Research & Grants

Research Interests:
Health & Societal Communication:	Digitally Mediated Communication Food & Nutrition, Cyber-wellness Communicable & Infectious Diseases
Research Links:	NTU LinkedIn ResearchGate Asian Consumer Insights COSMIC SIRCA MO-Buzz IRCCH

Research Grants Awarded:
Total: S$19,233,317 (Approx. USD 14,266,697)
External Grants: S$17,643,591
Internal Grants: S$1,589,726

External Grants
2024	Research Grant S$509,000; Principal Investigator Project Title: Online Harms, Perpetration, and its Effects on Adolescents’ Well-Being in Singapore: A Longitudinal Panel Study, Ministry of Education, Academic Research Fund (AcRF) Tier 2, Singapore.
2023	Research Grant S$65,800; Principal Investigator Project Title: Collaborative development of a One Health Participatory Surveillance System for Infectious Diseases for Chiang Mai, Thailand, Skoll Foundation Ending Pandemics Grant, United States. Research Grant S$48,900; Principal Investigator Project Title: Investigating the Acceptance of Delayed Prescription Among the Population in Singapore: An Explorative Study, CoSTAR-HS, NUS (Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health), Singapore. Research Grant S$10,465; Principal Investigator Project Title: Tackling misleading health information through networks of scientists in Southeast Asia, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine; U.S. Research Grant S$675,000; Co-Principal Investigator Project Title: Different strokes for different folks – Leveraging on community social networks for public health education on antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance, Ministry of Health (National Medical Research Council (NMRC), Singapore. Research Grant S$30,000; Principal Investigator Project Title: Exploring concerns of inappropriate conduct in sport: Athlete’s perspective in Singapore, SportSG, Singapore.
2022	Research Grant S$1,960,200; Principal Investigator Project Title: Consumers’ Risk Perceptions, Rational and Implicit Considerations in Alternative Protein Acceptance Behaviours, AStar, Singapore. Research Grant S$630,950; Principal Investigator Project Title: Singapore Food Demand Survey, Singapore Food Agency (SFA), Singapore. Research Grant S$424,800; Principal Investigator Project Title: A Longitudinal Assessment of Children’s Advertising Guidelines on Child Food Consumption and Preferences in Singapore, Ministry of Health (National Medical Research Council (NMRC), Singapore.
2021	Research Grant S$1,184,400; Principal Investigator Project Title: Vaccine communication and messaging: Addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and promoting population acceptance, Ministry of Health (National Medical Research Council Health Services Research Grant NMRC-HSRG), Singapore. Research Grant S$705,588; Principal Investigator Project Title: Conversations for life: Laying the groundwork for more effective communication in palliative care, Ministry of Health (National Medical Research Council Health Services Research Grant NMRC-HSRG), Singapore.
2020	Research Grant S$275,400; Principal Investigator Project Title: Media communication, online falsehoods and population responses surrounding the novel coronavirus disease crisis (COVID-19) in Singapore, Ministry of Health (National Medical Research Council), Singapore. Research Grant $950,600; Co-Principal Investigator Project Title: Modelling and analytics for the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Singapore, National Medical Research Council COVID-19 Research Fund First Call Grant. Research Grant USD 125,100 (S$151,673); Principal Investigator Project Title: Sustainment, Development and Enhancement of a Mobile Surveillance System for Vector-Borne Diseases: Mo-Buzz+ 2020, Skoll Foundation Ending Pandemics Grant, United States. Research Grant S$203,280; Principal Investigator Project Title: Consumers’ implicit and explicit responses to sensory cues in alternate protein foods: A cross-cultural investigation, 1st Singapore-Australia Bilateral Programme on “Innovations in Food for Precision Health” 2019 Grant Call, Singapore.
2018	Research Grant S$423,055; Principal Investigator Project Title: Preventing obesity-related diseases from young: Evaluating the longitudinal impact of a multimedia intervention in promoting self-regulation of calorie consumption in children Ministry of Health (National Medical Research Council Health Services Research Grant NMRC-HSRG), Singapore.
