Dr Weiqiang LIN (林伟强) is a Cultural Geographer who is interested in mobilities and infrastructures of moving. He has over twelve years of experience researching on contemporary mobility issues (particularly in transport) and has contributed to furthering cultural geographical concepts and theories by examining institutions. His work uses a distinctive infrastructural lens to shed light on the often-micro processes of mobilities production (e.g. norms, laws, STS, technologies, affects), offering unique and insightful windows into pressing real-world policy questions. His recent research examines labour and automation in four of Asia's biggest international airports, and extends to post-pandemic futures of work, digital technologies and mobilities.

Previously, he has worked on topics related to the production of airspaces in Southeast Asia; and the discursive and technological framings of air logistics in Singapore and China, including the Belt and Road Initiative. In addition, Weiqiang was a recipient of the UK Commonwealth Scholarship from 2011 to 2014, and an NUS Overseas Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto in 2015. He sits on the editorial boards of Dialogues in Human Geography, Digital Geography & Society, Journal of Transport Geography, Mobilities, and Mobility Humanities, and is a Section Editor for Transfers (Ideas in Motion). Weiqiang was also one of three recipients of the inaugural Social Science and Humanities Research (SSHR) Fellowships awarded in 2019 [Fellowship tenure from 2020 to 2025].

He is currently the chair of the Social-Cultural Geography Research Group in the Department (https://nusscg.wordpress.com/) and also the chair of the Department Ethics Review Committee.

Grants Awarded

2026-2031: ASEAN Resilience [Co-PI for section on automation, labour and mobilities] (pending commencement)

2025: Asia Research Institute Academic Events Fund: Digital Work, Mobilities and Changing Cities in Asia (30-31 Oct 2025)

2020-2025: Social Science and Humanities Researrch Fellowship on Peopling Infrastructure: Aeromobilities, Automation and Labour Mobilisation in Asia (MOE2018-SSHR-002)

2021-2022: Ministry of Education AcRF Tier 1 on The Automation and Digitalisation of Infrastructure: COVID-19 and the Future of Society 

2017-2020: NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Start Up Grant on Air Logistics of Food: Exceptional Food Cultures in Asia

Five Most Significant Works

• Lin, W., Adey, P., & Harris, T. (2024). Dispositions towards automation: Capital, technology, and labour relations in aeromobilities. Dialogues in Human Geography, 14(1), 51-70. (Open access)
• Lin, W. (2022). Automated infrastructure: COVID-19 and the shifting geographies of supply chain capitalism. Progress in Human Geography, 46(2), 463-483. (Access) [Please email for a copy]
• Lin, W. (2020). Evental infrastructure: Momentous geographies of technoscience production. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 110(6), 1770-1786.
• Lin, W. (2016). Re-assembling (aero) mobilities: Perspectives beyond the West. Mobilities, 11(1), 49-65.
• Lin, W. (2015). ‘Cabin pressure’: designing affective atmospheres in airline travel. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 40(2), 287-299.

Recent Media Features

04/26 - 民航局新财年料拨逾13亿元 巩固我国世界级航空枢纽地位 https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/singapore/story20260414-8872869 

08/25 - The era of job dating? It’s all about matching employers and talent https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/the-era-of-job-dating-its-all-about-matching-employers-and-talent

06/25 - Singapore travellers told to expect delays, even as Iran-Israel truce brings reprieve to airlines https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/singapore-travellers-told-to-expect-delays-even-as-iran-israel-truce-brings-reprieve-to-airlines 

09/24 - Illegal but in demand: Why some S’poreans use unlicensed cross-border chauffeured rides https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/illegal-but-in-demand-why-some-s-poreans-use-unlicensed-cross-border-chauffeured-rides

12/23 - 无人合伙投资 我国首个空中德士计划喊停 (on VTOLs) https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/singapore/story20231204-1453940