Advisory Board

Liow, Chin Yong Joseph

(Chair, ex-officio)

Dean, College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences,
Nanyang Technological University

Joseph Liow is Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, where he is also Tan Kah Kee Chair in Comparative and International Politics and Professor and former Dean at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. He held the inaugural Lee Kuan Yew Chair in Southeast Asia Studies at the Brookings Institution, Washington DC. Professor Liow’s research interests encompass Muslim politics and social movements in Southeast Asia and the geopolitics and geoeconomics of the Asia-Pacific region.

Riyanto, Yohanes Eko

(ex-officio)

Chair, School of Social Sciences,
Nanyang Technological University

Yohanes Eko Riyanto, Professor of Economics and Chair of the School of Social Sciences at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, specializes in Behavioral Economics. His research examines economic decision-making, focusing on how behavioral biases shape decisions, influence policymaking, and affect individuals’ responses to policies.

Bloome, Deirdre

Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy, Harvard University
& Director, Stone Program in Wealth Distribution, Inequality, and Social Policy, Harvard University

Deirdre Bloome is the Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Sociology at Harvard University, where she serves as the Director of the Stone Program in Wealth Distribution, Inequality, and Social Policy and the Chair of the PhD program in Social Policy. Her work focuses on socioeconomic mobility, racial inequality, family demography, and quantitative methods. She holds a PhD in Sociology and Social Policy and an A.M. in Statistics from Harvard University. Her research has been published in outlets including the American Journal of Sociology, the American Sociological Review, Demography, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; it has been supported by funders including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Russell Sage Foundation; and it has been recognized by awards including the William Julius Wilson Early Career Award from the American Sociological Association's section on Inequality, Poverty, and Mobility.

Kok, Heng Leun

Artist and Founder, Drama Box

Kok Heng Leun is a theatre director, playwright, dramaturg and educator, known for his ability to engage the community on various issues through the arts and championing civic discourse across different segments of society. Awards he has received include the Young Artist Award, Cultural Fellowship, and Cultural Medallion. He served as a Nominated Member of Parliament (2016-2018) representing the arts sector. In 2024, he received an honorary doctorate from the National University of Tainan.

Kwok, Kian-Woon

Vice-Chancellor, University of the Arts Singapore
& Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Nanyang Technological University

Kwok Kian-Woon (PhD Sociology, University of California at Berkeley) is Vice-Chancellor, University of the Arts Singapore and Emeritus Professor at the Nanyang Technological University. His vocation in academia and public life has covered key concerns such as history and memory, mental health and wellbeing, and culture and the arts.

Lien, Laurence

Chairman, Lien Foundation

Laurence Lien is Co-Founder and Chairman of the Asia Philanthropy Circle. Laurence is also the Chairman of Lien Foundation. He was previously the CEO of the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre and Chairman of the Community Foundation of Singapore. He is Board Member of the Lien Centre for Social Innovation at the Singapore Management University. Prior to his work in the non-profit sector, Laurence served in the Singapore Administrative Service.

Lim, Corinna

Executive Director, Association of Women for Action & Research (AWARE)

Corinna Lim is the Executive Director of AWARE. As a dedicated women's rights activist and lawyer, she has been an advocate for issues such as gender-based violence, gender-equal workplaces, greater support for single parents, lower-income women and family caregivers.

Lim, Linda

Professor Emerita of Corporate Strategy and International Business,
University of Michigan

Linda Yuen-Ching Lim is Professor Emerita of Corporate Strategy and International Business at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. A longtime scholar of and commentator on the Singapore economy, with economics degrees from the Universities of Cambridge (BA), Yale (MA) and Michigan (PhD), she is a founding co-editor of AcademiaSG.

Ng, Bee Leng

Divisional Director, Strategy & Transformation, Allkin Singapore

Ng Bee Leng is a social worker by training and is currently the Divisional Director of the Strategy & Transformation Division at Allkin Singapore. Working with disadvantaged communities for the past 30 years has brought her to believe that people with lived experiences are the experts of their own lives. She believes in Asset Based Community-led Development where people in the community focus on “what is strong” and come together to participate in resolving their problems.

Peng, Ito

Professor of Sociology and Public Policy, University of Toronto

Ito Peng, the Canada Research Chair in Global Social Policy, University of Toronto, is a leading expert in global social policy and political economy, specializing in care economy, gender, migration, and climate policies. She leads two global partnership research projects: Care Economies in Context and Care and Climate Change Policies.