PROFESSOR LILY KONG
PRESIDENT OF SMU
EDUCATION
| 1991 | PhD in Geography, University College London |
| 1988 | MA in Geography, National University of Singapore |
| 1986 | BA(Hons) in Geography (First Class), National University of Singapore |
AREA OF SPECIALISATION
Social and cultural transformations in Asian cities
PREVIOUS APPOINTMENTS
Professor Lily Kong is the fifth President of Singapore Management University (SMU), and Lee Kong Chian Chair Professor. She was formerly Provost at SMU.
Before joining SMU, she was a faculty member at the National University of Singapore’s Department of Geography for nearly 25 years. She also held various senior management roles at the National University of Singapore, including Vice Provost (Education), Vice Provost (Academic Personnel), Vice President (University and Global Relations), Dean (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences), Dean, University Scholars Programme, and Director, Asia Research Institute.
PROFESSIONAL AWARDS
An award-winning researcher and teacher, Professor Kong has received numerous international awards, including the Commonwealth Fellowship Award, the Fulbright Fellowship Award, the Robert Stoddard Award from the Association of American Geographers for her work in the geographies of religion, and the Victoria Medal from the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) for conspicuous merit in social, cultural and urban geographical research. In a global study by Stanford University (2020), Professor Kong was identified as among the world’s top 1% of scientists in the field of Geography. Professor Kong was conferred the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2006 and Public Service Star (Bintang Bakti Masyarakat) award in 2020 as part of Singapore’s National Day Awards. She was recognised in Forbes Asia’s Power Businesswomen list (2020), Forbes inaugural 50 over 50 (Asia 2022) and Tatler’s Asia’s Most Influential (2022). Professor Kong was inducted into Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame in 2022.
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
Professor Kong’s research has been wide-ranging. Perhaps a golden thread that holds it all together is the focus on understanding social-cultural transformation in Asian cities. She has studied a wide range of phenomena: intercommunal (especially religious) relations, identities and social cohesion; cultural politics, cultural policies and cultural industries; creative economies, creative cities, and smart cities; natural and cultural heritages; and more.
BOOKS
Authored Books
- Kong, L (2023) Singapore Hawker Centres: People, Pllaces, Food, 2nd edition, Singapore: National Environment Agency and National Heritage Board.
- Kong, L. and Woods, O. (2016) Religion and Space: Competition, Conflict and Violence in the Contemporary World. London: Bloomsbury. 199 pp.
- Kong, L., Ching, C-H, and Chou, T-L. (2015) Arts, Culture and the Making of Global Cities: Creating New Urban Landscapes in Asia, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 260 pp.
- Kong, L. (2011) Conserving the Past, Creating the Future: Urban Heritage in Singapore, Singapore: Straits Times Press, 260 pp.
- Kong, L. (2007) Singapore's Hawker Centres, Singapore: Singapore National Printers, 176 pp.
- Kong, L., and Yeoh, B. S. A. (2003) The Politics of Landscape in Singapore: Constructions of "Nation", Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 254 pp.
- Winchester, H, Kong, L., and Dunn, K. (2003) Landscapes: Ways of Imagining the World, Harlow: Pearson, 2003, 206 pp.
- Kong, L., and Chang, T. C. (2001) Joo Chiat: A Living Legacy, Singapore: Editions Didier Millet, 152 pp.
- Perry, M, Kong, L., and Yeoh, B. S. A. (1997) Singapore: A Developmental City-State, World Cities Series. Chichester: John Wiley, 339 pp.
- Briffett, C., Kong, L., Yuen, B. K. P., and Sodhi, N. S. (1997) The Planning and Ecology of Park Connector Systems in Urban Areas, Singapore: National University of Singapore, 115 pp.
- Kong, L., Low, S. A., and Yip, J. (1994) Convent Chronicles: History of a Pioneer Mission School for Girls in Singapore, Singapore: Armour Publishing, 220 pp.
Edited Books
- Kapur, D., Kong, L., Lo, F. and Malone, D., eds., (2023) The Oxford Handbook of Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Oxford University Press, 877 pp.
- de Dios, A. and Kong, L., eds., (2020) Handbook on the Geographies of Creativity: Edward Elgar Publishing, 400 pp.
- Gomes, C., Kong, L. and Woods, O., eds., (2020) Religion, Hypermobility and Digital Media in Global Asia: Amsterdam University Press, 238 pp.
- Kong, L. and Sinha, V., eds., (2015) Food, Foodways and Foodscapes: Culture, Community and Consumption in Post-Colonial Singapore, Singapore: World Scientific, 247pp.
- Hopkins, P., Kong, L. and Olson, E., eds., (2013) Religion and Place: Landscape, Politics and Piety, Dordrecht: Springer. 222 pp.
- Kong, L., and O'Connor, J., eds., (2009) Creative Economies, Creative Cities: Asian-European Perspectives, Dordrecht: Springer, 227 pp.
- Kwok, K. W., Kwa, C. G., Kong, L., and Yeoh, B. S. A., eds., (1999) Our Place in Time: Exploring Heritage and Memory in Singapore, Singapore: Singapore Heritage Society, 216 pp.
- Olds, K., Dicken, P., Kelly, P. F., Kong, L., and Yeung, H. W. C., eds., (1999) Globalisation and the Asia Pacific: Contested Territories, London: Routledge, 293 pp.
- Savage, V. R., Kong, L., and Neville, W., eds., (1998) The Naga Awakens: Growth and Change in Southeast Asia, Singapore: Times Academic Press, 360 pp.
- Savage, V. R., and Kong, L., eds., (1997) Environmental Stakes: Myanmar and Agenda 21, Singapore: Hanns Seidel Foundation, 329 pp.
