I welcome motivated PhD, Master’s, and undergraduate students — including international students for remote internships — as well as industry partners interested in collaborative research and applied innovation.
My research group sits at the intersection of Human–Computer Interaction, AI-supported learning, and interactive technologies. We build and study systems that help people learn, reason, and interact better — from multi-agent AI tutors and interview simulators, to multimodal classroom analytics, to immersive AR/VR for cultural heritage and health.
My work spans 10 research themes. The five highlighted below are my current research focus — if any of these resonate with you, I’d be glad to hear from you:
There are several pathways to work with me, depending on your stage and goals. Each role is open to applicants of any nationality, subject to NTU and CCDS admission requirements.
Full-time PhD candidates pursuing original research in HCI, AI in education, multimodal interaction, or applied AI systems. Strong programming skills and prior research/publication experience are highly valued.
MEng candidates conducting a focused 1–2 year research project culminating in a thesis. Suitable for students who want a research-oriented postgraduate degree before pursuing a PhD or industry R&D role.
MSc students taking an Independent Study Module or dissertation under my supervision, typically focused on building and evaluating an applied system aligned with one of my active projects.
NTU CCDS undergraduates working on a year-long capstone project. I currently supervise 17 FYP students and have graduated 120+ since joining NTU. Projects often lead to publications and tech disclosures.
Undergraduate research opportunities for NTU students through the URECA programme, summer projects, or directed research. I have supervised 30 URECA students to date and currently mentor 6.
Open to motivated international undergraduate and Master’s students who wish to contribute remotely to ongoing projects (3–6 months). Past interns have contributed to publications and shipped real systems.
All NTU graduate applications go through the official admissions portals below. After applying, please email me a short note with your CV and a paragraph on why my research interests you, so I can look out for your application.
Apply through the NTU Research Programmes Admission Guide. In the application, align your proposed research with my themes (HCI, AI in education, multimodal interfaces) and select “Fernando Owen Noel Newton — CCDS” as your proposed supervisor.
NTU PhD admission guideFor applicants seeking a research-focused MEng with a written thesis, typically 1–2 years. Apply through the same NTU Research Programmes Admission Guide and select me as your proposed supervisor.
NTU Research admission guideFor applicants seeking a taught Master’s programme (e.g., MSc Artificial Intelligence, MSc Computer Control & Automation). Once enrolled, you may take the Independent Study Module or Dissertation under my supervision.
NTU Coursework admission guideNTU offers a range of scholarships that fully fund tuition, provide a monthly stipend, and cover travel funding and on-campus housing. Strong applicants are encouraged to apply for these alongside their PhD application. These include the NTU Research Scholarship, President’s Graduate Scholarship, A*STAR Graduate Scholarship, ASEAN PhD Scholarship, and others.
NTU graduate scholarship listIf you are an undergraduate or Master’s student outside Singapore and you are excited by our research themes, I am happy to consider you for a remote research internship.
Remote interns are matched to an active project (e.g., AlgoGPT, AIView, NALA-Assess, Hidden Shrines, AI Health Assistant) and work alongside NTU students, research assistants, or graduate mentors. Engagement is typically 3–6 months, with weekly check-ins and milestone-based deliverables.
Please note: remote internships are unpaid research positions. They are oriented toward learning, mentorship, and authorship rather than salary. Some interns become longer-term collaborators and co-authors.
I actively work with industry partners on applied research, prototyping, technology licensing, and commissioned R&D — both through NTU and through my spinoff company, Newtonis Technologies.
A short, well-prepared email goes a long way. Please use the checklist below so I can give your message the attention it deserves.
Please email me using a clear subject line that includes your name — this helps me triage and reply faster:
Due to a high volume of enquiries, I cannot reply to every individual message. I will reach out if your profile and interests are a strong fit. Generic mass-mail enquiries (without a CV, without a reference to my work, identical to ones sent to many faculty) usually do not receive a reply — specific, well-targeted emails almost always do.
Please send a brief description of your organisation, the problem space, and the kind of engagement you have in mind (sponsored project, licensing, FYP collaboration, consultancy). I will get back to you to set up an introductory call.
I read every email personally and aim to reply within a week. If you don’t hear back, a polite follow-up after 7–10 days is welcome.
College of Computing & Data Science
Nanyang Technological University
Block S3 #B1C-101, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798
NTU has two PhD intakes per year: an August intake and a January intake. Apply through the NTU Research Programmes Admission Guide and select me as your proposed supervisor. Please check the admission guide for the current application window.
PhD funding is typically allocated via NTU scholarships such as the NTU Research Scholarship, President’s Graduate Scholarship, A*STAR Graduate Scholarship, and the ASEAN PhD Scholarship. Project-tied positions also open up when grants permit. Strong applicants should apply for these scholarships in parallel with their PhD application — see the NTU graduate scholarship list.
Master’s by Research (M.Eng) is a research degree leading to a written thesis — closer in spirit to a mini-PhD. Master’s by Coursework is a taught Master’s programme (e.g., MSc AI, MSc Computer Control & Automation) where you can take an Independent Study Module or Dissertation under my supervision. Both apply through different NTU portals, linked above.
In-person internships at NTU depend on visa, accommodation, and host-department arrangements that are managed at the university level. For most international undergraduates, a remote internship is the most realistic pathway and can be just as substantive.
No — remote research internships are unpaid. They are designed to give you real research experience, mentorship, and (where the contribution warrants it) authorship on resulting publications.
Yes — this is one of the most common ways industry partners engage with us. Reach out with a short problem statement, and we can discuss scoping a project that works for both an FYP team and your business goals.
I aim to reply within a week. Due to high enquiry volume, I cannot reply to every email — generic mass-mail messages without a CV or reference to my work usually do not get a response. Specific, well-targeted emails almost always do.