Professor William Chen Wei Ning
With nearly 15 years of teaching experience and 30 years of research experience, Professor William Chen from the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering (SCBE) is undoubtedly well equipped to advise Earthlink NTU. In addition to assisting as Earthlink’s advisor, Professor Chen is also the director of the Food Science & Technology Programme, which he collaborates with Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in the Netherlands. He has held this role since 2014. Concurrently, he holds the position of Director (designate) at the Singapore Future Ready Food Safety Hub (FRESH), a collaboration between NTU, the Singapore Food Agency, and A*STAR that highlights the increasing significance of sustainable food systems in the modern world.
Professor Chen’s research on the Circular Food Economy and zero food waste processing has been highlighted by Channel News Asia, The Straits Times, and Lianhe Zaobao on many occasions. International publications such as Asahi Shimbun, AFP, BBC, Bloomberg News, CGTN, CNBC, CNN, Los Angeles Times, Mainishi Shimbun, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal have published articles about his technological discoveries and opinions on food security. In December 2019, CNN’s “Going Green” programme referred to Prof. Chen as a “Game-Changing Leader” in the context of the food system’s green revolution.
In 2019, NTU named Prof. Chen the Michael Fam Chair Professor in Food Science & Technology. In addition, he serves on the Singapore Food Standards Committee, the Singapore Food Agency Advisory Committee, and the Food Innovate Asia Expert Advisory Panel. Furthermore, he consults for the World Health Organization, Asian Development Bank, Good Food Institute APAC, International Joint Research Center on Food Security, and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Professor Chen’s commitment extends beyond his advisory positions. He has been involved in several Earthlink NTU activities, especially attending major events and taking part in annual general meetings. When not at work, Professor Chen enjoys playing tennis with his friends and his family (with his role model being the former ATP world No. 1 tennis player and 1992 Olympic Gold Medallist “Boom Boom” Boris Becker). He is very proud of the achievements of the younger generations, especially that of his children and the students in Earthlink.
Professor William Chen gave a talk at TEDx NTU.