Ministry of National Development
MND Cluster | MND

Building Better Homes and a Brighter Future

The Ministry of National Development plays a vital role in planning and developing our city to provide Singaporeans with quality homes and living environment. Behind each plan are passionate people who share a vision to make Singapore a vibrant city we can all be proud to call home. Bradley Yam, an MND EDGE Scholar, is one such individual.
MND - Bradley Yam Li-Jian

Bradley Yam Li-Jian graduated with a double major in Computer Science and Ethics, Politics, and Economics at Yale University under the MND Edge Scholarship Programme. He is currently a Manager under the Housing Division at MND.

Bradley has always been curious about how the infrastructure of the city influences the cultural ideas, economic activities, and lifestyle of its people. As someone who is passionate about technology and data science, embarking on a career with the Ministry of National Development (MND) provides opportunities to have an outsized impact on the everyday lives of Singaporeans.

As a Manager at the Housing Division, Bradley gets to advance these interests while being at the heart of policymaking for Singapore’s housing development.

In his current role, Bradley analyses market data to ensure that housing policies keep pace with the latest housing prices, demand trends, and supply chain conditions. All this while ensuring that public housing is affordable and that the housing market remains sustainable and in line with economic fundamentals.

“Our role involves understanding demand for housing through a variety of statistical and demographic models which are regularly reviewed and updated. We also have to understand and monitor financial markets, especially as they pertain to the movements of monetary policy, interest rates, as well as the credit risk and exposure that mortgagers face on their home loans.”

“At a broader level, we put all the information together for an overall analysis of the health and sustainability of the housing market in Singapore to determine the appropriate policies,” he explains. “In addition to all the technical legwork, the greatest payoff is achieved through the ability to clearly communicate the analysis to stakeholders and decision-makers.”


Bradley Yam Li-Jian

Bradley Yam Li-Jian


Making A Positive Impact

Bradley joined MND at a challenging time during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant that the scope of work had expanded significantly. He had to quickly get a good grasp of the construction industry’s supply chain to develop policies to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on buyers whose flats had been delayed.

“I am grateful to have been involved in these efforts to get the HDB Build-To-Order (BTO) building programme back on track. These include improving the resilience of our supply chain and working on the framework for compensating buyers who experienced delays,” he shared.

He has also been participating in engagement sessions with Singaporeans under Forward Singapore. This has been an opportunity for Bradley to gather views and insights from the public on their changing needs on public housing and translate them into policies that will sustain the health and vibrancy of public housing in Singapore.

“What keeps me motivated are the qualities that I aspire to and that are exemplified by my colleagues: grit, a spirit of public service, a data-driven mindset, and kindness.” Bradley Yam Li-Jian

Having A Strong Foundation

Bradley pursued a double major in Computer Science and Ethics, Politics, and Economics at Yale University. This has armed him with relevant skills and knowledge to thrive in his current role.

For instance, his academic interest in the interpretability and fairness of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques has prepared him with the fundamental understanding of data science and modelling which he applies daily at work. His quantitative, big data-based research in political economy has also prepared him for thinking critically about policy.

His liberal arts education has also given him the requisite skills in data engineering and visualization to perform complex analyses. He uses R and Python to handle the much larger and more granular datasets needed to support his work. This has allowed him to make sense of social and economic behaviours, enabling him to be more efficient and precise with policy work at MND.


Bradley Yam Li-Jian

A Fulfilling Career

Looking ahead, Bradley aspires to make a positive impact on public good through applying technology and data-driven thinking.

He said, “I believe that housing policy formulation is one of the most meaningful jobs out there. That said, the work is intense and challenging at times. What keeps me motivated are the qualities that I aspire to and that are exemplified by my colleagues: grit, a spirit of public service, a data-driven mindset, and kindness.”