2017	Research Grant S$220,808; Principal Investigator Project Title: Epihack Colombo for Dengue Prevention Mobile Communication Skoll Foundation Global Pandemic Threats Grant. Research Grant S$476,940, Principal Investigator Project Title: A Time Based Assessment of Children’s Advertising Guidelines on Child Food Consumption and Preferences in Singapore (Part II Extension) Ministry of Health (National Medical Research Council Health Services Research Grant NMRC-HSRG), Singapore. Research Grant S$428,605, Principal Investigator Project Title: Social robots to enhance the interactivity of the BP Initiative @ Schools Program, Singapore Heart Foundation (SHF). Research Grant S$188,700; Principal Investigator Project Title: Preparedness versus Paranoia: Media Exposure and Singaporeans’ Awareness and Responses to the Zika Outbreak National Medical Research Council (NMRC) Zika Grant.
2017	Research Grant S$414,000; Co-Principal Investigator Project Title: Epidemiology of Zika virus and other Aedes-borne infections in Singapore, National Medical Research Council (NMRC) Zika Grant. Research Grant S$1,537,536; Co-Principal Investigator Project Title: A Baseline, Cross-Sectional and Intervention Study Investigating Individual, Cultural and Organisational Factors Influencing Ownership of Workplace Health and Safety Leading to a Mindset Change and Actions, Workplace Safety & Health Institute (WSHI) RCA.
2016	Research Grant S$62,160, Principal Investigator Project Title: How Parenting Factors and Child Educational Environment Influence Children’s Online Risk-taking Behaviors: A Mixed Method Assessment, Ministry of Social & Family (MSF). Research Grant S$232,200; Principal Investigator Project Title: Caregivers Circle, Tote Board – Enabling Lives Grant.
2015	Research Grant S$150,000, Principal Investigator Project Title: Future Health in Asia: A Multi-Country Study of Health Information and Health Benefit Seeking Behaviours, Economic Development Board (via Asian Consumer Insights Institute). Research Grant S$502,800, Principal Investigator Project Title: A Population-level Study of Vaccine Attitude, Acceptance and Uptake in Singapore, Ministry of Health (National Medical Research Council Communicable Disease NMRC-CDP), Singapore.
2014	Research Grant USD24,000 (S$32,000), Principal Investigator Project Title: Leadership in Strategic & Health Communication Education, The Ogilvy Foundation, USA. Research Grant S$630,000, Co-Principal Investigator Project Title: Monitoring Seasonal/Pandemic Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness and Early Warning System for Outbreaks or Emerging Infectious Diseases amongst Healthcare Workers in a Hospital Setting via An Integrated Digital Syndromic and Diagnostic Surveillance System (FluMobile), Ministry of Health (National Medical Research Council Communicable Disease NMRC-CDP), Singapore. Research Grant S$80,000, Principal Investigator Project Title: BP Initiative @ Schools: Assessing the Extended and Longitudinal Effects of Knowledge Sharing and Measurement of Blood Pressure, Singapore Heart Foundation-NTU Joint R&D.
2013	Research Grant S$402,720, Principal Investigator Project Title: A Time Based Assessment of Children’s Advertising Guidelines on Child Food Consumption and Preferences in Singapore, Ministry of Health (National Medical Research Council Health Services Research NMRC-HSR), Singapore. Research Grant S$98,000, Co- Principal Investigator Project Title: Digital Media Literacy: Cyber Wellness of Singapore Youths and Adults, Media Development Authority (MDA), Singapore.
2012	Research Grant S$14,500, Principal Investigator Project Title: Moral Cleansing and Sensory Effects among Asian Consumers in the Domain of Food Consumption, Asian Consumer Insights Institute (ACI), Singapore. Research Grant S$473,120, Co- Principal Investigator Project Title: Discovering the Cognitive and Neurological Basis of Cultural Competence, Ministry of Education (MOE) AcRF Tier 2, Singapore.
2011	Research Grant S$1,670,000, Principal Investigator Project Title: Socially-Mediated System for Malaria-Dengue Public Health Warning and Communication (Centre of Social Media Innovations for Communities-COSMIC), Media Development Authority (MDA), Singapore. Research Grant S$6,600, Principal Investigator Project Title: Impact of Advertising on Children’s Food Consumption Behaviours, Health Promotion Board (HPB) (RCA4), Singapore. Research Grant S$566,000, Co- Principal Investigator Project Title: Baseline Study (Centre of Social Media Innovations for Communities-COSMIC), Media Development Authority (MDA), Singapore.
