Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum celebrates 10 years of excellence in research and outreach
May 16, 2025
President of the Republic of Singapore, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (fourth from left) launched LKCNHM’s 10th Anniversary celebrations and the Museum’s commemorative book Archipelago of Islands: Natural and Other Histories of Singapore. He was accompanied by (left to right) Assoc Prof Darren Yeo, Head of LKCNHM; Mr Hsieh Fu Hua, Chairman of the NUS Board of Trustees; Ms Jane Ittogi; Prof Aaron Thean, NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost; Prof Sun Yeneng, Dean of NUS Faculty of Science; Assoc Prof Huang Danwei, Deputy Head of LKCNHM; and Emeritus Prof Leo Tan, Advisor of LKCNHM.
Since its official opening on 18 April 2015, the Museum has transformed into a leading institute in Southeast Asia, dedicated to preserving biodiversity and inspiring future generations. Over the last decade, LKCNHM has welcomed more than 650,000 visitors, with 2024 recording its highest annual visitorship of over 88,000.
The Museum’s educational outreach efforts have also expanded significantly since its establishment, having engaged over 105,000 participants – from pre-schoolers to tertiary students – through gallery tours, talks, nature walks, and workshops. In addition, the Museum runs seasonal biodiversity programmes for the public and continues to enhance inclusivity and accessibility, ensuring that learning opportunities remain available to all.
In their speeches, Prof Aaron Thean (left) and Assoc Prof Darren Yeo (right) highlighted the crucial role that LKCNHM has played as a living library, fostering scientific discovery, education, and conservation.
“Over the past decade, [the] Museum has been a beacon of learning and exploration, welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors to its galleries and engaging tens of thousands of students through workshops and tours. It has also become an indispensable resource for NUS students, offering unique opportunities for experimental learning and deep dives into the rich biodiversity of Singapore and Southeast Asia,” said Professor Aaron Thean, NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost.
“Our vision is to be a leader in Southeast Asian biodiversity research, education, and outreach,” said Associate Professor Darren Yeo, Head of LKCNHM. “To this end, we have actively pursued research and discovery with local and regional partners, imparted expertise to biodiversity and conservation, and nurtured awareness and interest in biodiversity, natural heritage and environmental issues.”
Living up to its name as a regional biodiversity research hub, LKCNHM’s Zoological Reference Collection serves as Singapore’s national zoological repository, and houses over one million specimens today – approximately double from when it was first launched in 2015. The Museum has been a catalyst for biodiversity research, leading over 20 expeditions and biodiversity surveys across Singapore and the region. These efforts have contributed to the discovery of new species and strengthened international scientific partnerships, reinforcing LKCNHM’s position as a research node in the region.
As part of LKCNHM’s 10th anniversary celebrations, visitors can look forward to a series of exciting activities throughout this year, from a ‘Night at LKCNHM: A Museum Heist Investigation’ experience to a public research symposium titled ‘Specimens, Science, and Stories’ which highlights the Museum’s scientific contributions over the past decade.
Appreciating the past to preserve a brighter future
As part of the 10th anniversary celebration, LKCNHM unveiled its special anniversary exhibition ‘A Decade of Discovery: Stories from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum’, showcasing the Museum’s origins, journey, and milestones over the past decade. Reflecting LKCNHM’s legacy and outlining its vision for the future, the exhibition highlights how Singapore’s only natural history museum has served as a vital hub for scientific research, education, and community engagement – uncovering the rich biodiversity and deep historical connections of Southeast Asia.
One unique specimen on display at the exhibition is the leaf coral or Pavona Decussata, collected in 1974 from Pulau Hantu – an island located to the south of the main island of Singapore, off the Straits of Singapore. This large coral colony was a gift donated to the Museum by Dr Chuang Shou-Hwa, a Singaporean zoologist who headed the Zoology Department of the then University of Singapore from 1971-1977.
At the event, the Museum also launched its commemorative book, Archipelago of Islands: Natural and Other Histories of Singapore, to mark Singapore’s 60th year of independence. The book explores the key roles of Singapore’s islands as habitats, homes and navigational landmarks — interweaving stories of nature, history, and culture, while also offering fresh perspectives on the nation’s archipelagic nature.
For example, a chapter in the book traces the historical identities of St John’s Island. Starting out as a quarantine location in response to a cholera epidemic in Singapore in 1873 and later repurposed as a detention centre for political detainees in 1948, the chapter explores St John’s Island’s historical evolution into the vibrant marine research and conservation hub it is today.
In conjunction with the 10th anniversary celebration, LKCNHM is also collaborating with the Science Centre Singapore on a special year-end exhibition themed around extinctions and dinosaurs, featuring an extraordinary journey over 400 million years of Earth’s history.
Embarking on a new decade of innovation and impact
Looking ahead to the future, LKCNHM seeks to continue its efforts in uncovering new insights into the natural history of Singapore and the region by expanding the adjacent wing of the LKCNHM building located in NUS. At the event, Assoc Prof Yeo shared LKCNHM’s aspiration that the expansion will realise the Museum’s “ambitions for growth and greater impact in the years to come” and “will ultimately lead to an enlarged and enhanced LKCNHM before our 20th year”.
Embracing the latest technological advancements, LKCNHM will expand its research scope to include artificial intelligence (AI) tools. “We are partnering with NUS School of Computing and NUS AI Institute to develop AI toolkits for researchers, educators, and the public,” said Assoc Prof Yeo.
“By leveraging on the Museum’s extensive biodiversity database and expertise, and collaborating with subject matter experts across NUS, we are well-positioned to execute this innovative interdisciplinary endeavour”, he added.
