Shirley S. Ho

I am the Associate Vice President for Humanities, Social Sciences & Research Communication in the President’s Office at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. I am concurrently President’s Chair Professor in Communication Studies in the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) at NTU . I serve as the Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Environmental Communication. I am an elected fellow of the International Communication Association, as a recognition of distinguished scholarly contributions to the broad field of communication. I am also the 2018 Recipient of the Hillier Krieghbaum Under-40 Award, given by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication for outstanding achievements in research, teaching, and public service.

I received a Ph.D. in mass communications (minor: educational psychology) and a M.A. in journalism and mass communication from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 2008 and 2005, respectively. I also received a B.A. in communication studies (first class honors) from NTU in 2002. In 2004, I was awarded a four-year overseas scholarship by NTU to pursue my graduate studies at UW-Madison. I was a senior tutor in the WKWSCI at NTU from 2003 to 2008 (on study leave from 2004-2008).

My research area focuses on cross-cultural public opinion dynamics related to science and technology, with potential health or environmental impacts. My interdisciplinary research is instrumental in understanding how human values, media, and other advanced modes of communication shape public attitudes toward emerging technologies (e.g., nuclear energy and renewable energies), applications of artificial intelligence technologies (e.g., autonomous vehicles), as well as novel food technologies (e.g., cultured meat, nano-enabled food, and plant-based protein). As a firm believer of science communication, my research investigates how best to motivate scientists to take the role of the “public intellectual” to communicate their research findings to the general public and the media. Science communication is pertinent amidst the current climate of misinformation. As an extension of my research, I am invited by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Medicine, and Engineering to serve as member of their study committee to address inaccurate and misleading information about biological threats through scientific collaboration and communication.

I have successfully garnered numerous competitive external and internal grants. My research has been funded by A*STAR, Defence Science Organization, ETH Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, National Research Foundation, the Infocomm Media Development Authority, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, National Medical Research Council, NTU Accelerating Creativity & Excellence (ACE) Grant, and the Workplace Safety and Health Institute.

I have given keynote talks, plenary speeches, and other invited talks on science communication and public opinion at institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, University of Houston, the Science Centre Singapore, and many more.