2011	Research Grant S$98,900, Principal Investigator Project Title: Role of Scent in Influencing Cognitive and Affective Responses, Defence Science Organisation (DSO), Singapore. Research Grant S$648,500, Principal Investigator Project Title: Can Digital Technology Be in the Frontline Battle for Obesity: A Multi-platform Assessment of the Role of Digital Technology in the Communication of Health Information and Health Education of Young Singaporeans, Ministry of Health (National Medical Research Council Health Services Research NMRC-HSR), Singapore.
2010	Research Grant S$602,110, Co- Principal Investigator Project Title: A²GameF³ Design and Development of an Intergenerational Digitally Mediated Fitness Game for Elderly Users, A Star, Singapore. Research Grant S$75,000, Principal Investigator Project Title: Impact of Digital Gaming Technology on Physical Activity and Obesity Related Behaviours, Health Promotion Board (HPB) (RCA3), Singapore.
2009	Research Grant S$32,280, Principal Investigator Project Title: Nutrition and Food Choice Behaviours, Health Promotion Board (HPB) (RCA2), Singapore. Research Grant S$26,400, Principal Investigator Project Title: Impact of Media and Message Types on Obesity Related Behaviours, Health Promotion Board (HPB) (RCA1), Singapore.

Internal Grants
2023	Research Grant S$85,000, Principal Investigator Project Title: Development and Validation of a Novel Scale to Assess Susceptibility Towards Health Misinformation, Ministry of Education, Academic Research Fund (AcRF) Tier 1, Singapore.
2022	Research Grant S$196,500, Principal Investigator Project Title: Intergenerational Digital Media Socialisation for Enhancing Elderly Digital and Health Literacy, Ministry of Education, Academic Research Fund Tier 1, Singapore.
2020	Research Grant S$99,750, Principal Investigator Project Title: Examining doctor-patient communication in triadic versus dyadic medical interactions in geriatric clinics in Singapore, Ageing Research Institute for Society and Education (ARISE)-Geriatric Education & Research Institute (GERI) Research Grant (AGRG), Singapore.
2019	Research Grant S$84,541, Principal Investigator Project Title:Understanding Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices surrounding Antimicrobial Resistance in Singapore, Ministry of Education (MOE) AcRF Tier 1, Singapore.
2017	Research Grant S$50,000, Principal Investigator Project Title: Efficacy of Transmitting Hypertension and Cardiovascular Health Information, and Promoting BP Screening to Elderly via Youth Agents, ARISE/2017/12.
2016	Research Grant S$5,000, Principal Investigator Project Title: Reverse Socialization – How Singaporean Youth Can Impart Cyber Knowledge and Skills to the Elderly, HASS Incentive Scheme, Singapore.
2015	Research Grant S$33,050, Co-Principal Investigator Project Title: Developing Intercultural Competent Exchange Students (DICES): Pilot Study on Inculcating 21st Century Skills for Lifelong Learning, Centre for Research and Development in Learning (CRADLE), Singapore. Research Grant S$90,608, Co-Principal Investigator Project Title: Complex Scents Induce Risk-Taking Behavior: Understanding the Role of Self-Control, University Cluster Grant, Tier 1, Singapore.
2014	Research Grant S$79,960, Co-Principal Investigator Project Title: The role of socialization agents in adolescents’ responses to mobile marketing: A consumer socialization perspective, University Cluster Grant, Tier 1, Singapore. Research Grant S$89,460, Co-Principal Investigator Project Title: Evaluating Efficacy of a Cyberbullying Intervention Programme for Children Under Age 13 in Changing Their Online Attitudes Toward Cyberbullying, Ministry of Education (MOE) AcRF Tier 1, Singapore. Research Grant S$5,000, Principal Investigator Project Title: A Model of Value Development and Health Consumption amongst Young Asians, College Research Grant, Singapore.
