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Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award

Celebrating Excellence and Dedication in PhD Mentoring
About the Award
Graduate Mentors play a significant role in fostering and steering the development of postgraduate scholars in their research pursuits, and professional and personal growth as the latter navigate their academic journeys. The Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award is a university-level award to formally acknowledge, inspire, and encourage excellent mentorship, and to recognise a mentor's lifetime contributions in nurturing the next generation of future scholars, thought leaders, and game changers.
Award Entitlement
  • Monetary value of S$3,000
  • One (1) Research Scholarship Block (RSB) scholarship
Eligibility
The Award is intended for faculty who have demonstrated sustained, career-long excellence in mentorship.
  • Full-time faculty member, with a primary appointment in NUS
  • Graduated at least 10 graduated students (PhD and/ or Master's by Research) as the main thesis advisor.
  • One (1) time honour. Past winners are not eligible for re-nomination.
Evaluation Criteria
Nominations will be evaluated with reference to evidence of strength, positive impact and commitment to the support and development of the students’ postgraduate journey. The focus is on long-term impact and career success.

  1. Lifetime Impact: Emphasis on the nominee's long-term impact on students’ development and career trajectory, not primarily on immediate research results or publication counts. Success in different sectors (academia, industry, government, etc.) will be highly recognised.
  2. Successful Mentoring: Successful completion of degree through well-structured relationships and the willingness to invest time and effort in guiding and supporting students’ personal and professional development.
  3. Ethical Practice: Promotes good scientific practice, research, and academic integrity.
  4. Supportive Environment: Providing a supportive, inclusive, and conducive environment, including advocating for students and helping them access resources.
  5. Career Preparation: Effectiveness in preparing students to be innovative scholars and thought leaders, and commitment to supporting their continued success and professional growth post-PhD.
  6. Service Contribution: Significant contributions to department/faculty/university graduate committees.
Nomination and Submission Process
Nomination Call and Submission
01 NUSGS to send out the Call for Nominations to Vice Deans (Graduate)
Faculty Vice Deans (Graduate) reach out to HoDs to seek nominations
By November
02 HoDs nominate the most deserving candidate and submit the fully prepared dossier
Each department is limited to submitting at most one candidate’s dossier to the Faculty Vice Dean (Graduate)

Deadline: By the date determined by the Faculty/School
03 Faculties will review and submit recommendations for up to two candidates (with final dossiers) to NUSGS
Mid-February
University-Level Evaluation and Award Conferment
04 Evaluation of submissions by the University Graduate Mentoring Committee (UGMS)
Late March 2026
05 Submission of recommendations to Provost and President for approval
Mid-May 2026
06 University Awards
May- August 2026
Submission Requirements
  1. Candidate's reflection (up to three (3) pages):
    • Articulation of your mentoring philosophy in the following areas: a) values/ beliefs, b) goals & c) strategies.
    • An impact narrative outlining contributions towards academic/ professional development of graduate students.
    • Other evidence of contributions and their significance to graduate education programmes at NUS.
  2. A list of current and past PhD/ MbR students mentored by the candidate (as the main thesis advisors), along with their placements and noteworthy achievements at NUS or later in their career; template attached
  3. Curriculum Vitae (up to five (5) pages)
  4. Three (3) to five (5) alumni testimonials. Testimonial must focus on the candidate's long-term impact and career trajectory on their mentees. The testimonial should reflect the diversity of placement and achievements (academic and non-academic paths) and cover both academic and personal support. Alumni letters should address 2–3 of the guiding questions:
    • How did your advisor support your intellectual development?
    • How did your advisor influence your long-term career trajectory?
    • Do you maintain contact with your advisor after graduation?
  5. A nomination letter from Head of Department (HoD) (up to two (2) pages) outlining why the candidate is an outstanding mentor.
Evaluation Committee
Nominations will be first evaluated by the Faculty Vice Dean for Graduate Studies, and finally by the University Graduate Mentoring Committee (UGMC) which comprises of a chairperson and four other members from STEM and non-STEM disciplines:
Professor
Shen Zuowei
Faculty of Science,
Department of Mathematics/Director, Institute of Mathematical Sciences (Chairperson)
Emeritus Professor
Shirlena Huang
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences,
Department of Geography
Professor
Chen Zhi Ning
College of Design and Engineering,
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Professor
Wong Lim Soon
School of Computing,
Department of Computer Science/Deputy Dean, NUS Graduate School
Associate Professor
Sylvie Alonso
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine,
Department of Microbiology and Immunology