Research Highlights

Southeast Asia is one of the most hazardous regions on Earth, where earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and landslides are deeply connected through the functioning of the subduction zones surrounding the region. InVEST is an ambitious and interdisciplinary effort that will provide a holistic understanding of regional tectonics, volcanoes, the linkages between the two, and their cascading hazards and impacts. InVEST gathers a local and regional team of experts in tectonic hazards, disaster mapping and risk assessment, that will improve the understanding of regional hazards from earthquakes and volcanoes, and their cascading impacts on society, to promote a more resilient Singapore and Southeast Asia. To achieve this, InVEST has several objectives — To:

A.  understand the connection of subduction-driven volcanism and great earthquake faults in SE Asia on a regional scale.

B.  improve understanding of the mutual influence of volcanoes and tectonic faults, with application to understanding caldera systems.

C.  improve understanding of cascading hazards, including earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis, from the perspective of structural geology.

D.  provide new tools for modelling the fundamental physical processes of earthquakes and volcanoes, incorporating seismology, geodesy, and laboratory measurements.

E.  develop innovative new techniques for monitoring and imaging tectonic and volcano processes.

F.  build capabilities for quick and accurate measurements of surface deformation and damage using remote sensing.

G.  develop a risk-assessment framework for connecting natural hazard events in SE Asia with societal impacts.

H.  compile historical information on earthquakes and volcanoes and improve understanding of how they have shaped human geography around the region.

I.  help the safety and sustainability of our region through education and communication of our results to stakeholders and the public.

Project Period: 2022 - 2027

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CTP’s mission is to develop, inspire and accelerate knowledge-based solutions, and to educate future leaders to establish the stable climate and environment necessary for a resilient and sustainable Southeast Asia.

CTP will be the first research programme to bring together researchers across many different disciplines at NTU, other local autonomous universities such as the National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University and Singapore University of Technology and Design, and research centres across the globe.

Its unique offering as an interdisciplinary research programme allows scientists to coordinate, collaborate, and draw on each other’s research expertise for mutual benefits. It also has an ambitious stakeholder engagement plan through which researchers will work collaboratively with government agencies, industry partners and communities to provide opportunities for cross-sector participation and to translate the research and solutions for each group.

Hosted by Earth Observatory of Science (EOS) and funded by Singapore’s Ministry of Education (MoE)

Project Period: 7 years (commenced 2023)

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