Professor Andrew Simester appointed as new Dean of NUS Law

Professor Andrew Simester has been appointed as the new Dean of NUS Law. A world-leading researcher in criminal law, Prof Simester has been Dean-designate of NUS Law since 1 September 2022, and will take over as Dean of NUS Law in January 2023 from Professor Simon Chesterman, who has served as Dean since January 2012.

Prof Simester joined NUS in 2006 from the UK, where he taught at the University of Cambridge and the University of Nottingham. His main interests lie in the fields of legal philosophy, criminal law, and restitution, and he has published in these areas in every major common law jurisdiction. Prof Simester’s writings in criminal law and theory have been cited by senior appellate courts throughout the world.

“Andrew is without question one of the foremost scholars of criminal law and philosophy working in the world today. He has an outstanding reputation for highly original and rigorous scholarship, that has been hugely influential in the way that criminal lawyers think about their discipline,” said Professor of Criminal Law Jeremy Horder, FBA, at the London School of Economics, UK.

“As a global leader in legal scholarship, there are few to match him. Andrew is clear-sighted, tolerant and generous in his approach to scholars and scholarship, whilst setting the highest standards himself. He should prove to be an outstanding Dean.”

Emeritus Professor of Law G R Sullivan, at the University College London, UK, said, “I have known Andrew for many years. He is a man of impeccable character. For one who is so busy and productive, it is remarkable how much time he gives to others. Andrew’s academic expertise speaks for itself. He is a figure of world renown in the fields of Criminal Law, Criminal Law Theory and general legal theory. Andrew has the experience and skills to be an exceptionally competent Dean.”

In recognition of his research in criminal law and theory, Prof Simester was elected in 2007 to a fellowship at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge; he has also held an honorary professorship at the University of Oxford. In 2019, Prof Simester received an honorary doctorate from Uppsala University in Sweden. Since 2015, he has held the Edmund-Davies Chair in Criminal Law at King’s College London, where he has taught on a part-time basis.

Commenting on his appointment, Prof Simester said, “I am delighted to be the next Dean of NUS Law. Our Law Faculty is already renowned in Singapore, Asia, and globally as a centre of excellence for legal education and research. I look forward to collaborating with our students, colleagues, alumni, and the wider legal community in Singapore, to build on our success to date and to aim even higher in the years to come.”

Prof Chesterman, who is NUS’ longest serving Law Dean for 11 years, will continue in his roles as Vice Provost (Educational Innovation), Dean of NUS College, David Marshall Professor of Law, and Senior Director (AI Governance) at AI Singapore.

During his tenure as Dean of NUS Law, Prof Chesterman and his team brought in resources to create six new research centres in areas ranging from Maritime Law and Legal Theory to Artificial Intelligence, as well as endow eight new named chairs. He also launched the Sheridan Fellows programme, cultivating the next generation of Singapore law scholars.

Prof Chesterman and the deanery steered NUS Law through the COVID-19 pandemic and worked towards revising the curriculum to ensure that law students are empowered to take advantage of the digital future.

Reflecting on his time as Dean of Law, Prof Chesterman said, “This is the best job I’ve ever had. The opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in legal academia – and to teach the best students in the world – has been a privilege I’ll never forget. In addition, given how important law is to Singapore’s development and success, I’m honoured to have been a small part of that larger story. Andrew has long been an outstanding mentor to junior colleagues and is one of the most influential scholars of criminal law and theory. I look forward to seeing where he and NUS Law go next, supporting both in any way that I can.”

Extracted from story first published on 15 August 2022 by NUS News