SINGAPORE - A new dean is set to take the reins at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Law.

Professor Hans Tjio will take over from Professor Simon Chesterman in July, it was announced on Friday (March 12).

A leading scholar in the field of securities regulation, Prof Tjio is currently the faculty's CJ Koh Professor of Law and the director of its EW Barker Centre for Law and Business.

He will be the 15th dean since the establishment of the faculty in 1959. The post has previously been held by public figures such as Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh and former deputy prime minister S. Jayakumar.

"I am deeply honoured and excited to be accorded this opportunity to lead NUS Law at this moment in time when we have so much talent amongst my colleagues and our students," said Prof Tjio.

Educated at the University of Cambridge in Britain and Harvard University in the United States, Prof Tjio has worked in both the public and private sectors. This includes secondments to the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Ministry of Law, as well as roles with Linklaters Singapore and WongPartnership, both private law firms.

He has also been a visiting professor at the National Taiwan University, University of Auckland and East China University of Politics and Law in Shanghai, and a visiting scholar at Stanford University and the University of Melbourne.

Prof Tjio will be taking over from Prof Chesterman, who has led the faculty since 2012.

"On behalf of the NUS community, I would like to express our deep appreciation to Prof Chesterman's vision and dedication in helming the law school, said NUS President Tan Eng Chye. "Under Simon's stewardship, NUS Law has cemented its position as Asia's global law school where it is now ranked the top law school in Asia."

Over his term, Prof Chesterman helped to open more paths into legal education, including the establishment of the NUS Law Academy in 2018 which offers courses for professionals and the introduction of a graduate law degree - the Juris Doctor - in 2020.

Earlier this year, he announced a pilot initiative to increase opportunities for students with diverse backgrounds and skills to study law.

"Serving as dean of NUS Law has been the highlight of my professional life," Prof Chesterman said. "I'm deeply grateful to the colleagues who have worked so hard to build NUS Law into what it is today, and the students whose energy and enthusiasm remind us daily why we come to work."