Journal of Obesity & Eating Disorders

Michael Chia
Professor of Paediatric Exercise Physiology, Physical Education & Sports Science, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Biography

As Dean for Faculty Affairs, Professor Michael Chia works collectively with the 12 Heads of Academic Groups in NIE who report directly to him, to nurture, galvanize and energize all academic staff to make significant contributions in daily effort for teaching, research and service excellence and to take ownership for the Institute of Distinction that is the National Institute of Education Singapore. Since 2011, he evaluated and oversaw the successful promotion of more than a dozen professorial and lecturer staff as the NIE Chair for the promotions committees that make recommendations to the Director’s Advisory Committee. In this regard, he led workshops and provided detailed advisories, coaching and mentoring of staff, which helped colleagues to put their dossiers in good order for promotion consideration. A future-forward project which he advocated to help the collection of academic impact evidence of individual academic staff was the creation of an individualized online repository called the E-academic portfolio that will be launched this year. Additionally, he is a member of the NIE Senior Management and he assists the Director of NIE in leading the Institute in the accomplishment of its strategic mission. A capstone project initiated by him was the leadership training and development programme for all NIE academic appointment holders which spanned 24 months to upskill leaders to be more self-aware, responsive and relevant to context-based challenges in achieving the strategic goals for NIE. In this regard, he helped to streamline and harmonize teaching evaluation, promotion and staff appraisal across the 12 academic groups and guided NIE academic staff in earning promotion and tenure at NTU and also in overall performance management of academic staff. He played a pivotal role spearheading change management together with the NIE Senior Management in the transition to a ‘points-free’ performance appraisal system for NIE academic staff which is operational from 2015. He also promoted a more consultative approach for succession planning for NIE appointment holders. Where necessary, he coaches and mentors academic group heads in their leadership role and he also currently oversees the Asian Languages and Culture academic group as an intermediate arrangement as a special assignment by the NIE Director. Professor Michael Chia was elected to represent the NIE on the University Senate in 2012-2014 and again from 2014-2016. During the latter term, he was elected onto the Senate Steering Committee and he chairs the Committee for University Development and he is active in canvassing faculty voice in a future-forward development of the university in congenial and cooperative partnership with the NTU Senior Management. Previously, he sat on the Committee on Policy Matters of the Academic Council and he continues his service on the University Faculty Housing Steering Committee. His past contributions to NTU include his appointment as the Chairman of the NTU Healthy Lifestyle Committee from 2006-2010. He and his committee, worked tirelessly to promote the health and well-being of nearly 5000 NTU colleagues and during his tenure as Chairman, his committee clinched a Silver (2008) and a Gold Award (2010), respectively in the Singapore HEALTH Award by the Singapore Health Promotion Board of the Ministry of Health in Singapore. The award recognizes organizations with commendable workplace health promotion programmes. Professor Michael Chia’s international academic standing and leadership are strong and well-recognized among peers. Significant past accomplishments include his leadership and organising chairmanship of the 1st Youth Olympic Games Conference in May 2010 that was hosted in NTU and NIE. The conference attracted 1200 delegates from 30 countries and helped to put NTU, NIE and Singapore on the world’s map in terms of Physical Education and Sport Science. His expertise continues to be much sought after- he is on the editorial boards of 30 internationally recognized peer-reviewed journals and has reviewed more than 60 manuscripts; he continues to receive invitations to deliver keynote lectures and has delivered addresses to international audiences in Japan, Switzerland, Malaysia, Taiwan, China, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Apart from his more than 150 research publications in books, chapters, monographs and journal papers on physical education, sport, physical inactivity and health of youth, Professor Michael Chia has contributed advisories and co-authored national guidelines for Physical Activity for Youth and Adults (Health Promotion Board Singapore 2014) and international guidelines for Youth Sport Development (International Olympic Council Medical Commission, 2015). Professor Michael Chia continues to be research active and embraces his appointments and assignments with grace in his professional and personal quest to make a meaningful difference to NIE and NTU.