A*STAR chairman Lim Chuan Poh to receive honorary degree

Lim Chuan Poh, chairman of Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), will be awarded an honorary degree from Arizona State University at the spring undergraduate commencement. A*STAR is a lead government agency in Singapore dedicated to fostering world-class scientific research and talent for a vibrant knowledge-based economy.

Commencement speaker and journalist Tom Brokaw, neuroscientist Eric Kandel and animal scientist Temple Grandin will also receive honorary degrees at the ceremony. Nelson Broms, vice president of iQ NetSolutions, Inc. and senior advisor at UtiliCorp United, will be awarded the prestigious University Medal of Excellence.

Prior to taking the helm at A*STAR, Lim was Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education (MOE). At MOE, he oversaw the transformation of the publicly funded universities into Autonomous Universities (AUs) to enable them to reach new peaks of excellence. He also reviewed the university research framework that led to the creation of the Academic Research Council and a new Academic Research Funding Framework.

Lim spent 23 years with Singapore Armed Forces and last held the office of Chief of Defense Force. During his term, he managed the operational deployment of SAF Peacekeeping Troops to Timor Leste. Contributing to defense diplomacy, Lim hosted the inaugural Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference and the first Chiefs of Defence Conference to be held outside the US.

In recognition of his significant contributions, Lim was awarded, among other recognitions, the Public Administration Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander) in both 1999 and 2001, the Knight Grand Cross of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (Thailand) in 2001, and the Bintang Yudha Dharma Utama (Indonesia) – The Grand Meritorious Military Order – 1st Class.