SINGAPORE — Mr Lee Hsien Yang, the son of founding prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and younger brother of PM Lee Hsien Loong announced on Facebook on Thursday (Feb 16) that his oldest son, Li Shengwu, had been awarded the prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship.
An outpouring of congratulations followed, including from some present and past notable opposition figures, such as Workers’ Party Members of Parliament Leon Perera (Aljunied GRC) and Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC), secretary-general of the Reform Party Kenneth Jeyaretnam, and former Singapore People’s Party (SPP) chairman Jose Raymond.
“A Sloan Research Fellowship is one of the most prestigious awards available to young researchers, recognising and rewarding those with potential to revolutionise their fields of study.
Many past Sloan Fellows have gone on to become towering figures in science. 56 Fellows have received a Nobel Prize in their respective fields, 17 have won the Fields Medal in mathematics, and 22 have won the John Bates Clark Medal in economics, including every winner since 2007” wrote Mr Lee Hsien Yang with understandable pride, adding that he is “thrilled that Shengwu continues to bring honour to Singapore.”
He also wrote that his son had been chosen in 2016 to become a fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows, describing it as “a rare distinction recognising young scholars for their potential to advance academic wisdom.”
Mr Li also tweeted about the distinction, writing on Feb 15 that he is “delighted to be in this year’s cohort of Sloan Fellows.”
Caveat: Academic prizes don’t make for good research incentives.
Nonetheless, I’m delighted to be in this year’s cohort of Sloan Fellows, with @instrumenthull @alexoimas @TobiasSalz (and others not on twitter). pic.twitter.com/6z5UGRu3Xc
— Shengwu Li (@ShengwuLi) February 15, 2023
His father ended his post by writing, “I believe Shengwu was the first Singaporean inducted into the Harvard Society of Fellows. I don’t know whether any other Singaporean has been awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship before.”
The post received many likes, shares, and comments.
“Congratulations, and truly a treasure for the country,” wrote Assoc Prof Lim. Mr Li thanked him in a comment.
“Shengwu’s remarkable achievements should indeed make Singaporeans proud. Well done!,” wrote Mr Perera.
Fellow WP MP Louis Chua liked Mr Lee Hsien Yang’s post but did not leave a comment.
Mr Jeyaretnam addressed Mr Lee, writing “You must be very proud and so should Singapore be also,” while Mr Raymond kept it short and sweet.
Other notable persons to congratulate Mr Lee and his son were lawyer and human rights activist Mr Ravi MRavi, former GIC economist Mr Yeoh Lam Keong, and former South China Morning Post journalist Mr Toh Han Shih.
Many netizens referenced Mr Lee Kuan Yew in their comments.
/TISG