Dr. N Varaprasad has been dedicated to the field of education and leadership for 40 years and has made many significant contributions to public service and education in Singapore. He started his career as a lecturer in Industrial and Systems Engineering, with his Ph.D. in Urban Transport modeling. From 1985, he served 16 years in the polytechnic sector, 11 of which were as founding Principal/CEO of Temasek Polytechnic which he founded and built into a leading institution of 13,000 students, with a strong reputation for innovative teaching and progressive educational methods.
Upon leaving the polytechnic, Dr. Varaprasad was appointed as Deputy President of the National University of Singapore in Dec 2001, overseeing the corporate cluster of departments, such as information services, computer center, student affairs, university health center, occupational safety, quality management, and arts and culture.