Successful PhD (Engineering) candidates at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the United States’ Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) will now be able to earn two PhD degrees – one each from the universities. This is the first dual PhD degree programme hosted at NTU’s College of Engineering, and comes on the heels of a series of high-profile joint doctoral programmes that NTU has started with world-renowned universities such as Imperial College London, Technische Universität München (Germany) and Karolinska Institutet (Sweden).

Robotics solutions have revolutionised manufacturing processes and will improve productivity across sectors such as health care, transportation and logistics. The EDB is working to grow the Robotics and Intelligent Systems industry in Singapore and will support up to 10 students in this key initiative to build capabilities in developing practical Robotics and Intelligent Systems solutions.

“This learning experience in NTU and CMU is a great opportunity for our young people to immerse themselves in Robotics and Intelligent Systems research and commercialisation,” said Mr Jonathan Kua, Director, News Businesses, EDB. “This dual PhD degree programme will give them a headstart in becoming scientific and business leaders, who will develop solutions that will bring our industries to a higher level of competitiveness and growth.”

“This collaboration between NTU and Carnegie Mellon University will equip candidates with two world-class PhD degrees and the best that the two universities have to offer,” said Dr Su. “Through this programme, students from our College of Engineering will return to Singapore with cutting-edge knowledge in robotics, and be able to contribute to research and development as well as to industry. The Economic Development Board’s support of the programme is a strong signal of the programme’s economic and industrial relevance.”

“We are delighted that Carnegie Mellon’s Mechanical Engineering Department will be involved with this innovative dual PhD degree programme with Nanyang Technological University,” said Dr Cohon. “Carnegie Mellon has a longstanding tradition of collaborating with top universities around the world to provide opportunities for our students to learn in competitive and entrepreneurial environments. This agreement will enable PhD candidates, both in Pittsburgh and Singapore, to work with some of the top minds in a variety of academic disciplines.’’

The average duration of the programme is four academic years. Students will be required to spend at least two academic years of their candidature at NTU and another two academic years at CMU. They will have two co-advisers, one each from NTU and CMU, to guide them in their research.