PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Simon Chesterman

Simon Chesterman is a legal scholar whose work examines how law can govern artificial intelligence. He studied law and Chinese in Melbourne and Beijing, led the New York University School of Law Singapore Programme from 2006 to 2011, and held international law and humanitarian posts before that. From 2012 to 2022, he served as Dean of NUS Law and, by 2022, as Senior Director of AI Governance at AI Singapore. His AI work includes a 2020 article on legal personality, the 2021 book We, the Robots?, a 2023 recognition for AI ethics and governance, and 2025 research on misinformation in the age of generative AI. As of October 2026, he is Vice Provost (Educational Innovation) and Dean of NUS College at NUS.

Works
380

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 22 October 2026. Citations and h-index are hidden because this OpenAlex record may be incomplete or mix in other authors.

Timeline

  1. 1991

    Law and Chinese in Melbourne

    He studies law and Chinese at the University of Melbourne and Beijing International Studies University, and spends a year in Beijing on a government scholarship in 1991.

  2. By 2006

    International law and UN work

    Before his 2006 NYU role, he works as a Senior Associate at the International Peace Academy and Director of UN Relations at the International Crisis Group in New York. He also works for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Yugoslavia and interns at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

  3. 2006–2011

    Global Professor at NYU

    From 2006 to 2011, he serves as Global Professor and Director of the New York University School of Law Singapore Programme.

  4. 2012–2022

    Dean of NUS Law

    From 2012 to 2022, he serves as Dean of NUS Law. In 2022, he also serves as Senior Director of AI Governance at AI Singapore.

  5. 2020–2021

    AI legal personhood and regulation

    In 2020, he publishes an article on arguments for giving AI systems legal personality. In 2021, he publishes We, the Robots?, which examines how law can address AI, what rules and institutions may help manage its risks, and what role AI might play in regulating itself.

  6. 2023

    The Peak Singapore Power List

    He appears on The Peak Singapore’s Power List in 2023 for his work in AI ethics and governance.

  7. 2025

    Lawful but Awful

    In 2025, he publishes “Lawful but Awful,” an article that analyzes legislative responses to misinformation, disinformation and mal-information in the age of generative AI.

  8. As of October 2026

    Vice Provost and NUS College dean

    As of October 2026, he is Vice Provost (Educational Innovation) at NUS and Dean of NUS College.

Career

  1. Since 2012National University of SingaporeDean
  2. From 2022AI SingaporeSenior Director of AI Governance
  3. 2006–2011New York UniversityGlobal Professor and Director
  4. International Peace AcademySenior Associate
  5. International Crisis GroupDirector of UN Relations
  6. International Criminal Tribunal for RwandaIntern

Education

  1. University of Melbourne
  2. Beijing International Studies University

From the biography.

  1. Of 216 AI researchers who entered public life, 83 held advisory seats and 58 took public rolesIncludes Simon Chesterman. Of 216 AI researchers who entered public life, 83 held advisory seats and 58 took public roles. Another 97 people moved from public careers into AI organizations or research, with 62% of dated records starting from 2020 on.
  2. People shaping AI work at a median of 3 organizations over a career: 3 for university starters and institute and lab starters, versus 2 for company startersIncludes National University of Singapore. Across 6,853 people shaping AI with a dated work role, we estimate a median of 3 parent organizations over a career (mean 3.6), comparing role groups, starting sectors and starting decades from the 1950s to 2020–2026.
  3. The United States employs an estimated 48% of people shaping AIIncludes National University of Singapore. We estimate where the people shaping AI work today, how universities, companies and research institutes split across countries, and how country shares have changed since the 1960s.
  4. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes National University of Singapore. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Simon Chesterman yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Mee siam and kopi siew dai? Yes, please, says NUS College's inaugural Dean Prof Simon Chesterman news.nus.edu.sg. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. About – Simon Chesterman simonchesterman.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE LIMITS OF LEGAL PERSONALITY | International & Comparative Law Quarterly | Cambridge Core cambridge.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. We, the Robots? | Cambridge Core cambridge.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. Prof Simon Chesterman recognised in The Peak Singapore’s Power List 2023 news.nus.edu.sg. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. Lawful but Awful: Evolving Legislative Responses to Address Online Misinformation, Disinformation, and Mal-Information in the Age of Generative AI – Simon Chesterman simonchesterman.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  7. When AI agents go rogue, who’s to blame? news.nus.edu.sg. Checked 20 October 2026.