Sharon Lee
Nationality:
Singapore
Current Job:
Senior Analyst, Costello Medical Singapore Pte. Ltd.
Graduation:
2020
Degree:
PhD
Faculty and Department:
Microbiology & Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
Undergraduate University:
National University of Singapore
Why did you choose to do a PhD?
I had a keen interest in understanding why humans develop disease, and how we can develop solutions to tackle disease onset or progression. Having thoroughly enjoyed my research experience as an undergraduate, and upon advice of my professors, I pursued a PhD to further my study and devote my time toward research.
Why did you choose to do graduate education at NUS? If you received offers from other universities, why did you pick NUS?
I had the opportunity to apply for my PhD through the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology PhD Fellowship. This program allowed me to pursue research that was multidisciplinary, combining bioengineering and the life sciences, which aligned with my interest to explore creative solutions to address key questions in human disease.
How does graduate school compare to your undergraduate experience?
Graduate school was largely centred on my doctoral research, attending scientific conferences to learn about the latest developments in the field, and building my professional network. My undergraduate experience was mainly focused on attending classes and sitting for examinations.
Briefly share about your research or thesis (i.e. dissertation topic for Masters by Coursework students).
My thesis investigates the role of monocytes and macrophages, immune cells that play an important role in disease onset and progression. Specifically in cancer, monocytes/macrophages support tumour progression through their interaction with other cells or factors in the tumour microenvironment. In my research, I used 3D microfluidic models of the tumour microenvironment to study the activities of monocytes/macrophages. Through these models, I observed that monocytes/macrophages coerce other cell types to support tumour progression, and how specific strategies (including immune checkpoint blockade) can be used to block their tumour-promoting effects.
On hindsight, would you have chosen the same research supervisor for your graduate programme?
Yes, I am extremely grateful to my research co-supervisors for their guidance and mentorship.
What impact do you hope to have with your research?
The knowledge gained from my research can hopefully contribute toward a better understanding of the roles of monocytes/macrophages in cancer development, as well as strategies to block their tumour-promoting effects.
If you have won any academic prize/competition or been invited to speak at an international conference—share what it is, its significance, and how you worked towards achieving it.
I was invited to present findings of my doctoral research at the World Preclinical Congress 2017, Lisboa, Portugal. I also won best poster presentation at local and international congresses, including the 2018 European & Global Summit for Clinical Nanomedicine and Targeted Medicine, Basel, Switzerland, and 2016 Singaporean Society for Immunology, 8th Scientific Symposium, Singapore. In school, I had the honour of giving the PhD Valedictorian Speech at the NUS Virtual Celebration for the Master’s and Doctorate Class of 2020, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.
Briefly share a highlight from your graduate school journey.
Highlights of my graduate school journey include performing part of my doctoral research at the Massachusetts institute of Technology, Boston, US, and also at Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of learning new research techniques, meeting new people, and adapting to new work environments. It was also fun to experience living in a different country and culture.
Share a challenge you faced in graduate school and how you overcame it.
It felt extremely demotivating to fail repeatedly when performing scientific experiments. Reminding myself that I am not perfect, and treating each failure as a lesson learnt, helped me to view each failure as a positive step forward.
How did NUS prepare you for your career?
I had one-to-one career counselling sessions at the NUS Career Centre, which was helpful in preparing me for job applications and interviews.
How did your experiences as a graduate student shape and guide you in your current career?
Having conversations with peers, professors, and mentors provided me with more clarity on what I wanted to pursue as a career beyond my PhD. This clarity also came with the exposure I gained through conducting research in different environments, including NUS, laboratories outside of NUS (e.g. Duke-NUS and A*STAR), as well as overseas.
What message would you like to give to students interested in graduate studies in NUS?
When we know more about the world and ourselves, we realise how much more there is to know.