Singapore, 7 February 2022 — Associate Professor Sam Yam Kai Chi from the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School has been recognised as a rising star in the fields of organisational behaviour and psychological science, winning two of the most prestigious international awards for his early-career contributions.

The Association for Psychological Science (APS), which represents more than 30,000 researchers from over 80 countries, has named Assoc Prof Yam the recipient of its 2022 Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions. Widely regarded as the most prestigious early career award in psychology, past winners have gone on to become endowed chaired full professors in institutions like Harvard, Stanford and Yale.

Assoc Prof Yam is also the recipient of the 2022 Distinguished Early Career Contributions – Science Award from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP). Awarded by the premier professional association for the scientific study of the workplace, this award is widely regarded by academics as the most prestigious early career award in organisational behaviour and human resources (OBHR).

Both awards are given for the entire body of work in an academic’s early career, defined as a period of seven years from the time he or she receives a PhD. They recognise the quality and quantity of research work, while also highlighting the impact the work has had on society.

Assoc Prof Yam’s research interests include leadership, business ethics, and the future of work. His recent studies on leadership provided a fine-grained analysis on how the pandemic has affected political leaders’ support across the world, with significant implications for the outcome of elections. He also studies companies’ responsibilities towards society, highlighting the importance of building a positive social image, as well as the pitfalls of not having a good corporate citizenship strategy.

Assoc Prof Yam said, “When we study how people behave in groups or the psychology behind that behaviour, we can better understand the psychology of management. My research helps leaders identify implicit biases, and guides them on how to better attract and retain talent, as well as drive organisational performance and growth. These insights are all the more relevant in today’s world, where the pandemic and shifting social and technological norms are rapidly changing how we work.”

In 2016, Assoc Prof Yam was named one of the 40 best business professors under the age of 40 by the United States ranking website Poets and Quants. He was also the youngest on that year’s list of lauded professors, including those from Harvard, Yale and Oxford. In 2017, he was named a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science. He has published 49 research papers, of which over half appeared in top-tier organisational behaviour and psychology journals. He has also received multiple best paper awards from the Academy of Management.

Assoc Prof Yam joined NUS Business School in 2015 and is now Dean’s Chair and Assistant Dean (Faculty Development) at the school. He is also the Deputy Head of the Department of Management & Organisation and holds a courtesy appointment in the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences’ Department of Psychology. He is passionate in teaching and has actively translated his research findings to the classroom. In 2019 and 2021, he received the NUS Business School Teaching Excellence Award.

Holding a PhD in Organisational Behaviour from the University of Washington, Assoc Prof Yam said, “I am indebted to all my mentors, as well as numerous co-authors and NUS PhD students who have collaborated with me. I also thank NUS for providing tremendous resources, such as funding, time, and senior mentors, for me to be successful. I hope to expose more students to organisational behaviour and psychological science research and train a generation of researchers in these fields in Singapore.”

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For media enquiries, please contact:

ANG Hui Min
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
NUS Business School
National University of Singapore
Tel: +65 6601 5857
Email: huimin19@nus.edu.sg

About National University of Singapore (NUS)

The National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore’s flagship university, which offers a global approach to education, research and entrepreneurship, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise. We have 17 faculties across three campuses in Singapore, with more than 40,000 students from 100 countries enriching our vibrant and diverse campus community. We have also established our NUS Overseas Colleges programme in more than 15 cities around the world.

Our multidisciplinary and real-world approach to education, research and entrepreneurship enables us to work closely with industry, governments and academia to address crucial and complex issues relevant to Asia and the world. Researchers in our faculties, 30 university-level research institutes, research centres of excellence and corporate labs focus on themes that include energy; environmental and urban sustainability; treatment and prevention of diseases; active ageing; advanced materials; risk management and resilience of financial systems; Asian studies; and Smart Nation capabilities such as artificial intelligence, data science, operations research and cybersecurity.

For more information on NUS, please visit www.nus.edu.sg.

About NUS Business School

The National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School is known for providing management thought leadership from an Asian perspective, enabling its students and corporate partners to leverage global knowledge and Asian insights.

The school has consistently received top rankings in the Asia-Pacific region by independent publications and agencies, such as The Financial Times, Economist Intelligence Unit, and QS Top MBA, in recognition of the quality of its programmes, faculty research and graduates.

The school is accredited by AACSB International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) and EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System), endorsements that the school has met the highest standards for business education. The school is also a member of the GMA (Graduate Management Admission) Council, Executive MBA Council, Partnership in Management (PIM) and CEMS (Community of European Management Schools).

For more information, please visit bschool.nus.edu.sg, or go to the BIZBeat portal, which showcases the School’s research.