Go further, faster – with NTU
This is why NTU is the place to be
by Derek Rodriguez
Get the best start in the AI age
NTU is the place for innovation and artificial intelligence (AI). It’s the birthplace of pioneering inventions like Singapore’s most advanced electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft – which will debut at the Singapore Airshow 2026 – and Hailey (below), a hyper-realistic AI persona who is Singapore’s first generative AI-powered university ambassador.
It’s also a nurturing ground for top global talent. The first Singaporean hired by Google is an NTU grad, and in recent years, NTU alumni have joined AI teams across the world, including those behind Gemini, ChatGPT and SEA-LION, the model developed by AI Singapore, which is led by NTU President Prof Ho Teck Hua.
NTU faculty have also trained the gold medal-winning Singapore teams in the first two international AI Olympiads.
It’s no surprise then that ranking indicators place NTU as high as first in the world in AI, as the established ShanghaiRanking of global universities did last year.
“NTU’s strong emphasis on AI and problem-solving will allow our students to thrive and lead in an AI-enabled global economy,” says NTU Deputy President and Provost Prof Christian Wolfrum.
Become interdisciplinary – by design
Innovation happens at the junction of disciplines, and that’s where NTU shines. This is evident in an established interdisciplinary science ranking, which positioned NTU first in Singapore and fifth in the world.
Prof Wolfrum says: “Being interdisciplinary is at the heart of this University as we break down walls between disciplines, not just in research but also in education.”
The proof is also visible in campus buildings and artworks that blend beauty and technology, and in interdisciplinary settings where students from diverse fields come together to turn ideas into meaningful innovation.
Go global, in exciting ways
Overseas experiences are part and parcel of the NTU experience. Here, every undergraduate, Dean’s Lister or not, has the chance to head abroad for exchange, internships, language immersion programmes, projects, competitions and more.
At the recent Global Undergraduate Awards, NTU secured the highest number of awards among all universities, with the top winners presenting their work in Dublin.
"Presenting my work to an international audience in Dublin was deeply rewarding, not just for the recognition, but for the conversations it opened and the reminder that ideas nurtured in the classroom can reverberate far beyond it," says 2025 English literature and art history graduate Bryen Chen, one of only two double Global Winners, the highest accolade given to the entries from around the world.
These opportunities aren’t limited to the privileged, with scholarships, grants and financial aid making them more accessible to those who need support. NTU students have gone far and wide across all continents, from internships in Africa to research stints in Antarctica.
Doing research at the edge of the world – Antarctica.
Fast-track with industry giants
Here’s how you can tell NTU is a creative problem-solver – the University is a top choice for companies seeking a collaborator, with more than 700 industry partners from around the world. This also means students get plum opportunities to be involved in tackling real problems.
On campus, NTU is home to over 20 corporate and joint laboratories set up with industry giants. In these labs, faculty and students work directly with industry partners to take research out of the lab and into everyday life. Learning alongside practitioners from leading companies – and having the chance to make a real impact – is what makes the experience so valuable.
“As an AI research intern at the Alibaba-NTU corporate lab, I get to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and real-world clinical applications. Right now, I am working on adapting a large-scale vision language model for specialised medical diagnosis in ophthalmology,” says second-year computer science student Zhu Ke Xiong.
NTU’s partnerships span a wide range of sectors – from robotics to wealth management. NTU also hosts an autonomous vehicle test centre, where companies such as Volvo and SMRT run trials under a range of simulated road and weather conditions.
Fuel up on electric days, and nights
There’s always something exciting happening at NTU. Students are building race cars in campus garages, conducting biodiversity surveys to uncover new species of flora and fauna, designing and assembling space-bound satellites alongside profs, producing original works for festivals and competitions, and bringing ideas to life in other ways.
HEY! AR
Click or tap on this visual to speed ahead with the NVF-2, a student-built electric car that you can place in your space
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