In his six years of dedicated service at SUTD, Professor Chua has been a key member of our leadership team and an influential force in shaping SUTD’s growth in both education and research. He led many strategic initiatives that have left a lasting impact on our university. During his tenure as Head of Pillar for Engineering Product Development (EPD) (Jun 2019 – Aug 2022) and later as Associate Provost for Research (Sep 2022 – Oct 2025), he played a central role in establishing several signature programmes and platforms including the Dyson-SUTD Innovation Studios, the world’s first-of-its-kind Digital Gastronomy nationwide competitions and the inaugural International Conference on Additive Manufacturing for a Better World. Prof Chua also led the successful signing of the Strategic Collaboration Agreement between SUTD, the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Administrative Committee (ECAC) and the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Co., Ltd (SSTEC). This collaboration resulted in the establishment of the SUTD Eco-City Research and Innovation Centre (SERIC) – a platform driving urban sustainability research.