SINGAPORE – Professor Ho Teck Hua will be the new president of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) from April, leaving his position as senior deputy president and provost of the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Prof Ho, 61, was selected as NTU’s fifth president after a global search, said the chairman of NTU’s board of trustees Goh Swee Chen in a message to NTU faculty, staff, students and alumni on Wednesday.
He succeeds Professor Subra Suresh, who stepped down in December 2022 after five years on the job, citing long-term separation from his family in America as the main reason for his departure.
Prof Ho holds degrees in engineering and computer and information sciences from NUS as well as advanced degrees in decision sciences, or the study of decision-making, from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
He is also the founding executive chairman of AI Singapore, a national research and development programme and sits on the boards of the Defence Science and Technology Agency, DSO National Laboratories, Government Technology Agency, National University Health System, and Greenland Linklogis Group Holdings.
He is also a fellow of the Civil Service College Singapore and president of the Academy of Engineering Singapore.
Prof Ho’s academic career began at NUS, followed by two decades at business schools in the US – Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles; The Wharton School; and Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
In a statement from NTU on Wednesday, Ms Goh said: “Professor Ho is an internationally accomplished academic with outstanding leadership qualities and a deep commitment to advancing excellence in higher education, research, and innovation.
“He brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role and will work closely with the university leadership and community to implement and realise the ambitions and goals outlined in the NTU 2025 strategic plan and beyond.”
She added that the board of trustees is delighted that he will lead NTU forward in its next chapter of development and thanked the nine-person search committee for its work, adding that the process was thorough and highly competitive.
On his appointment, Prof Ho said: “It is a real honour for me to be given the opportunity to work with the NTU community, its trustees, faculty, staff, students, and alumni, to take the university to greater heights.”
In a separate statement on Wednesday, NUS announced changes to its senior leadership team following Prof Ho’s departure.
Professor Aaron Thean was appointed provost in his place and as deputy president for academic affairs, moving up from his current role as dean of the College of Design and Engineering.
