Meet the Deanery

Prof Simon Chesterman
Dean

Prof Simon Chesterman has been the Dean of NUS Law since 2012. He is also editor of the Asian Journal of International Law and Secretary-General of the Asian Society of International Law.

Educated in Melbourne, Beijing, Amsterdam, and Oxford, Prof Chesterman’s teaching experience includes periods at the Universities of Melbourne, Oxford, Southampton, Columbia, and Sciences Po. From 2006-2011, he was Global Professor and Director of the New York University School of Law Singapore Programme.

Prior to joining NYU, he was a senior associate at the International Peace Academy and Director of UN Relations at the International Crisis Group in New York. He previously worked for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Yugoslavia and interned at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

He is a recognised authority on international law, whose work has opened up new areas of research on conceptions of public authority – including the rules and institutions of global governance, state-building and post-conflict reconstruction, and the changing role of intelligence agencies.

Did you know?
Prof Chesterman lived in Beijing for a year in 1991 studying Chinese language. He now tries to improve his rusty skills by reading Chinese children’s books with his kids.

Assoc Prof Joel Lee
Vice Dean, Student Affairs

A graduate of Victoria University of Wellington and Harvard Law Schools, Assoc Prof Joel Lee is the Vice Dean of Student Affairs and also runs the faculty’s Negotiation and Mediation Workshops, and is a consultant with CMPartners (USA) and a principal mediator with and a trainer of the Singapore Mediation Centre.

He is an adjudicator with the Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre and a member of the ADR Advisory Council of the Subordinate Courts of Singapore. He is also a member of the International Mediation Institute’s Independent Standards Commission and Intercultural Taskforce.

Assoc Prof Lee has taught overseas at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), University of Law, Economics and Science of Aix-Marseille (Aix-en-Provence France) and Anglia Law School (UK) and is the co-editor and co-author of the book “An Asian Perspective on Mediation” and the General Editor for the Asian Journal on Mediation. Assoc Prof Lee was recently awarded the Outstanding Educator Award which is the National University of Singapore’s highest teaching award.

Did you know?
Outside school, Assoc Prof Joel Lee transforms into martial arts expert known as Sifu Joel Lee, a 5th generation disciple of Grandmaster Ip Man (Yip Man). With over 25 years of training, he is a 6th Level Practician and Advanced Instructor certified by the Wing Tsun Tam Hun Fan Martial-Art Association. He has also been conferred a Level 6 degree by the World Organization of Wushu and Kung Fu Masters.

Prof Ng-Loy Wee Loon
Vice Dean, Academic Affairs

Prof Ng-Loy Wee Loon is a graduate of NUS Law with an LL.B, and later completed her LL.M at King’s College in London.

Prof Ng’s main research interests lies in the field of Intellectual Property (IP) Law. She teaches the Law of IP which focuses on Singapore’s regime, as well as international IP modules (International Trademark Law and Policy; International Copyright Law and Policy).

Outside of the university, her involvement in the legal scene includes being a member of the Resource Panel for Government Parliamentary Committee for Law and Home Affairs (1999-2000); member of the Board of Directors of Singapore’s IP office (2000-2001); member of the Board of Governors of the IP Academy, Singapore (since 2007-2012); consultant to World Intellectual Property Organisation (2008-2009); member of Singapore’s Copyright Tribunal (since 2008).

Did you know?
A self-confessed foodie, Prof Ng believes that good food comes to those who wait! In her latest gastronomical getaway to Japan, she stood in queue for over an hour just to get a taste of the renowned sushi dinner. The satisfied professor shares that “it was all worth it!”.

Prof Stephen Girvin
Vice Dean, Research

Dr Stephen Girvin has been Professor of Law at NUS since October 2008 and Vice Dean (Research) since July 2010. He has held faculty positions at the University of Aberdeen, the University of Nottingham, NUS, and latterly the University of Birmingham, where he held a Chair in Maritime Law from 2006-2008. He has held positions as Visiting Professor at the University of Cape Town and at the TC Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland, and as a Parsons Fellow at the University of Sydney.

Dr Girvin’s  principal expertise is in the field of commercial maritime (shipping) law, although his interests also extend beyond this to the broader field of international commercial law and company law and partnership law. He retains a residual interest in legal history, particularly colonial legal history, the focus of his graduate work at masters and doctoral level.

He is a member of the Singapore Maritime Law Association (SMLA) and the British Maritime Law Association (BMLA) and a Supporting Member of the London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA). He also serves as an observer to the Singapore Shipping Association’s Legal & Insurance Committee and from time to time acts as a consultant in maritime and commercial matters.

Ms Goh Mia Yang
Associate Dean

An alumnus of the law school’s Class of ’92, Ms Goh Mia Yang  joined the faculty after spending eight years in legal practice. Reining the helm of the faculty’s administrative arm, she oversees the various departments, ensuring the smooth running of the day-to-day operations. She also maintains close connections with the faculty’s graduates through her work in alumni relations.

Did you know?
Other than her work at NUS Law, Ms Goh has been involved with student residences since 2003. Currently a Resident Advisor at Kuok Foundation House, she was a Resident Fellow at Temasek Hall from 2003 – 2011.