Winston CHOW
Lee Kong Chian Professor of Urban Climate; Pillar Lead, Urban Systems; Lee Kong Chian Fellow
Winston Chow is Lee Kong Chian Professor of Urban Climate based at Singapore Management University’s (SMU) College of Integrative Studies (CIS), and also is the research pillar lead for urban infrastructure at SMU's Urban Institute. He was Principal Investigator for the multi-institute Cooling Singapore initiative from 2017-2026, and currently leads inter-disciplinary research on how Singapore’s urban climate risks will change as its climate warms, as well as examining measures to reduce these risks. He teaches Undergraduate, Masters and Executive Development courses on climate change and urban sustainability at CIS, and also mentors CIS students on sustainability issues. In 2023, he was elected as Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Working Group II on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, and he will help lead the Seventh Assessment Cycle for the IPCC during a critical decade of global climate action.
Qualifications
- PhD, Arizona State University, 2011
- MS, National University of Singapore, 2005
- BS (First Class Hons), National University of Singapore, 2002
- BA (Merit), National University of Singapore, 2001
Research Interests
- Urban Vulnerability and Risk to Climate Change
- Urban Heat Island Science, Impacts, and Mitigation
- Sustainability in Urban Climatology
Course(s) Taught in SMU
- Climate Change: Global and Local Solutions
- Technological Innovations Enhancing Urban Sustainability
Related Links
Podcast:
Adopting Sustainable Urban Development Measures for Continued Economic Growth
Research Areas and Areas of Expertise
Strategic Priorities
HighlightsCombines rigorous urban climate science with actionable policy and adaptation strategies; leads international climate assessment efforts (IPCC); drives interdisciplinary research on urban heat mitigation and sustainable infrastructure; influential in shaping Singapore’s Green Plan 2030 and global urban climate resilience; highly engaged in public outreach, policy advisory, and cross-sector collaborations.
Focused research areas include Urban heat risk reduction; climate-resilient development in tropical environments; urban vulnerability and adaptation; sustainable data centres; cooling solutions for cities; integration of urban climate research in global climate discourse; policy-relevant climate risk communication.
- "How hot is it? Precision and accuracy of thermal indices in representing outdoor thermal perceptions in Singapore" Funding Agency: Ministry of Education, Singapore. 2 years; Nov 2025 - Oct 2027; Lead Principal Investigator.
- Developing a risk assessment and communication platform to translate climate projections to policy Funding Agency: National Environmental Agency, Singapore. 4 years: Sep 2023 - Aug 2027; Co-Principal Investigator
- Climate Transformation Hub Funding Agency: Ministry of Education, Singapore. 7 years; Oct 2023 - Sep 2030; Co-Principal Investigator.
- Cool Paints Trials in Schools to mitigate UHI effects Funding Agency: National Environmental Agency, Singapore. 2.25 years; May 2023 - Jun 2024; Principal Investigator.
- Cooling Singapore 2.0: Urban Climate Risks Funding agency: National Research Foundation; 3.5 years; Oct 2022 - Mar 2026; Lead Principal Investigator.
Showing up to 6 latest publications from the past 5 years.
- A Irvin, C Oke, S Khan, B Jance IV, L Ranalder, B Barth, A Deacon, ...
- M Kohler, M Roth, C Tannier, W ChowICUC12-12th International Conference on Urban Climate, 2025
- M Mandelmilch, SK Yik, BH Ho, GNY Ching, PJ Crank, WTL ChowEnvironmental Research Communications 7 (7), 075016, 2025
- HY Pak, W Chow, T Van GeveltICUC12, 2025
- B Ho, SK Yik, SL Heng, W ChowICUC12, 2025
- SL Heng, SK Yik, B Ho, M Mandelmilch, HY Pak, W ChowICUC12, 2025
Winston Chow is Lee Kong Chian Professor of Urban Climate based at Singapore Management University’s (SMU) College of Integrative Studies (CIS), and also is the research pillar lead for urban infrastructure at SMU's Urban Institute. He was Principal Investigator for the multi-institute Cooling Singapore initiative from 2017-2026, and currently leads inter-disciplinary research on how Singapore’s urban climate risks will change as its climate warms, as well as examining measures to reduce these risks. He teaches Undergraduate, Masters and Executive Development courses on climate change and urban sustainability at CIS, and also mentors CIS students on sustainability issues. In 2023, he was elected as Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Working Group II on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, and he will help lead the Seventh Assessment Cycle for the IPCC during a critical decade of global climate action.
Qualifications
- PhD, Arizona State University, 2011
- MS, National University of Singapore, 2005
- BS (First Class Hons), National University of Singapore, 2002
- BA (Merit), National University of Singapore, 2001
Research Interests
- Urban Vulnerability and Risk to Climate Change
- Urban Heat Island Science, Impacts, and Mitigation
- Sustainability in Urban Climatology
Course(s) Taught in SMU
- Climate Change: Global and Local Solutions
- Technological Innovations Enhancing Urban Sustainability
Related Links
Podcast:
Adopting Sustainable Urban Development Measures for Continued Economic Growth
