Colin Low is a Research Associate at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Social Lab, National University of Singapore, focusing on qualitative research and fieldwork operations. His role is dynamic, involving project management, the facilitation of deliberative workshops and focus group discussions, conducting in-depth interviews, and fieldwork coordination.
Before joining IPS, Colin worked in regional qualitative research and consulting across Southeast and East Asia, as well as Australia, India, and the Middle East. His experience includes UI/UX research using biometric sensors, as well as branding and segmentation, product launches, consumer behaviour, and digital finance. He is particularly interested in translating lived experiences into insights that are both nuanced and actionable.
Colin holds a BA in Liberal Arts, majoring in Philosophy from the University of Leeds, where he developed a grounding in analytical philosophy, with a particular focus on epistemology and ontology. He also holds an MA in Media, Communications and Critical Practice from the University of the Arts London (Distinction). His academic work has been shaped by an ongoing interest in critical posthumanism, which informed his undergraduate and postgraduate theses and continues to underpin his approach to research. He is currently pursuing a Master’s in Guidance and Counselling, and has provided one-to-one counselling to youth and their parents. This intersection of research and practice informs a reflective and relational approach to Singapore’s social landscape, grounded in a commitment to surfacing underrepresented voices and fostering more empathetic, socially responsive systems.
Research Interests
Social attitudes, identity formation, and lived experience in contemporary Singapore; Youth development, mental health, and help-seeking behaviours; Relationships, transitions, and meaning-making across life stages; Diversity, inclusion, and intergroup relations in plural societies; Narrative, discourse, and sociolinguistic practices in the construction of social realities; Third spaces and informal social environments as sites of identity, interaction, and community formation; Ethical and reflexive research practices, with attention to underrepresented voices