NUS Tropical Marine Science Institute

TMSI Research Seminar
Past and Future Sea Level Variations along Singapore’s Coastline in a Warming Climate

🗣️ By Dr Farzin Samsami, Senior Research Fellow, TMSI, National University of Singapore
📅 Date: Monday, 15 December 2025
🕒 Time: 2:00 – 3:00 PM (SGT)
📍 Format: Hybrid
📌 Venue: TMSI Conference Room, S2S Building, 18 Kent Ridge Road, Singapore
🔗 Register here: https://nus-sg.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XG-eDOOuQ6a-qEwW4QQSgA #/registration

Abstract:
Low-lying coastal cities like Singapore are increasingly exposed to sea level rise and variability, which pose significant risks of flooding and erosion. Investigation of the key drivers of sea level changes, focusing on tidal variations, non-tidal residuals, wave dynamics, and climate-induced sea level rise change, is crucial along Singapore’s coastline. By integrating tide gauge data, satellite altimetry, and numerical modeling, we analyze the contributions of these factors to current and future sea levels. Using hindcast simulations and projections based on CCRS's SINGV-RCM utilizing CMIP6 GCMs, we develop a comprehensive understanding of storm surges and sea level dynamics in the region. The seminar will explore historical trends and future scenarios, assessing potential impacts on coastal communities, ecosystems, and infrastructure.

🔊 Upcoming TMSI Research Seminar
Decoding Dolphin Echolocation: From Click Patterns to Spatial Perception
By Ms Hou Pengkun, Acoustic Research Laboratory, TMSI

📅 Date: Monday, 24 November 2025
🕑 Time: 2:00 – 3:00 PM (SGT)
📍 Format: Hybrid
📌 Venue: TMSI Conference Room, S2S Building Level 1, 18 Kent Ridge Road, Singapore
🎤 Host: Dr Bharath Kalyan
🔗 Register here: https://nus-sg.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2lAvgy1eQTeusAlpOrTHyg

Join us for a fascinating session with Ms Hou Pengkun from the Acoustic Research Laboratory, TMSI, as she shares how dolphins’ incredible sonar abilities are inspiring the use of AI and machine learning to decode echolocation patterns and spatial perception.

Tapping the ecological resilience potential of a photosymbiotic animal

🗣️ By Dr Lee Li Keat, Research Fellow at the Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI), NUS

📅 Thursday, 23 October 2025
🕒 3:00 – 4:00 PM (SGT)
📍 Hybrid format – Join us at TMSI Conference Room (S2S Building, Level 1) or register to attend online:
🔗 https://shorturl.at/5pB28

Corals and giant clams may look different, but they share a fascinating trait — both host photosynthetic algae that power their survival through sunlight. But with rising ocean temperatures and increased stress, this fragile symbiosis breaks down, leading to bleaching.

In this seminar, Dr Lee Li Keat will explore how scientists are uncovering nature-based strategies to strengthen ecological resilience, including heat-tolerant symbionts, microbial solutions, and experimental evolution. Insights will be drawn from reef environments in Malaysia and Singapore to explore how these methods may support coral and clam survival in a warming world.

For more information, please visit TMSI website:
https://www.tmsi.nus.edu.sg/event/tmsi-seminar-series-october-2025/

🌊 Making Waves in Deep-Sea Science! 🌏

Colleagues from the Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI) and Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) have joined an exciting deep-sea scientific expedition, launched in partnership with OceanX.

The 24-day voyage aboard the OceanXplorer sets out to explore the Monsoon Rise — a remote seamount chain in the eastern Indian Ocean. Researchers from Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and the US will be mapping and documenting biodiversity at depths of up to 4,000m using state-of-the-art tools such as submersibles, benthic landers, and eDNA sampling.

This mission marks Singapore’s first major scientific effort in international waters following the adoption of the UN Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, and contributes to the global understanding and protection of marine life in the high seas.

As Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan shared, this mission reflects a new paradigm — one that values protection and knowledge-sharing over extraction.

Specimens collected will be curated at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, supporting future research for the global scientific community.

