• Singapore’s first representative on CAETS Board marks a milestone for the nation’s engineering community

A Singaporean has been nominated to the Board of the most prestigious global engineering council.

Professor Phoon Kok Kwang, President of the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS) for the 2026–2027 term. He represents the Singapore Academy of Engineering (SAEng), where he is a Fellow and Treasurer, marking the first time Singapore has a seat on the CAETS Board since joining the global council in 2023. His term will commence on 1 January 2026.

The CAETS Board of Directors comprises the Officers of the organisation and eight additional members elected by the Council to serve two-year terms. The Board is responsible for implementing the policies and actions approved by the Council. Prof Phoon’s appointment underscores Singapore’s growing presence in the international engineering community and highlights SUTD’s ongoing contribution to advancing innovation and global collaboration in technology and design.

Established in 1978, CAETS is an independent international organisation comprising more than 30 engineering academies worldwide, including those from the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Japan and Germany. It serves as a global forum for engineering leaders to collaborate and advise on critical issues in science, technology and innovation. The Council also provides a platform for its member academies to exchange best practices, issue joint statements on global challenges, and promote the role of engineering and technology in sustainable development. Its members share a common goal of applying engineering and technological sciences for the benefit of society worldwide.

Prof Phoon said: “I am deeply honoured to be appointed to the CAETS Board of Directors and to represent Singapore in contributing to the global engineering dialogue. This appointment reflects the growing stature of Singapore’s engineering and technology community, and our collective commitment to harnessing innovation for societal progress.

“At SUTD, we are redefining the future of engineering through Design AI — a bold integration of AI with a holistic view of design, which embraces creativity, ethics, empathy, critical thinking and purposeful action. Design AI is crucial to modern engineering because it equips our engineers not only with AI and deep tech expertise but also with the ability to innovate responsibly and tackle complex human and societal challenges with a human-centric approach. I am excited to see how these advancements will continue to shape the engineering landscape and make a meaningful difference in our communities.”

A distinguished civil engineer and academic leader, Prof Phoon is internationally recognised for his pioneering work in developing statistical and machine learning methods for geotechnical engineering. He is currently the Deputy Executive Chairman (Research) of AI Singapore, a role he assumed on 1 August 2025. He is also a Fellow of the Singapore National Academy of Science, the Institution of Engineers Singapore, and the American Society of Civil Engineers. In addition, Prof Phoon is a member of the Committee of Government Scientific Advisors and the Singapore–Tianjin Economic and Trade Council. He also sits on the Board of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and HTX (Home Team Science and Technology Agency). Prior to joining SUTD, he was Senior Vice Provost (Academic Affairs) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and previously served as Deputy Chief Scientific Advisor to the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore.