On July 2, 2026, the Shanghai Science and Technology Awards ceremony honored Prof. Phoon Kok Kwang, President of the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Fellow of the Academy of Engineering Singapore, and Fellow of the Singapore National Academy of Science, with the 2025 Shanghai International Science and Technology Cooperation Award. This prestigious recognition celebrates his more than 20 years of sustained and fruitful collaboration with the College of Civil Engineering (CCE) of Tongji University, particularly with Prof. Huang Hongwei and his engineering risk research team.

Prof. Phoon, a pioneer in the development of statistical and machine learning methods for geotechnical engineering, has compiled and characterized the world’s largest open-source geotechnical engineering database and proposed the “MUSIC-X” characterization method as well as a data-driven direct characterization approach. His work has influenced recent codes, such as ISO 2394:2015, “General principles on reliability for structures.” He is the only non-U.S. scholar to have won the ASCE Norman Medal twice, and has also received the Humboldt Research Award as well as other top international honors.

Since 2005, Prof. Phoon and Prof. Huang’s teams have carried out long-term collaboration in digital geotechnics, with a focus on data assets, characterization algorithms, and design theory. Their research has been applied to major infrastructure projects in China and abroad. The partnership has supported joint doctoral supervision, helped develop a pipeline of young researchers, and contributed to China’s digital transformation and international visibility in the geotechnical field. This award further underscores the collaboration’s broader contribution to China–Singapore science and technology cooperation, spanning research output, talent development, training programs, platform building, and global reputation.

“We look forward to further deepening exchanges with Prof. Phoon and other leading international scholars, and to continuing our joint efforts to advance the frontiers of engineering risk research,” said Prof. Huang Hongwei’s team.