Singapore's first and only marine research station: St. John's Island National Marine Laboratory

The St. John’s Island National Marine Laboratory (SJINML; sjinml.nus.edu.sg) is Singapore’s first and only fully-equipped offshore marine research station. The marine laboratory was established in 2002 as a facility for interdisciplinary marine research as part of the National University of Singapore. In 2016, the National Research Foundation designated the facility as a National Research Infrastructure to support locally important and globally impactful marine science research. Nestled in the Singapore Southern Islands, SJINML is within reach of a diversity of species-rich marine habitats, including mangroves, seagrass meadows and coral reefs, despite its largely urban setting. Since 2020, the marine station has been further upgraded to include: a state-of-the-art climate-controlled aquaria for climate change research, biosafety-level-2 facilities to support upcoming disease- and pathogen- focused research, a 10-m seawater current flume to aid studies in marine hydrodynamics, and laboratories that enable researchers to conduct biochemistry and genetic work or take high- resolution bio-imagery. SJINML also offers self-catering accommodation and a research vessel capable of offshore field sampling and data collection. Backed by a team of trained and skilled personnel, and a network of stakeholders in academia, industry, and government agencies, SJINML is well-equipped to support collaborative research and education across multiple disciplines. Operating as a shared research facility, SJINML is open to all students and researchers — local and international.