Earth Observatory of Singapore

Adam Switzer is a Principal Investigator at the Earth Observatory of Singapore and an Associate Professor at Nanyang Technological University’s Asian School of the Environment (ASE), where he is also Associate Chair (Academic). He was previously Assistant Chair (Research and Graduate Studies) at ASE between 2014 and 2016. 

Adam joined the Earth Observatory in 2009 and was appointed Nanyang Assistant Professor in the following year. He was the first earth scientist to be awarded the National Research Foundation Fellowship in 2010. Previous academic positions at the University of Hong Kong include Centenary Research Assistant Professor (2007), Post-doctoral Research Fellow (2005), and the Cheung Kong Endeavour Australia Fellow (2005). Adam received his BSc (Hons) and his PhD from the University of Wollongong in Australia.

An internationally recognised expert in coastal science, his research covers coastal hazards, marine and nearshore processes, coral reefs and associated sedimentation, Adam has lead global research programs for UNESCO-IGCP and the Asian geoscientific community. He represents Singapore on the Coordinating Committee for Geoscience Programmes in East and Southeast Asia and on the International Atomic Energy Agency project RAS7037 — Enhancing Wetland Management and Sustainable Conservation Planning. He is a former Executive Council member of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society and he has been Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on 18 grants in Singapore worth more than S$16 million. Adam’s current research focusses on storm surges, tsunamis and sea level in tropical settings along with multi-hazard interactions. Research subthemes include sedimentary geology, time series analyses, mathematical models, complexity, confronting models with data, and the communication of science to the public and media.

Adam has authorship on more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and is currently serving on the editorial boards of Geoscience Letters and Communications Earth & Environment. He was editor of Volume 14 of the Treatise on Geomorphology, and guest editor of special issues in Quaternary International (2010), Quaternary Science Reviews (2012) and Geoscience Letters (2016 and 2018). Adam is an active science communicator and has appeared in numerous documentaries and news segments for global media outlets including the Curiosity Stream, BBC (UK), CNN (US), and ABC (Australia).

To date, Adam has supervised more than 30 undergraduate and postgraduate students on research projects. He supervised seven postdocs, eight students to PhDs, and five to MSc or MPhil. He has received a number of awards: the Teaching Award from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences in NTU (2010) and the Cheung-Kong Endeavour Australia Award (2005) — he was the first earth scientist recipient.