2013	Research Grant S$84,880, Principal Investigator Project Title: Potential Acceptance of A Mobile Phone Based Influenza Communication System among Adolescents, Parents and Teachers: Role of Peers and Social Influence, Ministry of Education (MOE) AcRF Tier 1, Singapore. Research Grant S$99,880, Co-Principal Investigator Project Title: The Impact of Advertising and Social Media on Singapore Adolescents’ and Youths’ Materialism and Unhealthy Consumption Behaviours: A Multi Disciplinary Approach, Ministry of Education (MOE) AcRF Tier 1, Singapore. Research Grant S$3,000, Principal Investigator Project Title: Public Health Communication in Sri Lanka: Understanding General Beliefs, Attitudes, Intentions and Behaviour towards Civic Engagement in Infectious Disease Reporting, School Research Grant, Singapore.
2013	Research Grant S$98,800, Co- Principal Investigator Project Title: Cyberbullying and Parental Mediation Strategies, Ministry of Education (MOE) AcRF Tier 1, Singapore. Research Grant S$50,000, Principal Investigator Project Title: Digital Technology for Health Interventions: Extending, Scientific Knowledge to Adult and Regional Populations Cluster Grant, Singapore.
2013	Research Grant S$50,000, Co- Principal Investigator Project Title: Virtual Social Interactions as Potential New Intervention Methods for Autism: Baseline Data and Pilot Programs as Building Blocks, Cluster Grant, Singapore. Research Grant S$50,000, Co- Principal Investigator Project Title: Understanding the Drivers of Corporate Image: Toward a Social Responsibility Model, Cluster Grant, Singapore.
2012	Research Grant S$2,980, Principal Investigator Project Title: Breast Cancer Prevention as Social Behaviour: Integrating Intentional and Social Intervention to Motivate Breast Cancer Detection of Chinese Women, School Research Grant, Singapore. Research Grant S$3,000, Principal Investigator Project Title: Baseline Study to Gather Information about Pregnancy Related Knowledge and Risk Perceptions among Potential Mothers in Bangladesh, School Research Grant, Singapore.
2012	Research Grant S$4,995, Co- Principal Investigator Project Title: When Should Organizations Apologize? Examining the Timing of Apologies and How These Affect Organizational Reputation and Stakeholder Relationship, School Research Grant, Singapore. Research Grant S$5,000, Principal Investigator Project Title: Social Motivators in Anti-obesity, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. Research Grant S$4,994, Principal Investigator Project Title: Sorry but Not Sorry Enough: Examining How Apologies Are Uttered in Times of Crisis, New Media, Singapore.
2011	Research Grant S$5,000, Principal Investigator Project Title: Effects of Regulatory Fit and Message Positioning of Healthy Food Consumption Advertisements on Behavioral Outcomes and Message Recall on Television: Implications for Message Design in Health Campaigns, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. Research Grant S$4,900, Co- Principal Investigator Project Title: Desirable Facial Traits of Organizational Spokesperson: Portraying Credibility, Authority and Respectability in a Crisis, School Research Grant, Singapore.
2010	Research Grant S$4,950, Co- Principal Investigator Project Title: Preparedness versus Paranoia; Examining the Effects of Over-Communicating Health Crisis Preparedness Messages School Research Grant, Singapore
2009	Research Grant S$15,000, Principal Investigator Project Title: H1N1 Response in SE Asia: Implications for Health Communication, School Cluster, Singapore.
2007	Research Grant S$83,333, Principal Investigator Project Title: Social, Health and Regulatory Issues in Marketing Communications, Research Cluster, Singapore.
2006	Research Grant S$81,695, Principal Investigator Project Title: Information Communication Technology for Health and Society, RCC-M52060020, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. Research Grant S$3,820, Principal Investigator Project Title: Optimizing Optical Health Communications: Social Marketing Approach, RCC11-M52069045, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.
2004	Research Grant S$39,888, Principal Investigator Project Title: Privacy and Consumer: Marketing Issues and Concerns, R316-000-055, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore.
1999	Research Grant S$33,834, Principal Investigator Project Title: Public Policy, Ethics and Marketing Issues in International Business, R313-000-021, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore.
1998	Research Grant S$5,500, Principal Investigator Project Title: Advertising Laws & Standards of Practice: Comparative Analyses from a Global Perspective, RP972042 National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore. Research Grant S$35,408, Principal Investigator Project Title: The Significance & Symbolism of New Age Concepts in Consumer Marketing: Implications for Global Branding, Promotions and Pricing Strategies, R316-000-011, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore.