Asia’s research publishing pioneer now courts younger readers

A REGIONAL pioneer in English-language research publications, World Scientific Publishing has been handed over to the second-generation leadership – and is seeking a younger generation of readers, by branching into children’s books.

Back in the 1980s, physicist Phua Kok Khoo was searching for an Asian publishing house that specialised in scientific research in English. He found none.

The scientific, technical and medical (STM) publishing landscape was dominated by players from the West – and Prof Phua believed that works by some of Asia’s brightest minds were being overlooked, as a result.