Research Centres

NUS AI Institute (NAII)

Located at the NUS Computing, launched in March 2024, Professor Mohan Kankanhalli from the NUS Computing will be leading NAII as its Director. Prof Kankanhalli is an authority on multimodal computing, computer vision as well as trustworthy AI. More than 20 principal investigators from a wide range of disciplines across NUS – including business, computer science, data science, engineering, medicine, law and sustainability – will be driving more than 10 research programmes in the institute. NAII will foster a vibrant ecosystem that promotes synergistic AI research and applications, grow the AI talent pool, engage government and industry in partnerships, and expand entrepreneurship opportunities.

For more details, visit NAII.

AI Centre for Educational Technologies (AICET)

Established in December 2020, the AI Centre for Educational Technologies (AICET) is led by Associate Professor Ben Leong and grant-funded by the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO). The Centre is focused on developing technologies to support teaching and improve learning.

AICET collaborates actively with the Ministry of Education (MOE) on various projects to build systems that provide immediate personalised feedback to the students, providing content that adapts to their performance, and improve assessment and grading efficiency and effectiveness.

For more information, visit AICET.

SIA-NUS Digital Aviation Corporate Laboratory

In January 2022, SIA and NUS launched the SIA-NUS Digital Aviation Corporate Laboratory which aims to create and commercialise innovative technologies that could accelerate the digital transformation of Singapore’s aviation sector, redefine the air travel experience and ensure safety and security in air travel. This will be achieved by leveraging NUS’s world class deep tech and multi-disciplinary research expertise across artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, operations research and analytics, optimisation, automation, sleep studies and design to develop digital technologies. These technologies will be evaluated and potentially be adopted for use by SIA.

For more details, visit SIA-NUS Digital Aviation Corporate Laboratory.

DesCartes

The five-year DesCartes Programme, established in October 2021, which is funded by the National Research Foundation, Singapore (NRF), aims to enhance real-time decision-making in urban-critical systems, with a focus on individuals and society at large.

One of the Co-Directors of the DesCartes Programme is Professor Abhik Roychoudhury from NUS Computing, who will focus on the foundations of intelligent computing and its translation in the different case studies, for trustworthy integrated decision making in smart cities. He and his NUS team will validate techniques involving formal methods, intelligent control, smart data, and human-AI collaboration on a large number of industrial case studies including electricity network, smart building and future transportation networks. They will also work with the other partners to ensure that the foundational concepts are translated via industrial collaboration.

For further information, visit DesCartes.

NUS-NCS Joint Laboratory for Cyber Security

In June 2021, NUS and NCS Pte Ltd (NCS) have established a joint research lab that is hosted in NUS to conduct research, develop capabilities and innovative digital solutions to protect individuals, businesses and public agencies in Singapore from a wide range of cyber threats. The joint lab is governed by a Management Committee comprising members from NUS and NCS to conduct research in three broad areas of cyber security having strategic relevance to NCS’s business:

AI Security;
Cyber-Physical System Security;
Data Security and Privacy.

For more details, visit NUS-NCS Joint Laboratory for Cyber Security.

Centre for Trusted Internet and Community (CTIC)

CTIC is a University-level research centre dedicated to the inter-disciplinary study of the Internet and its implications on the society of the future. It adopts a unique approach of integrating three different perspectives – technology, human and policy – to develop a set of insights, tools, policies and best practices around the use of the Internet to promote digital well-being and responsible public discourse.

Set up in July 2020, CTIC is led by the Director, Professor Lee Mong Li, Janice, from NUS Computing.

For more information, visit Centre for Trusted Internet and Community.

NUS Al Lab (NUSAiL)

NUSAiL, led by Professor Leong Tze Yun, is hosted within the NUS Computing with members from the school as well as affiliated members from other faculties and organisations. Set up in Sep 2019, it aims to be a centre of excellence in Al research, education, and practice. The research covers theory, machine learning, reasoning, optimisation, decision making and planning, modelling and representation as well as computer vision and natural language processing.

For more details, visit NUSAiL.

NUS Fintech Lab

Positioned at the nexus of academia, industry, government, and community, NUS Fintech Lab is a leading center for fintech thought leadership, innovation, and education in the Asia Pacific with a global perspective. Established in 2019 with a generous donation from Ripple, the lab aims to create a collaborative environment that encourages dialogue, experimentation and creativity.

NUS FinTech Lab is committed to generating new ideas that can help solve Fintech’s most complex and pressing challenges. As a hub for interdisciplinary dialogue, research, and education, it leverages faculty members’ expertise at NUS Computing to stay ahead of fintech developments and to influence the trajectory of new developments for a responsible and safe fintech.

For more information, visit NUS Fintech Lab.

CRYSTAL (Cryptocurrency Strategy, Techniques, and Algorithms) Centre

CRYSTAL (Cryptocurrency Strategy, Techniques, and Algorithms) Centre, set up in February 2018 is led by Associate Professor Prateek Saxena, from the Department of Computer Science at NUS Computing.

The Centre has a goal of providing scientific clarity in shaping technical ideas in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space. It hopes to make debates in the community more scientifically-grounded and to improve interaction between those armed with intuition and those with scientific rigor. In addition, the Centre will draw through a new model of engagement with the community.

For more details, visit CRYSTAL.

