Principal Daniel Woolf and Vice-Principal (Research) Steven Liss have concluded a successful two-day visit to Singapore, where they met with partner universities and connected with local alumni.

The visit was part of a trip to Southeast Asia aimed at strengthening ties with partner institutions.

“Our visit to Singapore reinforced the importance of Queen’s building international partnerships in key global hubs,” says Principal Woolf. “Singapore is a strategic area in South-East Asia and offers an opportunity for the university to attract quality graduate and undergraduate students and partner on research collaborations of regional and global importance.”

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University of Singapore are two internationally recognized institutions that Principal Woolf and Vice-Principal Liss visited while in Singapore. The visits provided an opportunity to speak with faculty and administrators about potential research partnerships in areas such as cancer research, water treatment research and studies in the care and implications of aging populations. Both institutions also have a growing interest in teaching and research in the social sciences and humanities and are encouraging greater student and faculty mobility.

NTU is also a partner with Imperial College in London, which is developing an international network of phenome centres and the possibility of becoming part of the research network is under discussion at Queen’s. Principal Woolf and Vice-Principal Liss visited Imperial College last year.

“Queen’s research prominence is increasingly being defined by our international partnerships and collaborations.”

- Steven Liss, Vice-Principal (Research)

“Queen’s research prominence is increasingly being defined by our international partnerships and collaborations,” says Vice-Principal Liss. “Singapore has defined its key strategic areas of research focus and Queen’s has significant expertise in many of those areas, making us a good fit for potential collaboration in the country.”

Along with meeting university officials, Principal Woolf and Vice-Principal Liss hosted an event for Queen’s alumni in Singapore, attended by a number of graduates, including Heather Grant (Artsci’89), High Commissioner of Canada in Singapore.

“I want to thank our alumni in Singapore for proudly representing their alma mater,” says Principal Woolf. “Wherever I go, I am always impressed by what our alumni have achieved and their continued support of the university.”

Principal Woolf and Vice-Principal Liss are continuing their trip in Asia with a visit to Japan, where they will meet with other partner universities and Queen’s alumni, and participate in the inauguration of a new laboratory building at Nagoya University, where Professor Cathleen Crudden (Chemistry), a 2015 Killam Research Fellow, has a research laboratory.