SINGAPORE: Former Nee Soon Member of Parliament Louis Ng has joined the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) NUS College (NUSC) as an Associate Professor, and will be in a teaching role.
In an email from NUSC seen by CNA, it was announced that Mr Ng will be teaching elective courses at the college, and could also be assisting students in a project that seeks to benefit communities in Laos.
NUSC has confirmed with CNA Mr Ng’s appointment.
The college was established in 2022 through the merger of the University Scholars Programme (USP) and Yale-NUS College.
CNA understands that Mr Ng’s course is not confirmed as it has to go through a curriculum committee, but he intends to teach one on legislative processes and policymaking.
Mr Ng’s Associate Professor role, which officially began on July 1, was also granted under the “practice track”.
According to NUS’ website detailing similar tracks for the computing, materials science and engineering, and pharmacy departments, the practice track is a non-tenure appointment at the level of Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor, which is granted to industry leaders and professionals who maintain active professional practice while teaching and mentoring students.
A two-term Nee Soon MP between 2015 and 2025, Mr Ng announced in April before the General Election that he would be stepping down from the role, citing personal reasons such as time with family.
He stepped down despite efforts by Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to persuade him to stay.
In his time in parliament, he has become known for raising multiple issues such as animal welfare and environmental protection.
He cited, in a tearful interview announcing his retirement from politics, family reasons for his decision, as the role of an MP made him miss “a lot of important milestones” in his daughters’ childhoods.
The NUSC email stated that Mr Ng’s “strong belief in ground-up engagement and his impactful work in environmental conservation, animal welfare, and community building will enrich our college in many ways”.
Outside his time in parliament, Mr Ng is the founder of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), an animal protection charity and non-governmental organisation (NGO) here.
He also holds a Master’s in Primate Conservation from Oxford Brookes University and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from NUS.
Apart from teaching elective courses, Mr Ng will also be supervising Impact Experience (IEx) project teams.
According to NUSC’s website, these IEx teams will collaborate with non-profit partners and innovate future solutions for the benefit of communities and society in Singapore and overseas.
NUSC said that Mr Ng hopes to lead such projects in Laos, where there are currently no active student teams.
“We are excited about the opportunity to expand our presence in this region, and deeply value Louis’ commitment to developing meaningful projects in sustainability and community development in one of Southeast Asia’s least developed countries,” said NUSC in the email.
“This will promise to be a rich and impactful learning experience for our students.”
In the email, Mr Ng said that he’s glad to be back at NUS where he graduated in 2002. He said NUS is the place where his journey as a “changemaker” began, noting that he founded ACRES as a second-year undergraduate.
“This university has given me so much and I’m excited to be back to give back,” he said. “At NUS, I look forward to engaging, empowering and inspiring our next generation of global leaders.”
He added that while in parliament, he loved speaking up for the marginalised, but is now retired from politics.
“Now, I get more time with my kids and I love speaking to them,” he added.
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