Tan Ah Tah Professor of Environmental Law

The Faculty of Law at National University of Singapore seeks to appoint a distinguished legal scholar to be the inaugural Tan Ah Tah Professor of Environmental Law. We are looking for an eminent scholar in the field of environmental law (broadly defined) who will play a leading role in the development of scholarship and education in this area of law, not only in Singapore but globally. This Chair was endowed by the late Madam Eileen Tan in honour of her father, Justice Tan Ah Tah, who was the first Singaporean to sit on the Supreme Court of this country.

The Tan Ah Tah Professor of Environmental Law is a full-time, tenured, full Professor position and the appointee will be offered internationally competitive compensation and benefits, commensurate with qualifications and experience. The University would like the appointee to take up the position as soon as contractual obligations and personal circumstances allow.

Duties and Responsibilities

The successful candidate will

• Provide leadership in creating and nurturing new research themes and areas in environmental law (broadly defined);
• Sustain a record of regular and original research publications in the area of environmental law (broadly defined) in internationally recognised and high quality journals and university presses;
• Contribute to the leadership of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law (APCEL);
• Provide high-quality postgraduate supervision and attract research students to the university;
• Conduct effective teaching in core and elective courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels;
• Mentor junior colleagues within the Faculty; and,
• Build strong interactions between NUS and other leading institutions in research and graduate education.

Person Specification

Strong candidates for the position will presumptively hold a tenured full Professorship at a major law school. The candidate should be of long-term strategic value to the University and its global community. They will:

• Be a world-leading authority in environmental law (broadly defined);
• Have a sustained track record of research outputs of internationally excellent quality, including single or main author of refereed publications;
• Have a clear research agenda that complements and/or adds to the research strengths of colleagues within the Faculty;
• Be a visionary and generous leader committed to institutional excellence and development;
• Be dedicated to mentoring junior colleagues and have strong experience of doing so;
• Be capable of providing informal leadership within the Faculty;
• Have strong experience of high-quality teaching and PhD supervision;
• Have a high-level of interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to communicate persuasively to an academic audience and other stakeholders as appropriate; and
• Bring a capacity to enthuse others and work successfully as a member of a team and across teams.

Application Procedure

Applications should be submitted in English, and the completed dossier* should be addressed (if sent by post) to:

The Secretary

Faculty Search Committee

Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore

Eu Tong Sen Building

469G Bukit Timah Road

Singapore 259776

Applications may also be sent by email to lawfsc@nus.edu.sg. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. Applicants must complete the NUS Personal Data Consent for Job Applications, which is to be submitted together with the application. Candidates who are short-listed can be expected to attend a campus interview.

*The applicant’s dossier should include the following:

1. Curriculum Vitae

a) Academic History:

• • Degrees obtained;
  • Scholarships and awards (if any);
  • Post-doctoral training (if any); and,
  • Other study and research opportunities.

b) Employment History: List all academic and non-academic positions held

c) Public and professional service.

d) Honours and awards, including major invited addresses, elected membership in professional and learned societies, etc.

e) Other relevant information.

2. A statement (maximum of 3 pages) of education philosophy and methodology. Applicants should attach evaluations on education from faculty members or students of the applicant’s current institution, where applicable.

3. A statement (maximum of 3 pages) of major accomplishments in research, citing up to five significant publications and explaining their significance. Please provide copies of up to three of these contributions (in the case of books, reviews should be provided).

4. A complete list of publications, including page number ranges.

5. A list of four external reviewers, their affiliation and email addresses, together with a url reference to their biography, must be provided. The applicant’s relationship to the reviewer (if any) must be indicated. The external reviewer should not be the applicant’s co-author or co­editor.

Application Deadline

Applications close at 18.00 SGT on Friday 15 August 2025.

General Information on the NUS Faculty of Law (‘NUS Law’)

Consistently ranked as the top law school in Asia and one of the very best in the world, NUS Law is dedicated to building a vibrant community and creating an environment that facilitates critical thinking and reflection on the fundamental legal issues confronting our interconnected world. The Faculty has more than 80 academic staff members from all over the world, and more than 1,200 undergraduate and postgraduate students.

In addition to the LLB and JD programmes, NUS Law also offers a number of double-degree programmes with other NUS Faculties. It has a vibrant postgraduate community of students working towards the LLM (with or without specialisation) and PhD degrees. The research culture is strengthened by multiple centres of excellence and strong funding for a broad spectrum of legal scholarship.

For more information on NUS Law, please visit law.nus.edu.sg.