist.

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

A 200-year-old optical phenomenon could help advance future communications and computing technologies. #NTUsg scientists have shown that the Poisson spot, a classic optical phenomenon, can be used to create complex light patterns known as optical skyrmions using a much simpler experimental setup than previously possible.

Published in @OpticaWorldwide, the findings could make it easier for researchers to generate, study and harness optical skyrmions as a light-
based way to encode, transmit, read or write information for applications in communications, computing and information processing. Read more: https://t.co/1ifRYwPSpy

#NTUsgResearch #NTUsgInnovation @NTU_SPMS @NTU_EEE

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

As higher education navigates profound change, universities have an increasingly important role in connecting talent, ideas and expertise across borders.

Speaking at the opening of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) 30th Annual Presidents' Meeting (APM) in Hong Kong today, #NTUsg President Prof Ho Teck Hua highlighted how shifts in research funding priorities and the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence are reshaping the global higher education landscape.

While these developments present challenges, Prof Ho argued that they also create opportunities for universities to strengthen international collaboration, advance scientific discovery, and prepare students for an AI-enabled future.

These themes resonated throughout discussions at the meeting, where university leaders explored how institutions can respond to global challenges, foster innovation, strengthen research partnerships, and shape the future of education in a rapidly changing world.

The APM also marks the start of Prof Ho's term as Chair of APRU, a network of leading universities across the Americas, Asia and Australasia committed to advancing knowledge and addressing shared challenges through collaboration.

Photos: Association of Pacific Rim Universities

#APRU #APM2026 #AIatNTUsg #AI #HigherEducation #NTU2030 @APRU1997

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

From recycling old solar panels into raw materials for greener batteries to helping factory robots learn directly from human workers to solve manpower shortages, #NTUsg start-ups including Neusla and RoboSpec are taking their deep-tech ideas closer to market at this year's Echelon Singapore, Asia's premier event for #startups. They are among 30 National GRIP (Graduate Research Innovation Programme) teams showcasing their innovations to investors and industry partners.

#NTUsgInnovation #DeepTech #Robotics #EchelonSG #EchelonSG2026 @ntuitiventusg

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

Four members of the #NTUsg community have made the @Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2026 list – 300 of the region's brightest young leaders selected from close to 4,000 nominations.

⭐ Quek Jia Qi, alumna of the National Institute of Education: Turning public spaces into sites of play and community
⭐ Kelvin Sutedja, alumnus of the Nanyang Business School: Backing Southeast Asia's most promising startups at Wavemaker Partners
⭐ Li Yiming, Researcher at the College of Computing and Data Science: Defending AI models against safety threats and copyright violations
⭐ Sean Du, Assistant Professor at the College of Computing and Data Science: Building safer, more reliable AI systems at NTU's RADIO Lab

Congratulations to all four.

#Forbes30Under30Asia #NTUsgAlumni #OneNTU @NTU_ccds

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

Care on call: After his grandmother suffered a fall while home alone, #NTUsg computer science undergraduate Cornelius Ang set out to improve access to urgent home-based care.

Through NTU’s Student Entrepreneurship Programme, he launched NurseLink, an app that connects users with registered nurses for home visits within hours. The startup is now also building an internal platform for the National University Hospital’s home nursing service.

“I looked forward to enrolling in NTU, where I knew I could get valuable connections and the support to build my venture,” Cornelius shared. Read more: https://t.co/qkV19dy5zp

#NTUsgStudents #NTUsgEducation #NTUsgInnovation

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

What if one of the world’s most powerful climate solutions has been overlooked for decades?

A team of #NTUsg students is drawing attention to peatlands, ecosystems capable of storing significantly more carbon than forests, through PeatGuard, a proposed platform for peatland restoration.

The platform combines satellite monitoring, community participation and carbon credit mechanisms to support the restoration of degraded peatlands and incentivise local communities.

The team recently earned third prize in the Adaptation & Resilience category at the Global Sustainability Challenge Global Finals in Munich, emerging as one of six overall winning teams among more than 3,500 students across 845 teams from 91 countries.

They are part of the first cohort under NTU's Venture Creation Programme, which supports entrepreneurial students in developing scalable solutions with real-world impact.

