ARMS Singapore Chapter Symposium: Current Challenges faced by Research Management Professionals in 2024

Dr. Tania Bezzobs is the current President of the Australasian Research Management Society (ARMS). She is an experienced research management executive with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education/ research/ government sectors. Skilled in Collaborative Practice, Business Planning and Development, Management, Government, Regulatory & Compliance, Financial Management, Policy Development, Strategy Planning and Implementation. Dr. Bezzobs is also Director, Research Office at the University of Technology Sydney.

Dr Denise Dillon is Associate Dean Research Education and Chair of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at the Singapore campus of James Cook University (JCU).  After serving as Head of Academic Group for psychology, arts and education for almost 10 years she now facilitates and promotes the strategic direction of research within JCU Singapore, improvements in the quality and impact of that research, and the growth of local, national and international research collaborations.

Dr Dillon has extensive supervisory experience in fourth-year and graduate research, having supervised more than 100 fourth-year students and more than a dozen graduate-level students to completion. Graduate students include those in the Master and Doctor of Clinical Psychology courses, and PhD.

She is a full member of the Singapore Psychological Society (SPS) and a member of the International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP), Division 4: Environmental Psychology. She is an ARMS Accredited Research Manager (Foundation) and a certified Forest Therapy Guide (ANFT no. 1818009).

Research Interests:

Her primary focus is on biophilia pertaining to both natural and built environments.

Dr Julian Tang is Managing Director & Editor-in-Chief of Ernest and Kin Media. He has previously served as Editorial Director and Head of Research Communications at established universities, healthcare institutions, and media agencies.

Throughout his career, Julian has collaborated with senior management in creating grant proposals, white papers, and content for various media platforms. His work aimed to promote scientific and medical findings to policymakers, board members, potential donors, media outlets, industry partners and the public.

Furthermore, Julian's expertise extends to his previous roles as a scientific writer and editor at Springer Nature, as well as his consultancy work with multinational corporations, national hospitals, and research institutes. In these capacities, he provided valuable guidance to clinicians and researchers on grant application and publishing strategies.

Julian holds a PhD in Medicine and Health Sciences from the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Mr George Loh is the Associate Vice President (Strategic Partnership) and helms the newly established Strategic Partnership Office (SPO) under the Office of the President since Jan 2024.

The SPO provides governance to forge and cultivate relationships with the University’s internal and external stakeholders, ensuring close alignment with the University’s long-term strategic objectives. George leads the development of governance structures to support strategic programmes and partnerships, and identify new opportunities in strengthening NUS’ brand presence and expanding our global footprint. George also oversees the NUSRI China Programme Office and maintain his dual responsibilities in the Office of Deputy President (Research & Technology) in developing strategic initiatives and building industry engagement and partnerships.

With an extensive career spanning over 30 years in Singapore’s public sector, George has held key appointments in the Defence Science & Technology Agency, Ministry of Defence, and National Research Foundation in the Prime Minister’s Office.  He has a wealth of experience in fostering global partnerships, having led defence technology collaborations and established research and development programmes with various countries and institutions.

Professor Lim Kah Leong is Associate Vice President of Research (Biomedical and Life Sciences) at the NTU President's office. He is also a President’s Chair in Translational Neuroscience. Professor Lim works closely with the Vice President of Research and Senior Vice President (Health and Life Sciences) to advance institutional initiatives for research excellence in Biomedical and Life Sciences. He was Vice Dean for Research at LKCMedicine from 2019-2023.

Professor Lim obtained his Ph.D. from the Singapore Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology in 1999. Thereafter, he did his postdoctoral training firstly at the Department of Pathology in Harvard Medical School (2000-2001), and subsequently at the Department of Neurology in Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2001-2002) where he worked on the topic of Parkinson’s disease with Professor Ted Dawson.

Prior to joining LKCMedicine, Professor Lim was Head of the Department of Physiology at the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Deputy Research Director at the National Neuroscience Institute. Professor Lim has received numerous awards including the prestigious (Singapore) President’s Science Award (Team) and the Singapore Neuroscience Association Distinguished Neuroscientist Award.