{"id":53192,"date":"2026-05-17T23:27:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T15:27:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=53192"},"modified":"2026-05-17T23:27:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T15:27:42","slug":"first-ceo-of-nus-nuclear-institute-aims-to-lead-with-a-realistic-eye-on-energy-shift-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=53192","title":{"rendered":"First CEO of NUS nuclear institute aims to lead with a realistic eye on energy shift challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"


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SINGAPORE – With around two decades in the civil service and nearly three years at <\/i><\/b>the Energy Market Authority <\/i><\/b>(EMA), Mr Low Xin Wei wants to ensure that the research coming from Singapore\u2019s young nuclear institute addresses the challenges of the country\u2019s energy transition.<\/p>\n

In March 2026, he was appointed the first chief executive of the 10-month-old Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute (SNRSI)<\/span><\/a> at the National University of Singapore (NUS). The institute evolved from a decade-long nuclear research initiative at NUS.<\/p>\n

Mr Low, 45, envisions the institute as a technical adviser to policymakers, so they have the scientific understanding to make informed decisions on tapping nuclear energy in Singapore.<\/p>\n

Singapore has not made a decision\u00a0to go nuclear, but is laying the groundwork to study it thoroughly as an alternative energy option. It is forming dedicated nuclear teams at EMA<\/span><\/a> and the National Environment Agency, and is also monitoring developments in advanced nuclear technologies like\u00a0small modular reactors\u00a0(SMRs).<\/p>\n

SMRs are advanced and compact reactors that can be factory-assembled and installed in dense urban areas. They are also designed to be safer than traditional large reactors.<\/p>\n

While the institute of more than 50 researchers has expertise in the science \u2013 studying advanced nuclear reactors, the spread of radioactive particles, and the effects of low-dose radiation on living things<\/span><\/a> \u2013 it also needs to examine the engineering aspects of running a power plant, said Mr Low.<\/p>\n

It must also consider how atomic power could fit into the country\u2019s future energy mix, which will include renewables, he told The Straits Times in his first interview as SNRSI\u2019s chief.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cThe energy transition is a tricky business; you not only have to look at the promise behind the technology itself. You have to answer questions like: \u2018How can it scale?\u2019, \u2018How can costs be driven down?\u2019 and \u2018Will the supply chain work out?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIn any academic setting, there is this danger of looking at the world through rose-tinted lenses: \u2018If my science is sound, downstream adoption shouldn\u2019t be a problem\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

While it is not wrong to be optimistic, Mr Low said SNRSI has to not only produce excellent science, but also perfectly tackle real-world issues such as engineering constraints, building a plant on time without exceeding budget, and educating the public.<\/p>\n

The five-storey institute at NUS officially opened in July 2025, led by director Chung Keng Yeow, who had also been head of the institute\u2019s predecessor, the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Initiative, since 2018.<\/p>\n

In late 2025, Mr Low heard that the institute was seeking its first CEO, from a call put out by NUS and a ministry.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cHaving just a university-based academic director was not quite sufficient. SNRSI will look a little bit more of a different animal than just a research-performing entity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The institute needs to be a school, possess a strong outreach arm, coordinate research across different institutes, and work with agencies on a myriad of nuclear-related issues, Mr Low added.<\/p>\n

The institute is also exploring introducing Singapore\u2019s first master\u2019s programme focused on nuclear engineering in 2027. The courses could be taught by lecturers\u00a0from various faculties.<\/p>\n

Currently, NUS\u2019 mechanical engineering department offers a graduate module on nuclear energy technologies.<\/p>\n

When he was assistant CEO of energy technologies at EMA, Mr Low covered markets, transition planning into cleaner energies, and emerging tech, which included nuclear issues. Previously, he was group chief technology officer of the Public Sector Science and Technology Policy and Plans Office, which sits under the Prime Minister\u2019s Office. He started his career helping to set up the National Research Foundation in 2006.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it was seen as a plus point that I will not exactly come into this portfolio cold… They thought I had the requisite experience, the networks of both the academic side, the scientific community and the energy side, to be able to make a go at this,\u201d said Mr Low.<\/p>\n

Two months into his role at the institute, he has been meeting the various research departments over informal lunches.<\/p>\n

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Mr Low Xin Wei said SNRSI has to not only produce excellent science, but also perfectly tackle real-world issues such as engineering constraints, building a plant on time without exceeding budget, and educating the public.<\/p>\n

ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the advanced SMR designs that the institute has a keen interest in is the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor<\/span><\/a> \u2013 deemed to be among the safer nuclear tech available.<\/p>\n

The heightened safety lies in how the uranium fuel is stored. In a gas-cooled reactor, poppy seed-size uranium kernels\u00a0are coated with layers of temperature-tolerant and protective carbon\u00a0and\u00a0ceramic materials.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thousands of these kernels are then further sealed with carbon inside a sphere the size of a billiard ball.\u00a0With the fission reaction contained in each\u00a0kernel, it can be meltdown-proof.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Unlike other SMRs that are used to produce electricity, a high-temperature gas-cooled one can also produce industrial heat for processes such as district heating, hydrogen production and carbon emissions-intensive steel manufacturing.<\/p>\n

China has one plant using such reactors operational in Shandong province since 2023, and it is building a second one \u2013 mainly for industrial heating \u2013 for the petrochemical sector. The US\u2019 X-energy is building a similar reactor.<\/p>\n

In April, SNRSI entered a partnership with Tsinghua University\u2019s Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, which was the birthplace of the advanced reactor\u2019s technology in China. The operational reactor in Shandong is a scaled-up version of a research reactor in Tsinghua.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is one thing to hear from those selling the reactors on how they work. It is also important to get to the source, understand from those who design these reactors \u2013 whether or not the maths and science behind the reactors are entirely valid,\u201d said Mr Low.<\/p>\n

SNRSI\u2019s researchers also use specialised computer programs that simulate various SMRs to understand their normal performance as well as their behaviour during severe accidents. This approach helps in evaluating the reactors\u2019 safety features and limitations.<\/p>\n

While forging partnerships with countries that are ahead in nuclear usage, the NUS institute is also planning to collaborate with other local institutes and potentially fund related research.<\/p>\n

For example, while SNRSI is adept at modelling how radioactive pollutants disperse through air or water, it may need to work with weather and air pollution experts to understand how radiation-emitting particles could behave in the context of South-east Asia\u2019s weather and urban settings.<\/p>\n

Water, for instance, is a key carrier of radioactive particles, and the higher humidity levels in the tropics have to be taken into account, said Mr Low.<\/p>\n

\u201cCould humidity cause the particles to adhere differently to concrete? Perhaps the way we then have to clean (contaminated) concrete surfaces would differ from how it was done with Chernobyl and Fukushima.\u201d<\/p>\n

On SNRSI\u2019s role in building nuclear talent, Mr Low said the types of talent will be built in phases. Now, Singapore needs PhD holders and nuclear engineers to guide and advise policymakers. The institute plans to grow its talent pool to around 130 by 2030.<\/p>\n

The planned master\u2019s programme will also create a local training route, as most nuclear experts in Singapore have so far been trained abroad. The institute also aims to provide professional training and short courses for policymakers, financiers and others in the nuclear ecosystem.<\/p>\n

If and when Singapore decides to go nuclear, the country will have to ramp up talent further to have a sufficient workforce to run a plant, said Mr Low. After that, it could take 10 years to 15 years to build the plant.<\/p>\n

At one point in the interview, Mr Low held up his phone to show his screensaver featuring his two-year-old toddler. He said: \u201cThe people who are likely going to be the first fresh grads operating the plant are probably this young now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cWe need different talent at different stages. Right now, it\u2019s the decision-makers, and the next stage is the engineers. The last stage is the operators.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In March, the institute set up a booth at Science Centre Singapore to educate visitors about natural sources of radiation in the environment.<\/p>\n

PHOTO: SNRSI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another key pillar of SNRSI is to educate the public about nuclear energy, to help address the apprehension the topic can often evoke. It aims to explain the science simply, early and clearly.<\/p>\n

Since its launch, the institute has hosted 10 public lectures on issues related to nuclear science and technology. These included talks by the French nuclear authority on safety, and another on emergency preparedness by a Fukushima Medical University professor.<\/p>\n

To date, 400 students, from secondary schools to universities, have visited SNRSI to learn more about nuclear fission, reactor technologies and safety.<\/p>\n

The institute is also working with the Ministry of Education to develop a module on nuclear energy for the online learning portal used in schools.<\/p>\n

Mr Low said public education and outreach has to be done carefully and responsibly.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cAs an institute, we focus on explaining the fundamentals of nuclear science, rather than advocating positions. So, public understanding is built on evidence rather than emotion.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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