Giving To SUTD

Chair Professorship in Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS)

According to the World Health Organization, the world’s population is aging rapidly – those above the age of 60 will nearly double in number by 2050, and in Singapore, nearly 1 in 4 will be above the age of 65 by 2030. Hence, it is necessary to better understand the human experience of aging and develop solutions that adequately address the needs of elderly individuals.

Through the endowed Chair Professorship in Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS), the Singapore University of Technology and Design aims to be a global leader in aging research and position itself to tackle the complex challenges facing our rapidly aging society. We envision a centre of excellence focused on interdisciplinary research and education at the intersection of technology, psychology, and the humanities as they relate to aging. To achieve this, the University would like to appoint a renowned expert in gerontology, digital humanities or cognitive aging to helm the efforts and drive high-impact research projects that will translate to tangible benefits for the aged and their caregivers.
 
Investing in a distinguished Chair Professorship in HASS Research in Aging will yield numerous benefits for the University, its students, the broader community and the region:

  1. Advancement of gerontology research applicable to Singapore’s context
    Having a Chair Professor specialising in gerontology will help Singapore to meet challenging needs that arise with an aging population.

  2. Enhancement of educational offerings
    The Chair Professor will develop new courses, programmes and experiential learning opportunities that integrate humanities-based approaches to aging to equip students with the critical thinking skills and empathy needed to address the complex challenges facing aging populations.

  3. Deepening of interdisciplinary collaboration
    SUTD's expertise in areas like artificial intelligence, robotics and user experience design can be leveraged to develop cutting-edge, technology-enabled solutions to support aging populations. This Chair Professorship can foster cross-disciplinary collaboration among researchers from various fields to create more holistic and human-centred solutions for the elderly.

  4. Increased global impact of the University’s research
    As a leading institution in design x tech, the University will be poised to influence policy, shape best practices and drive innovations that improve quality of life for older adults worldwide. The Chair Professor's thought leadership and external partnerships will raise the University's profile as a hub for aging-related scholarship and solutions for the world.

By establishing this prestigious Chair Professorship, the University will cement its position as a global leader in humanities-driven aging research and education. This investment will yield dividends for decades to come as the appointed scholar and their team work to enhance the human experience of growing older through innovative and interdisciplinary approaches.


Potential Research Areas

  1. Cognitive Aging and Assistive Technologies:

    • Developing user-friendly, adaptive interfaces and devices that support independent living and daily tasks for the elderly.

    • Investigating the role of digital technologies in early detection and management of age-related cognitive decline, including dementia.​

  2. Social Connectedness and Loneliness:

    • Designing social robotics and virtual companions to combat social isolation and loneliness among older adults.

    • Leveraging digital platforms and communication technologies to facilitate intergenerational connections and combat social isolation.

  3. Digital Humanities and Cultural Preservation:

    • Utilising digital tools and techniques to preserve and digitise cultural heritage, historical artifacts, and personal narratives related to aging and the elderly.

    • Developing interactive, multimedia platforms that allow older adults to share their life stories and experiences, contributing to the collective memory and understanding of aging.

  4. User-Centred Design for Aging:

    • Developing design frameworks and methodologies that prioritise the user experience and accessibility for elderly individuals, including those with cognitive or physical impairments.

    • Collaborating with older adults to co-create innovative solutions that address the challenges of aging, such as mobility, healthcare, and independent living.

  5. Interdisciplinary Approaches to Aging Challenges:

    • Fostering cross-disciplinary research teams that combine expertise in fields like psychology, computer science, engineering, and the humanities to tackle complex aging-related issues.

    • Investigating the ethical implications and societal impact of emerging technologies as they relate to aging populations, such as privacy, data security, and algorithmic bias.


A snapshot of Professor Yow Wei Quin

(Potential appointee of the Chair Professorship)


Professor Yow Wei Quin is the Head for the HASS Cluster at SUTD. She obtained her PhD (Psychology), MA (Psychology) and MSc (Statistics) from Stanford University, USA.
 
Professor Yow's expertise spans across various fields within the social sciences, with a particular focus on interdisciplinary research that bridges technology, design, psychology and human-centred studies. Her research interests include the impact of digital technologies on societal structures, the role of psychology in technological innovation, and the intersection of humanities, art, social sciences, design, technology, and AI in contemporary society.

From 2019 to 2023, Professor Yow led research into the impact of bilingualism or multilingualism on cognitive decline. This led to the development of Ami, a multilingual gaming application specially designed for seniors to reduce cognitive decline. Ami was launched by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat in 2023 and implemented on 1,000 devices for seniors from Lion Befrienders. Since Ami’s successful rollout, Professor Yow has been actively working with SUTD’s large language models (LLM) team to develop an elder-friendly multilingual social conversation chatbot to reduce social isolation and loneliness; and with SUTD’s robotics team to develop a robot powered with embedded AI for Ami to encourage human-robot interaction in seniors. The goals of this interaction are enhanced cognition, physical interaction and social engagement.

Professor Yow is a sought-after speaker at international conferences and has published extensively in leading academic journals. She has published more than 80 peer-refereed papers, conference proceedings and book chapters in top-tiered journals such as Innovation in Aging, Child Development, and Journal of Gerontology Series B, and more than 120 keynotes and conference presentations in the Society of Research in Child Development, Gerontological Society of Aging, etc., in the area of social cognition, bilingualism, technology and aging.

Read more on Professor Yow Wei Quin's expertise here


Next Steps

Please contact Mr Robin Chua, Director of Advancement and Development, to find out how you can contribute towards this initiative.
Email: robin_chua@sutd.edu.sg