Before the Ph.D.
What inspired you to pursue a Ph.D.? Was there a defining moment or motivation behind your decision?
I had a bit of an unconventional journey because my PhD topic was totally different from my undergraduate major. I majored in Bioengineering and joined NTU’s undergraduate research attachment programme was (URECA) at the end of my year one because I wanted to explore something outside the course curriculum. There were quite a few projects to pick from, and I picked something related but not quite related to my major, a project on gold nanoparticles and its potential photothermal effects with one of the research labs under SIMTech, A*STAR.
I was hooked on research afterwards, continuing to spend the rest of my undergraduate years playing around with liposomes, various optical characterization metrology, optical fibers and a little bit of microfluidics. Working alongside some passionate and brilliant folks inspired me to also pursue a PhD as at that time, I thought I wanted to work on research as a career after graduation, and I would be better equipped to do so with a PhD.
How did you choose a program or an advisor?
Naturally, I continued my PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the same laboratory and with the same supervisor. It wasn’t a bad choice because I was already familiar with the people, organization, and resources available, but I would definitely recommend others to explore more possibilities beyond what they are familiar and comfortable with. I had the luxury to spend the first year of my PhD to explore various topics (not total freedom of course, as the topic cannot be totally unrelated to what the group is working on). Eventually I settled on working on a special type of hollow core fiber for a fiber laser system and some nonlinear optical interactions in gas-filled fibers (totally unrelated to Bioengineering!).
Did you face any challenges in scholarship and admissions?
Not really, I was very fortunate to get support from A*STAR through the A*STAR Graduate Scholarship that supported my PhD program and stipend throughout my 4 years of study. I also got the chance to go for overseas conferences which broadened my horizons through their generous sponsorship.
Challenges and Learning Moments
What obstacles did you face during your Ph.D. course, and how did you navigate them?
Things go wrong all the time; sometimes an experiment doesn’t work the way you want it to, sometimes a critical equipment breaks down or the item that you ordered arrives way past the expected delivery date. I’ve even encountered times when a custom part arrives and the performance is not according to the specifications we requested for haha. I guess my way of navigating through obstacles is to understand why it happened and try to make things better the next time. I also treat these incidents as learning moments, to learn to be more resourceful or even small lessons like vendor management skills.
How did you stay motivated and manage stress, especially during intense periods or when things didn’t go as planned?
It helps a lot when you have a strong support group. This can be in the form of other fellow students, or friends in the same institute or friends and family. During my time in SIMTech, a few of us started a student club to bring together students across different levels (undergraduates, Masters, PhD folks). We organised fun social events that included fellow staff members and even an annual poster symposium to showcase the students’ research work.
Was there a point where you doubted your ability to continue? How did you push through those moments?
There were too many hahaha! I mean, I wasn’t the most “productive” PhD candidate if you go by number of papers. That stressed me out especially when you see others around you publishing good papers. Since then, I’ve realised that there isn’t a “model PhD journey” and that’s the beauty of it. I guess I’m less of a “paper” but more of a “hands on” person.
During my 3rd year of PhD, my supervisor had other plans and relocated to another country, which at that time felt like the most traumatic experience because the rest of the lab members were departing one by one. Thankfully, my co-supervisor was really supportive and I was “adopted” by my mentor. That allowed me to continue my research work, and subsequently I could leverage on resources at NTU. Looking back, at that time it felt like the end of the world, but now that I’ve gone through it, things don't seem so bad. I’m especially grateful for the help, support and advice rendered by so many people in my final PhD year.
Achievements and Highlights
What was your proudest moment or achievement during your Ph.D. journey?
Finally completing my thesis haha!
After the Ph.D.
What do you do? How did you reach the place where you are at?
It has been close to 6 years since I submitted my thesis. I’m currently an Optical Hardware Engineer at Apple~
I have always wanted to work in industry rather than academia even before I graduated, but back then I didn’t know where or what roles to look out for! Furthermore most of my peers were either working in universities or research institutes/centers, so I had little idea what kind of industry roles are out there that I can be a good fit for.
So, I joined Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) as a postdoc right after submitting my thesis, working on optical instrumentation for cell therapy manufacturing. It’s related but not exactly a continuation that will make use of my fiber laser / nonlinear optics experience. You will see that this is a common recurring theme throughout my career~
I am thankful for the knowledge and new skillsets gained during my postdoc days, which gave me the courage and motivation to apply for industry roles subsequently. My postdoc advisor Prof George Barbastathis was super helpful and gave me lots of useful advice. He even went out of his way to introduce me to industry people and that made me understand industry-related roles a lot better. Eventually, I joined Dyson where I worked on R&D for new product features and led a small team to explore a new product category. And now I’m in Apple!
How did completing your Ph.D. change your perspective on the world or your field of research?
I feel humbled because through my PhD, I try to learn new things and gain new knowledge, and you will realise that there are many more things out there that you don’t know or understand well enough. I think it really shaped the way I approach problems and digest information to come up with conclusions and solutions (plus we didn’t have LLM tools like chatGPT then!).
Advice for Current and Aspiring Ph.D. Students
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your younger self before starting your Ph.D.?
Honestly I have no idea, at that time a lot of decisions were made to the best of my knowledge, in hindsight probably some better decisions could be made if I asked more questions or dared to take a bigger risk. But that might mean I wouldn’t be the person I am today right? :p
How should students approach finding the right advisor or research topic?
Be curious about things and people. We are lucky to live in a world where we can search for information with just our phones. Talk to people, ask about what they do, or ask to be introduced to people who might be working on stuff that you’re curious about.
If possible, secure an attachment or internship at a laboratory working on a topic you are considering. Do a few more internships throughout your undergraduate time, and just gain more exposure.
Eventually you will find something that you are interested in that aligns with your career goals (if you have figured out what you want to do), or just realise that it’s not something that you want to work on next time.
What strategies would you recommend for overcoming challenges and staying resilient?
Everyone is unique, so you probably have a different coping mechanism from me and vice versa. I do get trapped in some kind of a down state when I encountered
difficulties. I was lucky to have a strong network in the form of a supportive mentor, peers and colleagues from other teams. I learnt to not be shy to reach out and ask for help, likewise I try to be there for others and to let them know that I can be a listening ear. Even now in my current role, things do get challenging and it’s great that I am surrounded by competent and helpful people and we share a common purpose.
Any last advice to students who are currently pursuing or considering a Ph.D.?
Students and juniors who asked me if they should do a PhD will know my answer haha. Do consider carefully if the PhD will be helpful as part of your career aspirations. Ask yourself, what is your motivation to do a PhD? It’s not just a 4 or 5 year consideration, because by saying yes to a PhD, you are basically saying no to other things (think about the opportunity costs!).
If you are already pursuing a PhD, take advantage of your social network and opportunities to talk to more people during conferences, events and workshops. There are careers beyond academia that you may be interested in, where you can shine and contribute with your domain expertise!