- Kong, L., Lim, E., and Lian, L. C., eds., (1996) Crossing Borders: A Geographical Field Expedition Guide, Singapore: Geography Teachers' Association, 126 pp.
- Yeoh, B. S. A., and Kong, L., eds., (1995) Portraits of Places: History, Community and Identity in Singapore, Singapore: Times Editions,
252 pp.
Email: lilykong@smu.edu.sg
Tel: +65 6828 1940
Singapore Management University
Administration Building
81 Victoria Street
Singapore 188065
In the last of the ST-SMU Reimagining Universities four-part series, SMU President Professor Lily Kong discussed the changes that the coronavirus pandemic will bring to universities. She predicts that post-pandemic, universities, including SMU, will mount more hybrid courses, with some parts taught online. But she maintains that most courses will be conducted face to face. Prof Kong also shared about SMU’s virtual open house and how going online has worked well for SMU’s admissions, the importance of overseas stints for students and how SMU will find ways of giving them global exposure in some form when they cannot travel. She also explained the role of university rankings and shared her views on such rankings.
Keynote Address delivered at the Plenary Session of QS-Apple 2019, 27 November 2019, Fukuoka International Congress Center, Japan
“If ‘change is inevitable’, then the universities of today, as an integral component of society, are not exempt from this inevitability … Unlike the advent of the Internet or Artificial Intelligence, both of which are technological disruptions, the Ageing Society is a demographic phenomenon. But, like the 4th industrial revolution, it is also a form of disruption and one that has significant social and economic implications for the world. We are living in an ageing world … How would this demographic shift present changes and challenges to the universities, you might ask.”
Keynote address delivered at the Inaugural Singaporean Researchers Global Summit, 6 August 2019, National University of Singapore
“The long-term future of social sciences turns largely on our ability to connect our research agenda to human needs (Harman, 2003). Academic disciplines are esteemed, supported and patronized largely to the degree they are perceived as providing a ‘return’ on invested societal resources. Disciplinary relevance and survival are tied to research agendas pursued – the greater the perceived ‘return’, the better for the long-term health of the discipline. But beyond survival and a desired prominence for the social sciences, it is surely a “moral duty” (Martin, 2001:190) for social scientists to be socially relevant.”
Speech at the 11th ASEAN University Network Rectors' Conference, 11 July 2019, Siem Reap
Professor Kong discussed four key thoughts on data and digital technology and its implications for universities, using the SMU experience: 1) SMU’s experience in mitigating risks and overcoming challenges in this digital age; 2) how SMU leveraged technology in our decision-making; 3) how SMU is contributing to knowledge creation that enhances the ways in which the world may better benefit from data and digital technologies; and 4) how SMU prepares students for the world of digital technologies.
Urban Solutions magazine, January 2019
Professor Kong suggested that Singapore’s local cuisine is the outcome of different food traditions intermingling through trade and cultural exchange. She argued that as what the world eats becomes increasingly globalised, the best way to keep Singaporean food culture alive is to share it with others abroad. The article was published in Urban Solutions, the bi-annual magazine of the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), in an issue which took the theme Food Secure Cities. CLC is a division of the Ministry of National Development, Singapore.
Singapore Management University was originally set up as a business school in collaboration with Wharton, the business school of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and had the mission to be an agent of change by being fashioned after the US system, Times may have changed and perhaps we need fewer of such partnerships today. But they were needed at a particular point in Singapore’s development.
The Straits Times, 23 September 2016
Professor Kong discussed the pros and cons of religious competition and the challenges of building resilience in a multi-religious society. While Prof Kong acknowledged that religious competition can degenerate into disruptive conflict and destabilising violence, she pointed out that it is important to remember that religious competition can also have positive consequences. “It opens up religious choice for individuals. It has the potential to augment social welfare, for example, through the increased provision of psychological and social support services through religious networks,” she said. Prof Kong shared her views on the relation between globalisation and religious change. She observed that globalisation has reinforced and deepened religious consciousness, rather than diminished it. She noted that that growing migration has resulted in a significantly more plural religious demography in many parts of the world, adding that new technologies greatly enhance the ability of religious groups to disseminate religious messages and religious content widely and rapidly. Lastly, Prof Kong discussed the topic of building resilience in Singapore. She stressed that the protection and resilience we require rely on the ability of a people to absorb, adapt to or mitigate the influence of negative stressors, including any conflict and violence resulting from religious competition, and relating – even in misled and misinterpreted ways – to religious beliefs. She highlighted that resilience in a multi-religious society comes from trust within and between religious groups, and between religious and secular groups. “These ties take time to build, and require us to have a common understanding of what challenges we face, a willingness to think about them together, and a healthy discourse about how to address them. They also require an openness to the commonality of beliefs and values, even practices, across religions, and between religion and secular morality,” she added.
The Business Times, 23 September 2015
In a special feature, SMU Provost Professor Lily Kong highlighted the importance of integrating humanities (and social sciences) into business management education, noting that SMU, from inception, has demonstrated a commitment to broad-based learning and multi-disciplinary learning, critical thinking, and emphasis on communicative abilities whilst delivering in-depth education in a specialised field. Professor Kong also discussed the value of cross-cultural communications and cultural awareness, citing several modules which SMU offers to enable students to communicate and negotiate effectively with key international stakeholders. She added that graduates with a broad-based education are more likely to display versatility and be articulate and knowledgeable in diverse subjects, hence making them more sought after in the market. Professor Kong expressed her wish to add to the SMU curriculum more humanities modules in the years ahead as she believes that a management university with a curriculum that combines specialisation with the holistic and broad-based approach of the liberal arts may best-serve the future needs of Singapore, stressing that SMU takes the lead in this.