Professor Cheong served as the Founding President of SUSS from 2005 to 2022. Since 2023, he was conferred the title of President Emeritus in recognition of his vast contributions to the university and Singapore's education sector.
He joined academia in Nanyang Technological University in 1986, and held various academic and administrative appointments including Deputy President and Dean of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is an advocate of lifelong learning and giving opportunities to people of all ages and socio-economic and educational background to learn to their full potential.
He has served on the boards of several tertiary education institutions and statutory boards, and public committees. He has also been active in university accreditation and academic audits in Singapore and internationally. He is a member of the Engineering Accreditation Board of the Institution of Engineers Singapore and Chairman of the Singapore Bible College.
Professor Cheong graduated from the University of Adelaide and the Imperial College, London. He is a registered Professional Engineer (Civil) and Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Singapore, the Academy of Engineering, Singapore and the Society of Project Managers.