Topic: The VUCA World and Its Impact on Research, Education, and Jobs

Lecturer: Academician Kiat Seng YEO

Time: May 7, 2025, 16:00 - 17:30, UTC+8

Venue: Conference Center 201, Mafangshan Campus

Biography: Academician Kiat Seng YEO is a Fellow of the Singapore Academy of Engineering and the Singapore National Academy of Sciences. He served as Former Associate Dean of the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and Former Vice Provost of the Singapore University of Technology and Design. Currently a Chair Professor at Tianjin University’s School of Microelectronics, he is recognized as a global top 2% scientist by Stanford University and an industry expert in integrated circuits. He has authored over 600 peer-reviewed papers in prestigious journals such as IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits and IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, with over 9,500 citations and an h-index of 50. He has also published 13 monographs, including Intellectual Property for Integrated Circuits and Low-Voltage, Low-Power VLSI Subsystems.

Abstract: The VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) world, intensified by the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI), demands a fundamental reimagining of economic structures and future workforce strategies. To maintain competitiveness, nations must prioritize investments in education and research. This talk will first introduce a transformative education model for the AI era. The Fourth Industrial Revolution, with its unprecedented scale of disruption, will reshape industries, technologies, and academia, leading to the obsolescence of many PMET (Professional, Manager, Executive, Technician) roles and traditional university paradigms. AI-driven digital transformation will simultaneously create new opportunities and accelerate innovation. In this evolving landscape, universities and industries must forge novel collaborative frameworks to pioneer cutting-edge ideas, knowledge, and growth domains. The talk will redefine research success, identify emerging research frontiers, and address critical questions: How will rapid technological shifts reshape research collaborations? What are the next breakthroughs? How will these changes impact society? Through this exploration, the lecture aims to chart pathways for navigating the challenges and opportunities of modern education, research, and workforce development.

Rewritten by: Li Huihui

Edited by: Li Tiantian

Source: International School of Materials Science and Engineering (School of Materials and Microelectronics)