Wishing the entire expedition team fair weather and fruitful discoveries! 🌊

The Straits Times has featured a full article on the expedition:
https://str.sg/N79n

NUS news also have an article on this expedition:
https://tinyurl.com/5er3yrap

🎉 Congratulations to Associate Professor Peter Alan Todd! 🏅

We’re proud to share that our Director at TMSI, Assoc Prof Peter Todd, has been awarded the Outstanding Educator Award at the NUS University Awards 2025!

A passionate marine ecologist, Prof Todd is known for his “learning by doing science” approach — empowering students to engage in real-world research and make meaningful contributions. Under his mentorship, over 50 undergraduates have published first-author journal papers!

📖 Read more:

NUS120 University Awards: Scaling new peaks in education, research, mentorship and service NUS paid tribute to seven outstanding educators, researchers and professionals for their contributions to the University, Singapore and the global community at the NUS University Awards 2025. The annual Awards recognise members of the NUS community who are trailblazers in their fields and have made....

Seminar Title: AI deep learning for weather-climate forecasts

🧑‍🏫 Speaker: Dr Jingjia Luo, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (NUIST), China

We invite you to join us for an insightful seminar by Dr Jingjia Luo,, as he shares how deep learning is transforming climate and weather forecasting.

📅 Date: Friday, 1 August 2025
🕝 Time: 2:30 – 3:30 PM (SGT)
📍 Format: Hybrid
🏢 Attend in person: TMSI Conference Room, S2S Building Level 1, 18 Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119260
🎤 Hosts: Dr Zunya Wang & Dr Haihua Xu
🔗 Register here: https://shorturl.at/7tisj
A Zoom link will be sent to you if you are attending online

Dr Luo will share how deep learning techniques are being used to improve weather and climate forecasts. He will highlight how these methods help predict important climate events like ENSO and the Indian Ocean Dipole, as well as rainfall patterns, sea ice changes, and ocean waves. The seminar will also introduce how large AI models can support longer-term weather and climate predictions.

🌍 A must-attend for anyone interested in AI applications in climate science, weather prediction, and environmental modelling.

Seminar Title: Nitrogen in the Tropical Zone: from River to Ocean

Speaker: Dr Shan Jiang, State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, China

We invite you to join us for an insightful seminar by Dr Shan Jiang, who will present his work on nitrogen cycling across tropical riverine and marine environments, highlighting its role in global biogeochemical and climate systems.

📅 Date: Monday, 14 July 2025
🕒 Time: 2:30 – 3:15 PM (SGT)
📍 Format: Hybrid
🏢 Attend in person: TMSI Conference Room, Level 1 S2S Building, No. 18 Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119227
🎤 Host: Dr Chen Mengli
🔗 Register here: https://shorturl.at/vbhHi

This seminar will explore nitrogen (N) transformation and transport mechanisms in tropical fluvial systems such as high-turbidity rivers and blackwater streams, and extend to nitrogen dynamics in coastal and marine environments. Dr Jiang will also discuss how these processes relate to monsoon impacts and global circulation systems.

A must-attend for those interested in biogeochemistry, nutrient dynamics, climate change, and tropical aquatic ecosystems.

Seminar Title:
Urban climate and temperature extremes in the Philippines

Speaker: Dr John A. Manalo, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Department of Science and Technology (DOST)

We invite you to join us for a timely and insightful research seminar by Dr John A. Manalo, who will share findings from two key studies on how urbanisation affects local temperatures and extreme heat events across the Philippines.

📅 Date: Thursday, 26 June 2025
🕒 Time: 3:00 – 4:00 PM (SGT)
💻 Format: Online
🎤 Host: Mr. Bhenjamin Ona
🔗 Register here: https://shorturl.at/tjiB1

This seminar will present trends in surface air temperature from 1951 to 2018, revealing stronger warming in urban areas, particularly at night. Dr Manalo will also discuss the urban heat island (UHI) effect in Metro Manila, where temperatures in densely built areas reached 4°C higher than surrounding regions during the hot-dry season.

💡 A must-attend for those working in urban planning, climate change, environmental science, or interested in regional climate dynamics in Southeast Asia.

