The International Science Youth Forum (ISYF) is a science enrichment programme for students from all over the globe. It is hosted at Hwa Chong Institution (HCI), under the Students' Science Research Club (SSRC), and co-organised by Ministry of Education (Singapore), with the support of National Research Foundation, Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Science Centre Singapore, bringing students from across Asia-Pacific together to network and dialogue, with Nobel laureates coming down to share their experiences in the scientific field.
The first edition of the event was hosted in 2009. In 2010, a record five Nobel laureates were involved in the panel discussion, one of the key parts of the forum. Afterwards, Nobel laureates consistently graced the event in conjunction with the Global Young Scientist Summit. On average, each year, ISYF brings together over 120 students and educators from all over the world.
In 2021 and 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the forum was held online through zoom. In 2023, the forum went back to its original physical format, inviting over 100 delegates across the world to Singapore. In 2024, the event was scaled back compared to previous years but still enjoyed praises from all stakeholders due to its smooth operation and meaningful talks. Following the success in 2024, further editions of the event was also hosted in 2025 and 2026.
Forum First organized in 2009 by students from Hwa Chong Institution and co-organized by Nanyang Technological University, Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS), the forum has been held every year since 2009.
Themes Year Theme 2009 Science and the Ever Changing Environment 2010 Future Innovations and Science 2011 Challenges for a Sustainable World 2012 Nurturing the Scientific Mind 2013 Breaking Through 2014 Science for Humanity in the 21st Century 2015 Becoming a Modern Scientist 2016 Communicating Science 2017 Innovation for a Better Life 2018 Transcending Frontiers 2019 Science: A Common Language 2020 Evolving Aspirations: Divergent Pathways, Convergent Future 2022 Sparking Innovation, Igniting Collaboration 2023Reconnecting, Reimagining: Looking Ahead to a Better World2024Science and Technology for Humanity: Building a Sustainable Future2025Innovation Unified: Towards A Better Future2026Curiosity Unlocked: How Questions Drive Discovery in the Age of AI
Eminent Scientists over the Years Name Notable Award/Position/Accomplishment Year(s) Invited Sir Anthony Leggett Nobel Prize in Physics in 2003 2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017 Professor Douglas D. Osheroff Nobel Prize in Physics in 1996 2009, 2010, 2013 Professor Kurt Wüthrich Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002 2009, 2014 Professor Avram Hershko Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2004 2009 Professor Jerome I. Friedman Nobel Prize in Physics in 1990 2010, 2011 2014, 2016 Sir Richard J. Roberts Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1993 2010, 2015 Professor Leland H. Hartwell Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2001 2010 Professor David J. Gross Nobel Prize in Physics in 2004 2010, 2014, 2016 Professor David Phillips President of Royal Society of Chemistry 2010 Professor Robert C. Richardson Nobel Prize in Physics in 1996 2011 Professor Vladimir Voevodsky Fields Medal in 2002 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017 Professor Aaron Ciechanover Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2004 2012, 2014, 2015 Professor Claude Cohen-Tannoudji Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 2012, 2015, 2018, 2019 Professor Danny Shechtman Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2011 2012, 2013 Professor Sydney Brenner Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2002 2012 Professor James Barber Fellow of the Royal Society in 2005 2012 Professor Albert Fert Nobel Prize in Physics in 2007 2013 Professor Artur Ekert Co-inventor of Quantum Cryptography 2013 Professor Ada Yonath Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009 2014, 2018, 2019, 2020 Professor Hartmut Michel Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1988 2014, 2023 Dr. J. Robin Warren Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2005 2014, 2016 Professor Martin Chalfie Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2008 2014 Professor Stephen Smale Fields Medal in 1966 2014 Professor Jackie Ying 2014, 2018 Professor Andre Geim Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 2015, 2017 Professor Arieh Warshel Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2013 2015 Sir Tim Hunt Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2001 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020,2023 Professor Ngô Bảo Châu Fields Medal in 2010 2015 Dr. Ng Wai Kiong Team Leader and Senior Scientist for Formulation Sciences at Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) (Singapore) 2015 Dr. Su Yi Deputy Department Director of Computing Science Department at A*STAR 2015, 2020 Professor Carlo Rubbia Nobel Prize in Physics in 1984 2016 Professor Ei-ichi Negishi Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2010 2016 Professor Rudolph Arthur Marcus Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1992 2017 Professor Barbara Liskov ACM A.M. Turing Award in 2008 2017 Professor Michael Grätzel Millennium Technology Prize in 2010 2017, 2020 Sir James Fraser Stoddart Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2016 2018 Professor Klaus von Klitzing Nobel Prize in Physics in 1985 2018 Professor François Englert Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013 2018 Sir Michael Francis Atiyah Fields Medal in 1966; Abel Prize in 2004 2018 Dr. Guo Huili Adjunct Assistant Professor at Department of Biological Sciences in National University of Singapore (NUS) 2018 Professor Lim Xin Hong 2018 Dr. Michael Sullivan 2018 Dr. Jonathan Loh Senior Principal Investigator at Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in A*STAR 2018 Professor Tan Choon Hong 2018 Professor Barry Barish 2019 Professor Michael Levitt 2019 Professor Pierre-Louis Lions 2019 Dr. Tuomo Suntola 2019 Dr. Chong Yi Dong 2019 Dr. Kat Agres 2019 Dr. Kedar Hippalgaonkar 2019 Dr. Thomas Liew 2019 Professor Zee Upton 2019 Sir Konstantin Novoselov 2020 Professor Wendelin Werner 2020 Dr. Anand Andiappan 2020 Professor David Cameron-Smith 2020 Dr. Neerja Karnani 2020 Dr Pavitra Krishnaswamy 2020
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