Professor Straughan’s research interests center around the sociology of family and medical sociology. She is the Director and Principal Investigator at the Centre for Research on Successful Ageing (ROSA). Separately, she leads a project investigating the environmental risk factors in childhood obesity. She was also the Principal Investigator of a recently concluded project on Successful Ageing in Singapore, Seoul and Shanghai which involved multiple institutions and a multidisciplinary team. Professor Straughan serves as Consultant on numerous projects commissioned by various government agencies, including the Marriage and Parenthood Survey 2016 & 2012 commissioned by the National Population and Talent Division. She has published in both sociology and medical journals, like Social Science and Medicine, Cancer, and Cancer Causes and Control. Her books include Marriage Dissolution in Singapore: Revisiting Family Values and Ideology in Marriage, and Ultra-Low Fertility in Pacific Asia: Trends, Causes and Policy Issue (with Gavin Jones and Angelique Chan).
Professor Straughan was a Nominated Member of Parliament from 2009 to 2011, during which she argued for work-life balance and the nurture of a more pro-family social environment. Her community involvement includes serving on the Child and Youth Health Task Force, and the Infectious Disease Research Advisory Group (both at the Ministry of Health).
She is happily married to an Applied Mathematician, and they have 2 sons.
Will Tov is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Singapore Management University. He completed his doctorate in social and personality psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses on the multilevel processes that underlie well-being. At the macro-level, he is interested in cultural similarities and differences in well-being as well as the societal-level conditions associated with well-being. At the micro-level, he examines daily fluctuations in emotion, satisfaction, and meaning—and how these fluctuations are influenced by positive personality traits, memory, and social interactions. He also examines the expression of emotion on social media and the veracity of such expressions as indicators of well-being. At SMU, he has received recognition for his dedication to teaching excellence and was awarded an innovative teaching award. He has also been a recipient of the Lee Kong Chian Fellowship at SMU. His work has been published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, and the Journal of Personality.
Seonghoon Kim is Associate Professor of Economics and Lee Kong Chian Fellow at Singapore Management University and a Research Affiliate at the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Germany. His research interests focus on health economics, labour economics, and public economics. Dr. Kim's current research project examines the causal impacts of income on health and economic outcomes, the impacts of COVID-19 on consumption, employment, and health. He has also published several articles in journals such as Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Urban Economics, and Journal of Development Economics. He teaches Health Economics at the advanced undergraduate and Ph.D. levels and holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the Ohio State University.
Having worked in SMU for the past 10 years in various departments, Wensi has built up a wealth of institutional knowledge and is now helming ROSA’s operations team. Wensi keeps the research and operations team on track and coordinates the centre’s outreach efforts with external stakeholders such as the Government, Voluntary-based organisations and the Public. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Singapore Management University (SMU) and Master’s degree in Public Policy from Kings College, London. Believing in lifelong learning, Wensi has been certified as a Lego Serious Play facilitator and a Gallup-certified Strengths Coach.
Yi Wen has research experience in mental health, neuropsychology, cross-cultural psychology, and ageing. He has a keen interest in multidisciplinary approaches and methodologies. Yi Wen was previously with NUS Lee Kwan Yew School of Public Policy and worked with the Institute of Understanding Public Risk. His research interests include social and economic aspects of ageing using data driven approaches.
Salai graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy from the National University of Singapore. He has research experience in both basic science and clinical studies, particularly in the field of dementia. Passionate about using data-driven insights to make a meaningful impact on society, his work is dedicated to advancing our understanding of aging and improving the lives of older adults through innovative research and practical applications.
Jia Ying holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology (Honours) from the Australian National University. She has a keen interest in translational psychosocial research, and has worked in the research field across various institutions in both Singapore and Australia. At ROSA, she oversees the overall operations of the Singapore Life Panel.
Rachel graduated from Singapore Management University with a bachelor's degree in Social Science (Sociology). Her research interests center around gender and family, care work, as well as social stratification and inequality. As a Research Assistant at ROSA, Rachel supports the researchers with translational research at the centre.
Zidane is currently a Research Assistant at ROSA. He graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science in Sociology and Health Economics & Management from the Singapore Management University in 2023. Zidane’s research interests lie in the areas of ageing, life course, health and illness, and poverty and inequality. At ROSA, he supports the team in academic and translational research, as well as in the financial matters of the Centre.
Kenneth is a Research Assistant at ROSA. He graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Honours in Social Sciences, majoring in Geography. Kenneth is interested in Social Science research, including the effect of new developments and socioeconomic factors on people’s livelihoods and well-being. He hopes to apply his skills and expertise to uncover new insights and further ROSA’s research efforts.
Wei Tin graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science from Singapore Management University, majoring in both Psychology and Sociology. At ROSA, she assists in academic and translational research, as well as with organizing data collection for both quantitative and qualitative research efforts. Her research topics of interest includes those pertaining to gender, family, inequality, intersectionality, and demography. She hopes that through her research efforts, individuals can have a better understanding about the underlying mechanisms driving certain societal norms and practices in contemporary Singaporean society.
In her free time, she enjoys partaking in digital illustrating, reading, playing with her chihuahua, and watching true crime documentaries.
Allan graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with a Bachelor of Science with Honors, majoring in Data Science & Analytics. His interest lies in creating innovative data-driven solutions by leveraging on the wealth of data generated daily. As an individual, he is looking to increase the count of lives he positively impacts, which is his main metric for defining his success in life.
Linh holds a Master of Science in Business Analytics from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and a Bachelor of Commerce from Monash University, Australia. Before joining ROSA, she gained industry experience in data science and analytics, leading projects to enhance efficiency through AI tool development. She also worked within educational institutions, gaining experience across research, marketing, and registrar’s offices. Passionate about social science research, Linh looks forward to applying her data skills at ROSA to uncover meaningful insights that will contribute to research on the well-being of ageing populations.
Benjamin graduated from Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) with a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering (Hons). Before joining ROSA, he honed experience in demand planning, procurement, logistical fulfilment, as well as risk and compliance management. His main duties include assisting in financial matters and daily operations.
