About the Group

I run the Foundations of Thermodynamics Group (FTG) at NTU Singapore, which is currently funded by the Nanyang Assistant Professorship Grant. Its goal is to provide a space for research on all aspects of the conceptual foundations of thermodynamics, with particular focus on understanding the conceptual foundations of thermodynamics beyond the classical domain, e.g., in the quantum and relativistic domains, how thermodynamics relates to other non-fundamental domains such as condensed matter systems, fluid dynamics and neuroscience, and how it bears on questions in philosophy such as (but not limited to) questions about emergence, reduction, inter-theory relations, the nature of non-fundamental reality, the laws of nature, and the relation between symmetries and reality. 

The group is currently supported by Research Associate Mel Ong. 

Group Members

Eugene Y. S. Chua, Nanyang Assistant Professor, Group PI: Eugene is Nanyang Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, where he leads the FTG. His research focuses on the philosophy of science, especially physics. He has published work on black hole evaporation, relativistic and quantum thermodynamics, the foundations of quantum mechanics, and the emergence of time in quantum gravity.  

Yichen Luo, Research Fellow: Yichen received his Ph.D. in philosophy of physics from the University of Western Ontario. His research spans foundational and epistemological issues in black hole physics, General Relativity, and general topics in scientific modeling and explanation. Before his Ph.D., he studied philosophy at Tsinghua University and physics at Beijing Normal University.

Luca Molinari, PhD Student: Luca received his BA in philosophy from the University of Pisa and his MA from the Scuola Normale Superiore. He joins the group as a graduate student with a project on simulations in physics. His interests are in history of physics and general philosophy of science as well as in statistical mechanics and physical modeling.

Mel Ong, Research Associate: Mel is a philosophy and classics graduate with an interest in logic, especially self-referential paradoxes. She is also interested in film programming and sees it as a tool to promote solidarity. She hopes to highlight and examine stories on queer identity, womanhood and aesthetics. In her free time, she enjoys making digital art.

News

Nov 2026: Luca, Eugene, and Yichen are all presenting papers at PSA 2026, in San Diego, California. 

Sep 2026: Eugene was invited to speak at the Warsaw Dialogues in the Philosophy of Physics in Warsaw, Poland. 

July 2026:  Luca and Eugene are both presenting papers at the APSA26 conference in Singapore!

July 2026: Luca will be presenting his paper, "Worthless science: against the equivalence of pursuits", at the Australasian Association of Philosophy Conference in Hamilton, New Zealand.

July-August 2026: We are happy to welcome our 2026 cohort of FTG Fellows to NTU in the summer: Lorenzo Lorenzetti (Lugano), Niccolo Covoni (Urbino/Lugano), and Miguel Ohnesorge (Toronto). They will be working with Eugene on a variety of different projects and participating in the FTG 2026 workshop.