Undergraduates, gold medals: three Singapore students whose first research already matters

They have not finished their degrees, but their research is already pointing somewhere useful. At the National University of Singapore, three undergraduates have been recognised in the 2026 Global Undergraduate Awards. Janebelle Koh won the Thomas Clarkson Gold Medal for work beneath Singapore's mangroves, studying the tiny snails, worms and crabs that keep those carbon-storing forests healthy — and finding that fine root growth can signal how well a mangrove is recovering, a practical clue for restoration teams. Classmates were honoured for research including new insights into nerve-cell damage. Proof, if any were needed, that meaningful science does not wait for a long career.

SDG 4 · Quality education — Mechanism: individual leader