A PhD student at the Singapore campus of James Cook University (JCU in Singapore), Junyi Meng, represented the university at the 13th University Scholars Leadership Symposium (USLS) in Kuala Lumpur in August 2025, where she joined hundreds of like-minded young delegates from across the world in discussions, workshops, and hands-on activities to build a peaceful, inclusive and sustainable world.

The four-day symposium, organised by Humanitarian Affairs Asia, is a global leadership event that seeks to empower young leaders to address humanitarian challenges and champion societal change. Students from around the world come together to engage in service learning, leadership development and cross-cultural collaboration in a bid to build a better future.“The symposium addressed pressing global issues such as refugee welfare, animal protection, poverty, war, and peace. Participants came from universities all over the world, united by our shared vision of becoming future leaders. I was deeply honoured to represent JCU in Singapore as well as my home country, China,” says Junyi.

Junyi, a Doctor of Philosophy (Health) student, was selected by USLS to attend the symposium.

“Junyi came to Singapore from China where she had trained in Law, culminating in her completing her master’s degree in medical law. She had a very strong academic background but not much subject matter knowledge in behavioural sciences, including psychology. She willingly and enthusiastically completed additional coursework in research methods to give her the additional training she needed to undertake her PhD in Health”, says Professor Nigel Marsh, Professor of Clinical Psychology at JCU in Singapore, Junyi’s primary research supervisor.

“Junyi has already displayed considerable success in not only moving countries but also in transitioning from her original expertise in Law to undertaking research in occupational health psychology. Her tenacity and hard work ensure that she will be a good role model and future leader in promoting a fairer world and meaningful improvements in global issues relevant to human welfare”, adds Professor Marsh.  

At the symposium, Junyi had the chance to ask one of her research questions to the speaker: “From the perspective of leadership, how can we address the issue of involution in Asian societies?” She also took part in one of the program’s Kindness Day activities – Greening our Coastlines, where she came together with fellow volunteers came together to plant 1,000 mangrove saplings in a collective mission to help protect and preserve the coastal ecosystem.

“I truly cherish the memories made with friends from diverse cultural backgrounds. By listening to their voices and stories, I learned not only how to lead change but also how to collaborate effectively across differences,” says Junyi.

“Effective leadership involves using knowledge and compassion to make a difference in the world. Junyi’s achievement reflects the values we seek to nurture in our students at JCU in Singapore – the courage to engage with global issues and the vision to help shape a more sustainable and inclusive future,” says Professor Carole-Anne Upton, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Singapore.

Find out more about the Singapore campus of James Cook University.


Contacts

Media: Ms Pinky Sibal pinky.sibal@jcu.edu.au / Ms Hoe Shu Rin shurin.hoe@jcu.edu.au