#NTUsgStudents #NTUsgEducation #NTUsgSustainability #NTUsgInterdisciplinary

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

75% of knowledge workers globally now use generative AI at work. But are they thinking less as a result? Krishnan Menon, Distinguished Fellow at the Nanyang Centre for Marketing and Technology at #NTUsg's Nanyang Business School, draws a striking parallel in a recent @straits_times commentary: just as aviation autopilot systems gradually eroded pilots' ability to fly manually, AI could be doing the same to human judgment and critical thinking. Read more: https://t.co/o84dlSWYf9

📷: Pexels / Sanket Mishra

#NTUsgResearch #NTUsgProfs #AI #FutureOfWork #CriticalThinking #ArtificialIntelligence

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

Frontier AI is no longer just about chatbots. In a Straits Times (@straits_times) commentary, #NTUsg Prof Lin William Cong says models like Anthropic’s Claude Mythos show why Singapore must prepare for AI-driven cyber risks to banking, digital payments and critical infrastructure, given its position as a major financial hub and regional base for global banks. https://t.co/TP1Z105K95

📷: Pexels / Pavel Danilyuk

#NTUsgResearch #NTUsgProfs #ArtificialIntelligence #Cybersecurity #DigitalTrust #FinTech

[Lester Kok @lesterkok]

@Muu__Too @Helldivers_NOW I play both and definitely don't want Sony taking over AH.

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

What if the key to food security was hiding in a fish's gut?

In Episode 5 of #NTUsgThinks, Prof Joachim Loo from NTU's School of Materials Science & Engineering and @SCELSE_SG shares how targeted probiotics and nutrients can improve the growth and survival of Asian seabass, with observed increases in growth rate and resilience against pathogens.

The research underscores the promise of science-led innovation in advancing aquaculture towards a more resilient and sustainable food future.

Watch the full podcast: https://t.co/8MlW2aCpza

#NTUsgResearch #NTUsgInnovation #NTUsgInterdisciplinary #NTUsgSustainability #NTUsgProfs #Sustainability

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

From space economy to extraterrestrial life: #NTUsg recently hosted Prof Thomas Zurbuchen – former Associate Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at @NASA and Professor of Space Science and Technology at @ETH_en – for two talks on the future of space and humanity's search for life beyond Earth.

In “Global Space Trends: An ETH and Swiss Perspective on Competing in Space”, he shared insights on innovation, entrepreneurship and the rapid evolution of the space sector with over 200 NTU faculty, researchers, and students.

At "Looking for Life – The Drake Equation" which was open to the public, the eminent scientist and international speaker broke down the scientific framework behind the search for extraterrestrial life for an audience of over 300. The talk drew curious minds of all ages, including students as young as 7.

#Astrophysics #SpaceExploration #SpaceScience #STEM

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

How much of the universe have we truly uncovered, and what remains unknown?

Prof Thomas Zurbuchen, former Associate Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at @NASA, led one of the world’s largest scientific portfolios, overseeing missions across Earth, our solar system, and beyond.

Under his leadership, some of the most ambitious space missions in history became reality, including the launch of the #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope and major milestones in Mars exploration, from the Perseverance rover landing to the first controlled flight on another planet with the Ingenuity helicopter.

Now, he brings these insights to Singapore. Hosted by #NTUsg, his talk “Looking for Life: The Drake Equation” explores how scientists estimate the chances of life beyond Earth. Learn more: https://t.co/cpINDCo9ac

Photo credit: @NASA / D ONE / SRF

#Astronomy #SpaceExploration #SpaceScience #SpaceTech #Astrophysics #Astrophysicist #STEM

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

A breath of fresh science: #NTUsg, @SUSTechSZ and Lipigon Pharmaceuticals are developing an inhaled therapy to help patients recover faster from severe lung infections.

The treatment targets ANGPTL4, a protein linked to excessive inflammation and lung damage, and is delivered directly to the lungs to reduce fluid build-up while preserving immune defence.

In preclinical studies, the therapy reduced inflammation, fluid accumulation and lung scarring in models of pneumonia, influenza and pulmonary fibrosis.

