National Institute of Education (NIE), Singapore

Current Appointments

• Dean, Office of Graduate Studies & Professional Learning, NIE (since 2006)
• Professor (Biological Sciences), Nanyang Technological University (since 2004)
• Senior Fellow (Food Security), Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University (since August 2010)

Previous Appointments

• Head, Natural Sciences and Science Education Academic Group, NIE (2004 to 2006)
• Deputy Director-General (Research), WorldFish Centre, Penang, Malaysia (2002 to 2004)
• Vice-President Asia-Pacific, Public Affairs, and Director, Science and Technology, Monsanto Company, St Louis, USA
  (1999 to 2002)
• Programme Leader, Cross-Ecosystems Research and Plant Pathologist (1987 to 1989, 1991 to 1999)
• Chair, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Hawaii, USA (1989 to 1990)
• Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, respectively, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, USA (1978 to 1987)

Introduction

Prof Paul Teng assumed the position of Dean, Office of Graduate Studies & Professional Learning, NIE on 1 November 2006. He received his PhD from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand in 1978. He pursued his Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Lincoln College, University of Canterbury and in 1973, graduated with First Class Honours. He did post-doctoral work at the Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands under a Visiting Fellowship awarded by the Netherlands Government and has attended many short courses on management development and science communication.

Prof Teng served as Head, Natural Sciences and Science Education (NSSE) Academic Group from 2004 to 2006. Under his leadership, NSSE has an increased student enrolment, expanded staff strength and significantly increased its research grantsmanship and teaching contributions. He has also increased NSSE’s local and regional visibility and the Academic group held its first International Science Education Conference in November 2006.

Prof Teng has extensively researched the role of plant diseases in causing epidemics and crop losses in several continents, working cooperatively with a network of national programme scientists. The work has led to over 250 journal papers, eight books and numerous conference papers, and recognition by peer organisations. His pioneering work on using system analysis and computer modelling techniques to quantify and predict biological phenomena, and conduct risk assessments, is still having impact today in the USA and Asian rice growing countries. More recently, he has devoted his time to researching science communication and science entrepreneurship, under the umbrella of "Innovation and Enterprise" and to meet the needs of new economies. He is a regular invited speaker on agricultural biotechnology - how to bring products from "lab to consumer" and how to communicate on controversial issues surrounding biotechnology and other emergent technologies.

Prof Teng has served on many national and international committees, and is currently Vice-Chair, Board of Directors, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, Member, Editorial Board, Chinese Journal of Agricultural Biotechnology, and non-Executive Chair, Asia Biobusiness Pte Ltd. He was previously a member of the Board of Directors of the International Consortium for Agricultural Systems Applications, the International Advisory Board of the C T de Wit Graduate School of Production Ecology, and the Editorial Board of Agricultural Systems and Philippines Phytopathology, and also President of the Board of the Asia-Pacific Regional Technology Centre, Thailand. He is a past Chairman of the Epidemiology Committee of the International Society of Plant Pathology. Prof Teng has also been a regular consultant for FAO, the World Bank and several other international and regional organisations. He has started and divested two small businesses on technology brokerage.

Prof Teng has won awards such as the Eriksson Prize in Plant Pathology in 1987, given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences every five years to a scientist who has made significant contributions to solving plant disease problems affecting developing countries. He is a Fellow of the Third World Academy of Sciences and the American Phytopathological Society, and was co-recipient of the 2001 CGIAR Excellence in Science Award for Outstanding Scientific Article. He has also been cited in the 1996-97 Marquis Who's Who in Science and Engineering.