Visiting Yale Faculty at Yale-NUS College

This semester, Yale-NUS College welcomes three distinguished faculty members from Yale University: Visiting Professors Jeannette Ickovics and Milan Svolik, and Visiting Senior Lecturer Bonnie Weir. Each brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, promising to enrich the academic environment with their unique perspectives and expertise.

Jeannette Ickovics is the Samuel and Liselotte Herman Professor of Social and Behavioural Sciences at the Yale School of Public Health. Prof Ickovics’ work focuses on the intersection of psychology and public health, with a particular emphasis on maternal and child health, chronic disease prevention, and health equity. Her connection to Yale-NUS runs deep, having previously served as Dean of Faculty at Yale-NUS College from 2018 to 2021, and as a visiting professor from 2017 to 2018. This semester, she returns to teach YSS3259 The Human Condition: Psychology & Health in Literature and YSS4296 Social & Cultural Factors in Mental Health & Illness, where students will explore how psychological and social factors influence health outcomes.

When asked about why she chose to return to Yale-NUS this semester, she responded, “I wanted to have the opportunity to contribute to the College substantively in our last year. Yale-NUS students are so engaged and inspiring. I am really enjoying teaching a course on mental health as well as one that integrates psychology, health, and literature as we explore themes related to resilience and the human condition.” In addition to her work at college, she will be continuing her collaboration with the Singapore-based Resilient Cities Network, bringing together leaders from 100 cities across the globe to build urban resilience to climate-related shocks and stressors. “We are getting ready to release a report on cities’ priorities at the intersection of climate and health at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly / New York City (NYC) Climate Week in September and at COP29 in Azerbaijan in November,” she shared.

Bonnie Weir is an Associate Senior Lecturer in Political Science at Yale University, where her research centres on political violence, conflict resolution, and peace processes, particularly in Northern Ireland. Her scholarly work delves into the complexities of peacebuilding and the long-term impacts of political violence. This semester at Yale-NUS, Dr Weir is teaching YHU3402 War and Peace in Northern Ireland and YSS3366 Terrorism. Through these courses, students will gain a deeper understanding of the philosophical and empirical questions about terrorism and the intricate processes to attain peace in conflict zones.

Dr Weir is looking forward to her time teaching on campus. She shared that “Many friends in Yale faculty, across disciplines, have taught at Yale-NUS and had wonderful things to say about the students and colleagues here.” [A few weeks into the new semester, Dr Weir added, “And I agree; the students here are simply remarkable.”] She is also excited to live in Singapore, which is “a unique country” and “incredibly different from New Haven [Connecticut, the state in which Yale is based]”. She is also really looking forward to getting to watch how the US presidential election unfolds from here.

Milan Svolik is a Professor of Political Science at Yale University, specialising in the study of comparative politics, with a focus on authoritarian regimes and democratic backsliding. His influential research explores how democracies erode and the strategies political actors use to maintain or challenge power. At Yale-NUS, he is teaching YSS4297 Democratic Backsliding and YSS3367 Strategic Models of Politics. These courses aim to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms behind political stability and instability in both democratic and non-democratic regimes.

The arrival of these professors from Yale highlights Yale-NUS College’s commitment to offering its students a diverse and world-class education. With their diverse expertise, Professors Ickovics and  Svolik, as well as Senior Lecturer Weir are set to make a lasting impact on the academic community, enriching the intellectual landscape of the college.