Co-led by Associate Professor Andrew Tan, Provost’s Chair in Metabolic Disorders at the @NTU_LKCMedicine and SUSTech Asst Prof Li Liang, the programme is advancing towards clinical translation, with the potential to support emerging RNA-based therapies for respiratory diseases.

https://t.co/ljrsTFCDg7

Photo 1: Anna Shvets/ Pexels

#NTUsgResearch #NTUsgInnovation

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

How can people sense the Earth’s hidden forces and natural records of climate change? At Propositions for Planetary Attunement, volcanic eruption data, volcanic rock thin sections and microatoll research were translated into sound, film and performance through a collaboration between artists, @EOS_SG and @ntuccacingapore.

The event marked the culmination of the inaugural STAR Residencies, a collaboration between @ntuccasingapore and @EOS_SG, which included a short film by Hui Hsien shaped by work with EOS scientist Euan Mutch, and a performance by Zarina inspired by Asst Prof Aron Meltzner’s microatoll research.

#NTUsgResearch #ArtAndScience #Sustainability #InterdisciplinaryResearch

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

Viral today, forgotten tomorrow? In a new commentary, #NTUsg Prof Gemma Calvert @NanyangBizSch and Gita De Beer from @Heineken unpack the “Moment Economy”. They conclude that trend-jacking can be effective at grabbing attention to stay relevant, but having long-term consistency is more important when it comes to building loyalty. Read more: https://t.co/GR0IWXx4L8

#NTUsgProfs #Branding #MarketingStrategy

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

Turning durian husks into biodegradable bandages: Durian flesh may be the highlight, but it is only a small part of the fruit – the rest holds untapped potential for a myriad of uses when science and creativity come together.

In the first episode of a new #NTUsgThinks podcast series, #NTUsg Prof William Chen explains how fibre-rich durian husks can be transformed into biodegradable and antimicrobial bandages using cellulose extraction technology.

There's definitely more than meets the rind – watch the full podcast on YouTube to discover how science and innovation can turn #FoodWaste into valuable solutions: https://t.co/rVedQtbmcZ

#NTUsgResearch #NTUsgInnovation #NTUsgProfs @ScienceNTU @CCEB_NTU

[Earth Observatory SG @EOS_SG]

This International Women’s Day (8 March), we highlight research by some of our women colleagues at #EOSsg, whose work pushes the boundaries of knowledge and contributes to science and society for a more resilient future. #IWD2026 @ntu_ase

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

Over 2,700 applicants, 39 fellows, 26 universities, 16 nationalities: Selected from a highly competitive pool, top students from leading institutions such as the University of Oxford, Carnegie Mellon University and ETH Zurich have converged at #NTUsg for the Global Connect Fellowship (#NTUsgGCF). Over two months, they will be working with NTU faculty on frontier research in topics such as #AI, #quantum computing, #sustainability and #biosciences, tackling real-world challenges.

Learn more about the programme: https://t.co/xFHkAJF4l6

#NTUsgGCF #NTUsgResearch #NTUsgInterdisciplinary #NTUsgInternational #AIatNTUsg

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

In the AI era, the true differentiator is the human edge. At #NTUsg, AI is embedded thoughtfully across curricula to strengthen critical thinking, ethical judgment and disciplinary depth.

Hear from Provost Prof Christian Wolfrum on how NTU equips students with the AI fluency to lead in their fields by harnessing AI responsibly.

#NTUsgEducation #AIatNTUsg #NTUAdmissions

[Lester Kok @lesterkok]

Wishing everyone a prosperous and healthy Year of the Horse🧧🐎!

May you have 龙马精神 (Long Ma Jing Shen), achieve 马到成功 (Ma Dao Cheng Gong), 一马当先 (Yi Ma Dang Xian) in all you do, and enjoy 万马奔腾 (Wan Ma Ben Teng) with unstoppable momentum and abundant opportunities!

[NTU Singapore @NTUsg]

🧧🐎 As we welcome the #YearoftheHorse, #NTUsg extends our warmest wishes for a year defined by courage, forward momentum and bold beginnings.

May the year ahead bring swift strides in research, meaningful collaborations and continued excellence across our global community.

#NTUsg #LunarNewYear #ChineseNewYear #LNY #CNY