Panel Discussion: Beyond League Tables: Open Evidence and Fair Use of Rankings in Universities
Location
Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium (NAKA)
Start Date
3-6-2026 5:00 PM
End Date
3-6-2026 6:00 PM
Description
Global university rankings are an inescapable reality—and a frequent misfit with responsible research assessment. This panel convenes a few perspectives: Vice-President in the Office of Impact who must translate scores into policy trade-offs, the Assistant Director in the Office of Institutional Research and Planning, a representative from Clarivate which is a data and analytics database, and a librarian who navigates data sources and coverage gaps.
Format is highly participatory: a 12-minute lightning from each panelist, followed by Q&A from the audience
About the panelists:
Ahmed BOURGHIDA: Ahmed has a strong background in R&D. He holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Warwick in the UK. He worked for Big Pharma in Europe and in the US before moving to Thomson Reuters as a Research and Academic Support for EMEA. Ahmed then became a co-founder and a CSO of a start up based in London specialized in Cancer Research & Diagnostics. He has recently joined the Singapore office at Clarivate to support the Research & Analytics Department for SEA and India.
Scott Frizen: Professor Scott Fritzen is the Vice President (Impact) to lead the newly established Office of Impact. With over 25 years of leadership experience at leading universities in Asia and the United States, Professor Fritzen brings a wealth of expertise in cultivating global partnerships and driving strategic innovation. His role will be pivotal in enhancing the University’s influence and contributions to society, while emphasising the significant impact of academic initiatives on individuals and communities.
Jessie Xiao: Jesse is an academic leader and data strategist with over a decade of experience in university strategic planning, data‑informed decision‑making, university rankings, and library management. He is currently Director at The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), where he leads data‑driven initiatives for institutional advancement.
Previously, Jesse served as Assistant Director in the Office of Institutional Research and Planning at Hong Kong Baptist University and as Head of Scholarly Communication and Research Services at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) Libraries. He was also a part‑time lecturer at HKU, teaching in the areas of library management and information services. Earlier in his career, he worked with the GigaScience Journal as a data architect, advancing open data and open research."
Yeo Pin Pin: Pin Pin is the Head of Research Services at the Singapore Management University Libraries. She develops and implements services for evaluating the research impact of SMU publications and researchers. She oversees the Research Publications in the SMU research management system, institutional repository, data repository, digital preservation system and oral history.
Panel Discussion: Beyond League Tables: Open Evidence and Fair Use of Rankings in Universities
Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium (NAKA)
Global university rankings are an inescapable reality—and a frequent misfit with responsible research assessment. This panel convenes a few perspectives: Vice-President in the Office of Impact who must translate scores into policy trade-offs, the Assistant Director in the Office of Institutional Research and Planning, a representative from Clarivate which is a data and analytics database, and a librarian who navigates data sources and coverage gaps.
Format is highly participatory: a 12-minute lightning from each panelist, followed by Q&A from the audience
About the panelists:
Ahmed BOURGHIDA: Ahmed has a strong background in R&D. He holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Warwick in the UK. He worked for Big Pharma in Europe and in the US before moving to Thomson Reuters as a Research and Academic Support for EMEA. Ahmed then became a co-founder and a CSO of a start up based in London specialized in Cancer Research & Diagnostics. He has recently joined the Singapore office at Clarivate to support the Research & Analytics Department for SEA and India.
Scott Frizen: Professor Scott Fritzen is the Vice President (Impact) to lead the newly established Office of Impact. With over 25 years of leadership experience at leading universities in Asia and the United States, Professor Fritzen brings a wealth of expertise in cultivating global partnerships and driving strategic innovation. His role will be pivotal in enhancing the University’s influence and contributions to society, while emphasising the significant impact of academic initiatives on individuals and communities.
Jessie Xiao: Jesse is an academic leader and data strategist with over a decade of experience in university strategic planning, data‑informed decision‑making, university rankings, and library management. He is currently Director at The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), where he leads data‑driven initiatives for institutional advancement.
Previously, Jesse served as Assistant Director in the Office of Institutional Research and Planning at Hong Kong Baptist University and as Head of Scholarly Communication and Research Services at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) Libraries. He was also a part‑time lecturer at HKU, teaching in the areas of library management and information services. Earlier in his career, he worked with the GigaScience Journal as a data architect, advancing open data and open research."
Yeo Pin Pin: Pin Pin is the Head of Research Services at the Singapore Management University Libraries. She develops and implements services for evaluating the research impact of SMU publications and researchers. She oversees the Research Publications in the SMU research management system, institutional repository, data repository, digital preservation system and oral history.