Professor Lily Kong FBA
- Fellow type
- International Fellow
- Year elected
- 2025
- Honours
- BBM, PPA, FBA
- Sections
- Anthropology and Geography
Summary
Professor Lily Kong was born in Singapore. She earned a doctoral degree in Geography at University College London, and has held academic positions in Singapore since.
She has been President of Singapore Management University (SMU) since 2019, the first Singaporean to lead the institution and the first woman to head any university in Singapore.
From her disciplinary roots in Geography, she has since come to embrace interdisciplinarity in her work. Her research has focused on urban transformations, and social and cultural change in Asian cities.
In particular, she has published a large body of work on inter-communal relations (including religious and racial relations), social cohesion, national identity, cultural policy and cultural industries, creative cities and creative economy, urban heritage and conservation, smart cities, migration and education.
Professor Kong has received multiple international awards and fellowships, including the Victoria Medal from the Royal Geographical Society, the Robert Stoddard Award from the Association of American Geographers, the Commonwealth Fellowship, the Fulbright Fellowship, the Geographical Society of China Fellowship (Foreign), and the SR Nathan Fellowship.
At SMU, she has spearheaded significant strategic initiatives, focusing on Digital Transformation, Sustainable Living, and Growth in Asia. Under her leadership, SMU launched new colleges, research centres and institutes, and overseas centres. Enrolment, research funding, industry partnerships, and philanthropic support have surged during her tenure, along with new infrastructure to support SMU's growth.
Beyond the university, Professor Kong has contributed in myriad ways to Singapore society. For example, she sits or has sat on various Boards and Committees, including the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony, Public Service Commission, Housing and Development Board, National Heritage Board, National Environment Agency, and others, which have allowed her to influence policy and practice in multiple dimensions of Singaporean life."