AI Singapore (AISG)

AI Singapore is a national programme supported by the National Research Foundation and hosted by NUS. AISG was launched in June 2017 as an integrated, impact-driven, research and innovation program in artificial intelligence (AI) for the entire Singapore. As a national initiative, AISG brings together the strength of Singaporean research bodies in Singapore’s Autonomous Universities (AUs) and research institutes, together with the vibrant ecosystem of AI start-ups and companies developing AI products, to perform use-inspired research, create innovative AI solution, and develop the talent to power Singapore’s AI efforts.

For more information, visit AISG.

Singapore Data Science Consortium (SDSC)

In May 2017, the SDSC was established by NUS, NTU, the Singapore Management University, and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), to empower Singapore to harness the power of data science. Led by Professor Tan Kian Lee, the consortium helps industry partners to access the latest data science technologies, applications, and expertise from academia to create innovative solutions for real-world challenges.

For more information, visit SDSC.

Centre for Holistic Inquiry into Lifelong Learning (CHILL)

At the Centre for Holistic Inquiry into Lifelong Learning (CHILL), our vision is to empower lifelong learners, regardless of background or ability, to overcome learning barriers and unlock their full potential.

For further details, visit CHILL.

Institute of Data Science (IDS)

Established in 2016, IDS is a key pillar of the NUS’ Smart Nation Cluster. It is a research institute that will be the focal point for all data science research and translation, education and related activities at NUS. IDS aims to contribute to Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative by developing deep and strategic capabilities in data science, analytics and optimisation, and cybersecurity.

For more details, visit IDS.

National Cybersecurity Research & Development Laboratory (NCL)

The National Cybersecurity R&D Laboratory (NCL) is a shared national infrastructure that provides computing resources, repeatable and controllable experimentation environments, as well as application services for the cybersecurity R&D community. The infrastructure includes a cluster of 300 nodes that provides a wide range of provisioning mechanisms, security data and security services. NCL aims to provide a platform that fosters and encourages collaboration among researchers in academia, the industry as well as government bodies both locally and internationally through the sharing and validation of research outcomes. The laboratory was established in November 2015 and is funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF).

For more information, visit NCL.

Advanced Robotics Center (ARC)

Established in 2013, Advanced Robotics Center (ARC) is an interdisciplinary research center jointly founded by NUS Computing and the Faculty of Engineering. One core research theme of ARC is human-centered collaborative robotics, with the goal of developing the scientific foundations, technologies, and experimental systems that enable symbiotic human-robot interaction and collaboration. The main research areas cover computer vision, learning and planning, human-robot interaction, mechatronic design, and soft robotics.

For more details, visit ARC.

Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI)

CSI, launched in October 2008, hosted by NUS, is one of the five Research Centers of Excellence established by the Government of Singapore. Located steps away from the National University Hospital, CSI works in close partnership with the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS), a major healthcare provider prominent in the care of cancer patients. Through the local and global partnerships, CSI works with leading minds from multiple scientific and clinical disciplines, and benefits from access to cutting-edge facilities. CSI aims to attract and train the best researchers from across the world to work with us, to foster strong collaborations with colleagues in Singapore and globally, and to inform and educate cancer patients, and the general public about cancer as a disease.

For more information, visit CSI.

Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT)

CQT, hosted by NUS, was established in December 2007 by Singapore’s National Research Foundation and Ministry of Education under the Research Centres of Excellence programme. The Centre also has staff at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). CQT in Singapore brings together physicists, computer scientists and engineers to do basic research on quantum physics and to build devices based on quantum phenomena. Experts in this new discipline of quantum technologies are applying their discoveries in computing, communications, and sensing.

For more information, visit CQT.

Smart System Institute (SSI)

Anchored in NUS, SSI is an interdisciplinary research institute and an experimental “playground” for human-centered AI technologies. The vision is to enable situated AI assistance for every human to work, play, and learn. The research at SSI spans the spectrum of embodied AI, robotics, interaction design, augmented/virtual reality. The institute brings together researchers from diverse backgrounds, including AI, engineering, design, social sciences, to collaborate and to shape the future of AI. In 2017, NUS renamed the former Interactive and Digital Media Institute (IDMI) that set up in 2007 as the NUS Smart Systems Institute (SSI) to sharpen the University’s focus on building strong capabilities and expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics, as well as applied research in areas such as augmented reality, virtual reality, Internet of Things and media technologies.

For further details, visit SSI.

Image & Pervasive Access Lab (IPAL)

IPAL is a Franco-Singaporean International Research Laboratory formed via partnerships between the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) and the National University of Singapore (NUS). First established in 1998 as a special CNRS overseas laboratory, IPAL serves as a framework for collaborations between NUS, A*STAR, and French researchers. The IPAL partnership is joined by French institutions over the years (Joseph Fourier University (later as Grenoble Alpes University), Institut Mines-Télécom, University Pierre et Marie Curie (later as Sorbonne University), and National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse).

Within NUS, IPAL is anchored in the NUS Computing. IPAL’s research currently centered around the themes of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. The laboratory is currently led by the Director, Adjunct Associate Professor and CNRS Senior Researcher Christophe Jouffrais, along with Associate Professor Ooi Wei Tsang as the NUS Co-director and Dr Lim Joo Hwee as the A*STAR Co-director.

For more details, visit IPAL.