How does the covid-19 pandemic impact French-Singaporean collaborations in science and education?

Strategies taken by academic and private sectors to cope with this unprecedented situation

COVID-19 has dramatically changed the way we live, work and interact. International collaborations and exchanges are amongst the areas which are the most affected by the pandemic due to restrictions in travel and borders closure. The impact is even stronger when it involves partners located in different regions since several factors have to be taken into consideration (situation of the pandemic, national policies, impossibility to travel, time zones, etc.).

France and Singapore have been collaborating for many years and many academic and scientific activities had to be paused in 2020. How do we pursue an international research collaboration in the “new normal”? What are the strategies taken by Singapore-based French companies to continue their R&D activities? What are the options for students to get international exposure?

This webinar will take part of the Voilah! France Singapore Festival 2020 and will be the opportunity to learn about the strategies taken by different sectors (academic and corporate research labs, higher education institutions) to cope with this unprecedented situation.

Speakers:

• Alexandra Roos, Vice-President R&D, Centre for Innovation & Technologies AMERA & China, Essilor.

Alexandra Roos joined Essilor Research & Development teams in 2003 after completing a PhD in Material Science from Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris. She held different research positions in France and in Singapore and, in 2017, took the leadership of the Center for Innovations & Technologies in Singapore, housing 50 researchers. The Center hosts a pole on vision sciences, focused on children myopia; another one on consumer knowledge, leveraging consumer observation and engagement; and an agile prototyping platform. In 2019, she also kick-started a new research Center in Shanghai, China.

• Thomas Lautier, Visiting Scientist, A*Star.

Thomas Lautier is a French CNRS researcher in the field of biotechnology. After a PhD in microbial ecology in Lyon, France, he joined the Toulouse Biotechnology Institute for a postdoc in protein engineering and then orientated his research toward synthetic biology. He is currently a visiting scientist in SIFBI A-Star, dealing with enzymes and synthetic biology to produce high valued molecules through microorganisms engineering. Understanding how Nature can handle thousands of chemical reactions in one cell in order to write new roads for biochemical synthesis is fascinating and forces us to develop some humility when observing the Nature multilevel gear boxes.

• Lindsay Allen, Senior Associate Director, International Programmes, Yale-NUS College.

Lindsay Allen is the inaugural head of exchange and study abroad at Yale-NUS College, Singapore’s first liberal arts college founded in 2011 through a partnership between Yale University and the National University of Singapore. She holds a BA in Asian Studies from the University of Michigan, an MA in Translation from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, and is pursuing a second MA in International Education from SIT Graduate Institute. She has presented at global conferences including APAIE, EAIE, and NAFSA on topics including large-scale global partnerships, connections between study abroad and careers, and faculty engagement in study abroad.

• Charles-Edouard Levillain, Vice-President, International Strategy, Université de Paris.

Charles-Edouard Levillain is a Professor of British history and currently vice-president International of the Université de Paris. He specializes in the history of Britain and the Low Countries in the seventeenth century, with a particular interest in Anglo-Dutch relations. He is the author of several books on the struggle against Louis XIV in Europe. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 2016. He was Chair of the department of Anglo-American studies in 2018-2019 before taking up his new position as VP International.

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