🌿 We're in the news! 🌊

Exciting to see our seagrass restoration efforts featured in The Straits Times! 📰

Dr Ow Yan Xiang, Senior Research Fellow at NUS Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI), and our dedicated team are proud to be co-leading Singapore’s first seagrass restoration project alongside NParks.

From dawn fieldwork at East Coast Park to transplant trials at the Sisters’ Islands, we are working hard to bring seagrass back to our shores — one blade at a time.

📰 Read the full feature:
https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/2025/06/seagrass-restoration-singapore/index.html?shell

Singapore’s ocean gardeners: Restoring seagrass meadows, one blade at a time The Republic’s inaugural seagrass restoration project seeks to deepen knowledge of tropical seagrass reproduction and transplantation.

🦀 Seminar Title:
Combined use of larval morphology and DNA barcoding in brachyuran crab systematics and phylogeny

🗣️ Speaker: Dr Jose A. Cuesta, Spanish National Research Council

We invite you to join us for a fascinating research seminar by Dr Jose A. Cuesta, who will present his work on the use of larval morphology and DNA barcoding to enhance the classification and understanding of brachyuran (true) crabs.

📅 Date: Friday, 30 May 2025
🕝 Time: 2:30 – 3:30 pm (SGT)
💻 Format: Online
🎤 Host: Dr Lee Bee Yan
🔗 Register here: https://shorturl.at/ygiEu

This seminar will explore how integrating larval-stage data and genetic tools can reveal more natural relationships among crab species — moving beyond traditional classification based solely on adult morphology. Dr Cuesta will share examples of how this approach leads to clearer taxonomic resolutions and wider insights into crab phylogeny.

🔍 A must-attend for those interested in systematics, marine biodiversity, decapod taxonomy, or molecular techniques in marine science.

🎓 Joint Research Seminar with Resorts World Sentosa and TMSI

🧬 Seminar Title:
A review of Spirobranchus Blainville, 1818 (Annelida: Serpulidae) using integrative systematics

We are pleased to invite you to a research seminar by Ivison Brandão, PhD candidate at the University of São Paulo, who will present his work on the diversity and taxonomy of Spirobranchus, a genus of marine polychaetes in the family Serpulidae.

🗓 Date: Thursday, 22 May 2025
🕑 Time: 2:00 PM
📍 Venue: St John’s Island National Marine Laboratory (in-person) & Zoom (online)
🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/gxgirSHt
🎤 Host: Dr Nicholas Yap

In this seminar, Ivison will present his global taxonomic revision of the genus Spirobranchus using an integrative systematics approach that combines morphology, molecular data, and ecological information. His research provides valuable insights into species delimitation, biogeographic patterns, and the monitoring of invasive species, with a focus on Spirobranchus.

🐚Whether you're interested in marine biodiversity, taxonomy, or conservation, this session promises valuable perspectives.

🌧️ Changes in Extreme Precipitation across Multiple Scales and its Projection under Global Warming 🌍

Join us for an engaging seminar featuring Associate Professor Li Xin from Hohai University, as he shares his latest research on regional precipitation extremes and their projections under climate change.

📌 Seminar Highlights:
🔹 Patterns of hourly precipitation extremes in the Huang-Huai-Hai and Jiang-Huai Plains
🔹 Linkages between extreme rainfall events and atmospheric circulation
🔹 Downscaled CMIP6 model outputs for the Yangtze River Basin under various climate scenarios
🔹 Implications for water management and climate adaptation in China’s economically critical regions

📅 Date: Thursday, 8 May 2025
🕞 Time: 3.30pm
🌐 Format: Hybrid
📍 Venue: TMSI S2S Building L1 Conference Room, 18 Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119227
🎤 Host: Dr Serene Tay
🔗 Register now: https://shorturl.at/JmEz1

Don't miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding of extreme precipitation patterns and their future trajectories! 🌦️📊

Learn more about Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI), NUS: https://www.tmsi.nus.edu.sg/

Home Page - TMSI Who Are We Tropical Marine Science Institute is a multi-disciplinary research centre of excellence and focuses on integrated marine, terrestrial and environmental sciences, with active programs in regional and international research, education and training. Research Themes