NUS president Tan Eng Chye to step down end 2027, search for successor begins

A search committee will evaluate candidates from Singapore and abroad. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The Straits TimesShermaine Ang2026-10-21 13:24查看原文 ↗

NUS president Tan Eng Chye with students and colleagues at Supernova 2026.

Published Oct 21, 2026, 01:24 PM

Updated Oct 21, 2026, 01:26 PM

NUS has begun a search for its next president, as Tan Eng Chye will step down in December 2027 after 10 years at the helm.

A search committee, chaired by board deputy chairman Leo Yip and backed by a global executive search firm, will look for candidates in Singapore and overseas.

Tan said he is grateful for more than 40 years at NUS and will stay on until 2027. The board praised his work on interdisciplinary education, research and enterprise growth.

SINGAPORE – The National University of Singapore (NUS) has started its search for its next president, as incumbent Tan Eng Chye’s current term will end in December 2027.

Tan, 65, will step down after 10 years at the helm.

He has expressed his wish not to seek an extension beyond his second five-year term, and will return to academia at NUS, according to an internal circular signed by the university’s board of trustees deputy chairman Leo Yip.

In a statement on Oct 21, NUS said that the board has formed a search committee chaired by Yip to identify Tan’s successor.

Supported by a global executive search firm, the committee will evaluate candidates from Singapore and abroad.

Former NUS president Tan Chorh Chuan is among the committee’s members, while Tan Eng Chye serves as its adviser.

In the circular, Yip credited Tan Eng Chye with advancing interdisciplinary education, strengthening research and expanding the university’s enterprise ecosystem. The board will work closely with him to ensure a smooth leadership transition, he added.

In a statement, Tan Eng Chye said NUS had been an important part of his life for more than 40 years, and he was deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve as its president.

“There is still important work ahead. I will continue to give my best until the end of my term in 2027 and look forward to passing the baton to my successor who will lead NUS into its next exciting chapter,” he said.

Tan Eng Chye became NUS’ fifth president in 2018. A mathematician by training, he graduated from NUS in 1985 and joined its mathematics department as a senior tutor that year. He obtained his doctorate from Yale University in 1989.

He spearheaded the launch of the College of Humanities and Sciences and College of Design and Engineering in 2021 for students to take common interdisciplinary modules. He also led the merging Yale-NUS with NUS’ University Scholars Programme to form NUS College .

He received the Meritorious Service Medal in 2024 and the President’s Science and Technology Medal in 2025.

Universities - Singapore

新加坡国立大学校长陈永财与学生和同事们在 Supernova 2026 大会上合影。

发布于 2026 年 10 月 21 日下午 1:24

更新于2026年10月21日下午1:26

新加坡国立大学已开始寻找下一任校长，现任校长陈永财将于2027年12月卸任，结束其10年的校长任期。

由董事会副主席叶立雄担任主席，并由一家全球猎头公司支持的遴选委员会，将在新加坡和海外寻找候选人。

陈先生表示，他很感激在新加坡国立大学工作的40多年，并将继续留任至2027年。董事会赞扬了他在跨学科教育、研究和企业发展方面所做出的贡献。

新加坡——新加坡国立大学（NUS）已开始寻找下一任校长，现任校长陈永财的任期将于2027年12月结束。

现年 65 岁的谭将在执掌公司 10 年后卸任。

据新加坡国立大学董事会副主席叶立文签署的一份内部通告显示，他已表示不希望在第二个五年任期结束后寻求延期，并将返回新加坡国立大学从事学术工作。

新加坡国立大学在 10 月 21 日的一份声明中表示，董事会已成立一个由叶先生担任主席的遴选委员会，以确定陈先生的继任者。