Professor Lily Kong, who has 24 years of experience in research and management in NUS and is currently the NUS Provost’s Chair Professor, will be appointed as SMU’s new Provost from this September, making her the first female university provost in Singapore. Prof Kong will also become the Lee Kong Chian Chair Professorship of Social Sciences in SMU, and focus on developing its social sciences discipline and graduate programmes. Her research interests are in cultural heritage and national identity, and she hopes to contribute to SMU in the areas of research and teaching. Meanwhile, Professor Rajendra Srivastava, whom Prof Kong will replace, will continue to serve as the Senior Vice-President of SMU's International Office.