Dear students and colleagues

Two events which bookended the month of September highlighted CDE's leadership in impactful research.

The first took place on 7 September, when the Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute (CFI) Singapore, was officially launched by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Grace Fu. With climate change driving sea levels higher, Singapore, an island nation, faces unique threats. Thus a national initiative was launched to address this crisis, with CFI Singapore being the ‘crown jewel’ of national research efforts to meet the challenges that climate change poses.

CFI Singapore, led by faculty members from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will develop and lead innovative solutions to protect our coastlines and communities. It brings together experts from other national institutions, such as NTU, SUTD, SIT, and A*STAR, as well as local and international industry partners. That CFI Singapore was established here in our College, underscores the groundbreaking nature of our research and recognises the leadership roles our researchers have taken on at national and international levels.

CDE's Industry Day on 29 September brought together researchers, project teams, and start-ups from across our College's diverse spectrum of disciplines, showcasing solutions across themes of sustainability in logistics and operations, healthcare and living, smart manufacturing and collaborative robotics, and design in a tropical environment. The top three projects submitted for the first CDE Sustainable Design and Engineering Innovation Challenge were presented, featuring exciting research from Professor He Jianzhong, Dr Justin Yeoh, and Dr Du Hongjian. The Challenge was established to promote research contributing toward shaping a more sustainable future with clear application and impact potential.

The College's Industry Day aims to foster stronger connections between academics, researchers, and industry, working together towards common goals. Research cannot be done in isolation if it is to make a real impact. CFI Singapore shares the same ethos. I am excited for the continued growth and evolution of Industry Day, to catalyse groundbreaking collaborative research with like-minded partners.

Professor Teo Kie Leong
Acting Dean
College of Design and Engineering