Dr Laurel Teo is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies where she heads the Society and Culture department.

Laurel studies how people think, feel, and behave in organisational settings. Her research interests focus on the Future of Work and the impact of technological innovations and future trends on people in the workplace. A key part of her research stream examines how workers can be future-ready, which specific groups may be particularly vulnerable or at-risk and what interventions can help them overcome their vulnerabilities, especially in reskilling/upskilling.

In her prior careers, Laurel has worked in journalism, consulting and regulatory engagement in Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong. These experiences have helped to shape her research interests. 

Laurel is also a Chartered Financial Analyst and currently volunteers on the board of CFA Society Singapore as honorary secretary. She graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor’s degree (magna cum laude) double majoring in Anthropology and Chinese. She earned her PhD in Business (Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources) from Singapore Management University. 

Publications

• Teo, L. H. & Chew, H. E. (2023, December). Are Singaporeans Ready for the Future of Work?. IPS Exchange Series No. 26.
• Teo, L. H. (2023). Singapore Youths and Work: Aspirations, Expectations and Realities. National Youth Council. 
• Teo, L. H. (2021, November 3-5). I’m special but A.I. doesn’t get it: How the use of AI influences people’s perceived uniqueness, power and subjective well-being [Poster presentation]. Technology, Mind & Society virtual conference by American Psychological Association. https://tmb.apaopen.org/posters 
• Bhave, D. P., Teo, L. H., & Dalal, R.S. (2020). Privacy at work: A review and a research agenda for a contested terrain. Journal of Management, 46(1), 127–164.
• Schaerer, M., Teo, L. H., Madan, N., & Swaab, R.I.(2020). Power and negotiation: Review of current evidence and future directions. Current Opinion in Psychology, 33, 47–51
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Teo, L. H. & Lim, J. H. (2020, August 3-5). When virtual work goes viral: How employees respond to a forced change from physical to virtual work set-ups [Paper presentation]. New Future of Work Symposium, virtual conference. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/when-virtual-work-goes-viral-how-employees-respond-to-a-forced-change-from-physical-to-virtual-work-set-ups/

Op-eds/Commentaries

• Teo, L. (2024, Feb 26). Budget 2024: Some vulnerable workers may need more help to act on the latest upskilling measures. The Straits Times.
• Teo, L. (2023, Feb 15). Why employees of the future need a new superpower – agility. The Straits Times.

Conference Participation and Presentations/Speeches

• Presenter “Diversity/Inclusion Priorities in Singapore” and Panellist, “Building Inclusive Futures in Singapore”, at the Asia DEI Summit, 7 November 2024
• Moderator, “AI and the Future of Work”, IPS Corporate Associates Breakfast Dialogue, 27 August 2024
• Panellist, “Empowering Women in the Workforce: Navigating the AI Landscape", 22 August 2024
• Moderator, “Peers, Places, and Platforms”, at the Future Ready Society Conference, 23 October 2023
• Moderator, “Future of Skills and Learning – Planning Your Career for the Industry of Tomorrow”, Webinar by CFA Institute, 20 September 2022
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Coordinating Researcher, Reinventing Destiny: A Conference on the Occasion of Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s 100th Birth Anniversary, 14 August 2023.
Co-Chair, Singapore Perspectives: “Work”, 5/9/16 January 2023. 
Moderator, “Interpreting Future of Work Survey Findings : Addressing Different and Changing Aspirations” at Singapore Perspectives: “Work”, 16 January 2023 

Awards

• Lim Kim San Fellowship (2020-2021, 2021-2022)
• SMU Presidential Doctoral Fellowship (2020–2021)

Committees/Directorships

• Honorary Secretary, Board off Directors, CFA Society Singapore