sc.chian@nus.edu.sg
Dr. Darren Chian is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Vice Dean (Student Life) at the College of Design and Engineering (CDE), National University of Singapore (NUS). Deeply involved in student residential life, he served as a Resident Fellow at Raffles Hall for eight years, overseeing key portfolios including Social, Welfare, Secretariat, WSH, and OCIP, alongside a stint as Resident Advisor at ACS (Independent).
Dr. Chian serves as Director of the Centre for Resilient Underground Infrastructure and Engineering (CRUISE) and holds key leadership positions, including President of the South East Asian Geotechnical Society (SEAGS) and Immediate Past President of the Geotechnical Society of Singapore (GeoSS). He earned his PhD from the University of Cambridge and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.
His core expertise spans earthquake engineering, land reclamation, ground improvement, and geomaterial resource sustainability. Supported by the UK EPSRC, he has served in field reconnaissance missions following major global disasters, including earthquakes in Padang, Tohoku, Muisne, Al Haouz, and Eastern Afghanistan. A champion of sustainable engineering, he collaborates closely with government agencies to transform contaminated excavated soils and dredged marine sediments into viable low-carbon engineering materials.
Beyond research, Dr. Chian actively shapes national policy and engineering standards. He chairs the ESG-IES National Technical Committee for Civil and Geotechnical Works, guiding Singapore’s codes of practice, and represents the nation on three International Technical Councils under the ISSMGE. His work bridging academic innovation and practical application has earned him extensive recognition, including the Outstanding Scientist Award in Civil and Environmental Engineering (2025), the IAAS Scientist Medal (2024), Singapore’s Prominent Geotechnical Engineer Award (2022), the Minister of Transport Innovation (Distinguished) Award (2022), the Land Transport Excellence Award (2022), Singapore’s Promising Young Geotechnical Engineer Award (2018), and selection as one of MIT Technology Review’s Top 10 Innovators Under 35 in Asia (2016).