MIT Professor to Lead Groundbreaking Singapore Lab

When Chris Zegras tested Singapore's first public autonomous vehicles a decade ago, he was building the foundation for what would become one of the world's most innovative research partnerships. Now, he's stepping in to lead it.

Zegras has been named CEO and director of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), effective September 1. The appointment brings together a researcher with deep ties to the center and a track record of turning academic insights into practical solutions.

SMART has operated since 2007 as MIT's singular international research hub, connecting American and Singaporean researchers on challenges that affect millions. The center brings together leading experts across six major research areas, from fighting drug-resistant infections to developing wearable medical imaging.

Zegras knows SMART from the inside out. For a decade, he led research on next-generation mobility systems there, work that evolved from simulation models into actual autonomous vehicles navigating Singapore's streets. His teams also launched companies that grew directly from their research discoveries.

As head of MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning since 2020, Zegras has focused on using technology to understand how people move through cities and plan better transportation systems. His work tackles a question that matters to anyone stuck in traffic: how do we make cities move more efficiently?

The Ripple Effect

The research happening at SMART reaches far beyond Singapore's borders. Scientists there are developing technologies that could revolutionize healthcare, from using living cells as personalized medicines to creating new antibiotics when existing ones stop working. Agricultural researchers are designing farming methods that could help feed growing populations in challenging environments.

The center's Innovation Center helps bridge the gap between laboratory breakthroughs and products people can actually use. It's a model that other universities are watching closely as they think about global research partnerships.

Zegras takes over from Bruce Tidor, who served as interim director since January 2025. The timing comes at what MIT's provost calls "a time of accelerating technological and global change," when international scientific collaboration matters more than ever.

For Zegras, the opportunity represents a chance to expand work he's passionate about. He's seen firsthand how bringing together diverse experts can solve problems that stump individual researchers working alone.

The appointment reinforces something important: the best research doesn't respect national boundaries, and neither do the challenges we need to solve.