Lai Choy Heng
Encyclopedia
Lai Choy Heng is Professor of Physics and Vice Provost (Academic Personnel) at the National University of Singapore
. He received his undergraduate as well as graduate degrees from the University of Chicago
. He took up a position as post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Niels Bohr Institute
, University of Copenhagen
from 1978 to 1980 after which he joined National University of Singapore
’s (NUS) Department of Mathematics as a Lecturer
. He then moved to the Department of Physics in 1981 which saw him rise through the ranks from Senior Lecturer
to Associate Professor to Professor
.
from 1996 to 2000. He became Dean
from 2000 to 2003 and was appointed the University's Vice Provost (Academic Personnel) in June 2003. He is also, since September 2007, the Deputy Director of the Centre for Quantum Technologies, a Research Centre of Excellence in quantum information
science and technology at NUS. Lai is also involved in the NUS NanoScience and NanoTechnology Initiative as the Chairman of its management board.
As Vice Provost (Academic Personnel), Lai chairs the University Promotion and Tenure Committee and works with the Provost in academic personnel matters, performance evaluation, benchmarking, university resources and space allocation. In addition, he oversees the functions of the University's Centre for Information Technology, University Scholars Programme, The Logistics Institute-Asia Pacific, NUS-Fudan Joint Graduate School and the NUS NanoScience and NanoTechnology Initiative.
; complex systems
as well as quantum information
and quantum computation. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics in Singapore, as well as member of the American Physical Society
and the American Association of Physics Teachers
. In 2002, the French Government conferred upon him the Chevalier
dans l'Ordre des Palmes Academiques for his contributions to relations between the two countries within the academic field and he received the Public Administration Medal (Silver) from the Singapore Government in 2003.
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
. He received his undergraduate as well as graduate degrees from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. He took up a position as post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Niels Bohr Institute
Niels Bohr Institute
The Niels Bohr Institute is a research institute of the University of Copenhagen. The research of the institute spans astronomy, geophysics, nanotechnology, particle physics, quantum mechanics and biophysics....
, University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
from 1978 to 1980 after which he joined National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
’s (NUS) Department of Mathematics as a Lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
. He then moved to the Department of Physics in 1981 which saw him rise through the ranks from Senior Lecturer
Senior lecturer
Senior lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a faculty position at a university or similar institution. Especially in research-intensive universities, lecturers lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
to Associate Professor to Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
.
Academic career
To date, Lai has held several administrative appointments within the University. He was Head of the Departments of Computational Science (1996–97) and Physics (1998–2000) and was concurrently the Vice Dean of the Faculty of ScienceFaculty of Science, National University of Singapore
The Faculty of Science in the National University of Singapore, can be traced back to 1929 when Raffles College started classes in Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics in Science education at the tertiary level...
from 1996 to 2000. He became Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
from 2000 to 2003 and was appointed the University's Vice Provost (Academic Personnel) in June 2003. He is also, since September 2007, the Deputy Director of the Centre for Quantum Technologies, a Research Centre of Excellence in quantum information
Quantum information
In quantum mechanics, quantum information is physical information that is held in the "state" of a quantum system. The most popular unit of quantum information is the qubit, a two-level quantum system...
science and technology at NUS. Lai is also involved in the NUS NanoScience and NanoTechnology Initiative as the Chairman of its management board.
As Vice Provost (Academic Personnel), Lai chairs the University Promotion and Tenure Committee and works with the Provost in academic personnel matters, performance evaluation, benchmarking, university resources and space allocation. In addition, he oversees the functions of the University's Centre for Information Technology, University Scholars Programme, The Logistics Institute-Asia Pacific, NUS-Fudan Joint Graduate School and the NUS NanoScience and NanoTechnology Initiative.
Research, Honours and Awards
Lai Choy Heng's current areas of research are nonlinear dynamical systems; quantum chaosQuantum chaos
Quantum chaos is a branch of physics which studies how chaotic classical dynamical systems can be described in terms of quantum theory. The primary question that quantum chaos seeks to answer is, "What is the relationship between quantum mechanics and classical chaos?" The correspondence principle...
; complex systems
Complex systems
Complex systems present problems in mathematical modelling.The equations from which complex system models are developed generally derive from statistical physics, information theory and non-linear dynamics, and represent organized but unpredictable behaviors of systems of nature that are considered...
as well as quantum information
Quantum information
In quantum mechanics, quantum information is physical information that is held in the "state" of a quantum system. The most popular unit of quantum information is the qubit, a two-level quantum system...
and quantum computation. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics in Singapore, as well as member of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
and the American Association of Physics Teachers
American Association of Physics Teachers
The American Association of Physics Teachers was founded in 1930 for the purpose of "dissemination of knowledge of physics, particularly by way of teaching." There are more than 10,000 members that reside in over 30 countries. AAPT publications include two peer-reviewed journals, the American...
. In 2002, the French Government conferred upon him the Chevalier
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
dans l'Ordre des Palmes Academiques for his contributions to relations between the two countries within the academic field and he received the Public Administration Medal (Silver) from the Singapore Government in 2003.