Li Shengwu

Li Shengwu
Born	4 February 1985
Education	Bachelor of Arts (PPE) Master of Philosophy (Economics) Doctor of Philosophy (Economics)
Alma mater	Oxford University, Stanford University

Li Shengwu (born 4 February 1985) is the eldest son of Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Suet Fern. He is an academic by profession and is trained as an economist. As of August 2020, he is based in the United States of America and is listed as an Assistant Professor of Economics at Harvard University.

Background

Before joining Harvard University's economics faculty as a staff member, Li Shengwu was a Junior Fellow in the Harvard Society of Fellows from 2016 to 2018. He was a competitive debater during his pre-university and undergraduate years, having won the European Universities Debating Championship in 2009 and also receiving the "Best Speaker" award at the World Universities Debating Championship in 2010. While in university, he also coached the varsity debate teams.

Li Shengwu (second from left) pictured with his late grandfather, Lee Kuan Yew. Photo from Asia One.

Family

Li Shengwu is the older brother of Li Huanwu and Li Shaowu. He is the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Dr Lee Wei Ling, and the grandson of the late Lee Kuan Yew. He is also the cousin of Li Hongyi.

Education

Li Shengwu was a student at Raffles Junior College. As a second-year JC student, he was a part of the team that represented Singapore in the World Schools Debating Championships in Peru. Upon completing his GCE A-Level examinations, he was awarded the Angus Ross Prize by Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) for being the top A-level literature student in Singapore. He then furthered his studies at the Balliol College in Oxford University where he graduated with a degree in philosophy, politics and economics (PPE). During his time in Oxford as an undergraduate, he held two scholarships - the Overseas Research Scholarship and the Clarendon Scholarship awarded by Oxford University. In 2009, he graduated at the top of his class and won the Hicks and Webb Prize - an award presented to outstanding economics students.

Post-graduate studies

Li Shengwu holds a masters degree in economics from Oxford University and a doctorate in economics from Stanford University which he received in 2016. In 2011, he won the George Webb Medley Prize for his outstanding graduate thesis.

Career

Li Shengwu is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Harvard University, specialising in Behavioural Economics and Theory. Prior to this role, he was a Junior Fellow of the Harvard Society of Fellows.

Awards & fellowships

Year	Award/fellowship	Institution
2022	Sloan Research Fellowship	Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
2018	Exeter Prize	University of Exeter Business School
	Best Paper, Economics and Computation	ACM Special Interest Group on e-Commerce
2017	Aliprantis Prize	Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory
2016	Review of Economic Studies Tour	The Review of Economic Studies
2014	Graduate Fellowship	Stanford Center for Ethics and Society
2013	Best Second-Year Paper Prize	Stanford University, Economics Department
2011-2012	Graduate Fellowship	Stanford University, Economics Department
2011	George Webb Medley Prize	University of Oxford
2009-2011	Clarendon Scholarship	University of Oxford
	Overseas Research Scholarship	University of Oxford
2009	Hicks and Webb Prize	University of Oxford

Media coverage

In February 2023, Li Shengwu was among 125 early-career researchers who were awarded the Sloan Research Fellowship for the year. This meant that he would receive a monetary prize of US$75,000 for his research.

The Sloan Research Fellowship is held in high regard, and considered one of the most prestigious awards available to young researchers. Many of its past recipients have gone on to make significant contributions to the fields of, but not limited to, Science, Math, and Economics.

This announcement was well-received by media outlets like CNA and Mothership. This milestone was also mentioned by Shengwu’s father, Li Hsien Yang via a Facebook post on 16 February 2023. The Singaporean businessman stated that he was “thrilled that Shengwu continues to bring honour to Singapore”.

Court case

Facebook post & prosecution (2017)

As the son of Li Hsien Yang, Li Shengwu was also embroiled in the Lee family dispute over the family home at 38 Oxley Road. On 15 July 2017, he shared a Wall Street Journal newspaper article summarising the dispute with a caption that partially read:

"... (the) Singapore government is very litigious and has a pliant court system.."

A few days after the post, he was instructed by the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) to apologise for his comments and remove his post. However, he did not comply with these requests and maintained that his claims were not contemptuous when read in context. On 4 August 2017, the AGC began proceedings against Li Shengwu for contempt of court.

Sentencing (2020)

On 29 July 2020, the High Court of Singapore found Li Shengwu guilty of contempt of court and he was sentenced to a $15,000 fine. He agreed to pay the fine despite disagreeing with the ruling.