Jonathan Y. H. Sim (沈耀发) is Associate Fellow of the NUS Teaching Academy and Lecturer with the Department of Philosophy, at the National University of Singapore. He teaches Chinese philosophy and the Philosophy of Computing and Data Analytics to both undergraduates and working professionals. He also teaches philosophy to the elderly as part of a collaboration between NUS and the National Silver Academy. For his passion in teaching and his effective teaching methods, Jonathan won the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award (FTEA) in 2019 and 2021.
He is passionate about preparing his students to make an impact in society, and thus he has been mentoring and supervising many humanities and social science students for corporate internships in tech-related roles; and he has also been training many undergraduates to become effective and engaging educators under the University Teaching Opportunities Programme (UTOP).
Jonathan has a special interest in crossing beyond disciplinary boundaries in the search for fascinating new insights to address age-old problems. It is for this reason that he has worked with Nobel Laureates (such as the late Sydney Brenner who discovered mRNA) and many top academics around the world to publish books on critical world issues, such as “Grand Challenges for Science in the 21st Century” (New Jersey: World Scientific, 2018), “Buying Time for Climate Action” (New Jersey: World Scientific, 2021), and “Fit for Purpose? The Futures of Universities” (New Jersey: World Scientific, 2022).
For his passion in sharing the joys of philosophy and his unique insights as a philosopher on a spectrum of applied issues, Jonathan has been invited to speak on matters such as AI, education, tech and society, and the future of work for the Business Times, Channel New Asia, China Global TV Network, the Financial Times, the Straits Times, South China Morning Post, and TODAY News.
Currently Teaching:
Past Courses Taught:
Teaching Areas:
BOOKS/MONOGRAPHS AUTHORED
EDITORIAL WORK ON BOOKS
ARTICLES IN JOURNALS
BOOK REVIEWS
THESES/DISSERTATIONS
COMMENTARIES & OPINION PIECES
Academic Talks and Conference Presentations
Public Speaking Engagements
Conference Chair/Moderator
James Zhang 张俊. “Local Survey: Nearly Half of 18 to 24-Year-Old Employees Plan to Change their Jobs within the Next Two Years 本地调查:近半18岁至24岁在职者两年内想跳槽.” Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报. 25 Jan 2024. https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/singapore/story20240125-1464188
Jonathan Y. H. Sim. “Commentary: How can Singapore keep up with the unique needs of prodigies?” Channel News Asia. 24 Jan 2024. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/prodigies-gifted-children-university-school-system-challenges-balance-4064776
Jonathan Y. H. Sim. “Commentary: Is Singapore’s complaint culture helping us or hurting us?.” Channel News Asia. 6 Jan 2024. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/singapore-complaint-culture-habit-happiness-social-media-4026816
Koh Hsiang Yu 许翔宇. “Amongst Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia – young Singaporeans have the most positive attitude towards life and work 陆港台新马五地 本地青壮年生活工作态度最积极.” Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报. 8 Jan 2024. https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/singapore/story20240108-1460586
Koh Hsiang Yu 许翔宇. “Survey: Nearly 70% of local young and middle-aged adults are confident they will have a happy family in the next ten years. 调查:本地近七成青壮年有信心 未来10年将拥有幸福家庭.” Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报. 8 Jan 2024. https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/singapore/story20240108-1460575
James Zhang 张俊. “Survey: Young and Middle-aged Adults Believe Colleagues and Friends Have the Most Influence on Them 调查:五地青壮年认为 同事朋友最能影响他们.” Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报. 8 Jan 2024. https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/singapore/story20240108-1460585
James Zhang 张俊. “Over 70% of local young and middle-aged adults believe that 'excessively high housing prices' will be the number one obstacle in the next 10 years. 逾七成本地青壮年认为未来10年 “房价过高”是头号阻碍.” Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报. 8 Jan 2024. https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/singapore/story20240108-1460580
Koh Hsiang Yu 许翔宇. “Survey: Same Age Groups in Five Regions Share Similar Perceptions, Young and Middle-Aged Adults in Singapore Have the Highest International Visibility 调查:五地同龄群体同观感 新加坡青壮年国际能见度最高.” Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报. 8 Jan 2024. https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/singapore/story20240108-1460578
Koh Hsiang Yu 许翔宇 and James Zhang 张俊. “Graduates of the Faculty Engineering are learning to become entrepreneurs 理工学院毕业生 自学创业要成企业家.” Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报. 8 Jan 2024. https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/singapore/story20240108-1460634
Jonathan Y. H. Sim. “Commentary: How hustle culture is robbing our youths of self-discovery.” Channel News Asia. 1 Jan 2024. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/new-year-resolutions-youth-hustle-culture-learn-self-reflection-4015916
“Developing a Deeper Appreciation for Classical Chinese Philosophy…in English.” NUS News. 28 Dec 2023. https://fass.nus.edu.sg/news/2023/12/29/developing-deeper-appreciation-chinese-philosophy-english/
“Looking to 2024: What’s next in AI? Enhancing safety, more regulatory oversight and leveraging AI for education.” NUS News. 4 Dec 2023. https://news.nus.edu.sg/looking-to-2024-whats-next-in-ai/