Nationality: Singapore
Faculty & Year of Study: Faculty of Science, Year 4
Undergraduate: National University of Singapore, Singapore
"To do what you love, but more importantly to love what you do. At the end of the day, it's the passion and faith that will keep you going, no matter where and when."
Why Did You Choose To Pursue A PhD?
I am always curious about every little things in my field of study and as I keep probing on the “whys” and “hows”, I start to see the knowledge gap awaiting to be explored. Hence, instead of staying within my comfort zone of a stable and mundane job, I am prepared to embrace the uncertainty and venture into the research field, with the excitement of making discoveries and unfolding new knowledge.
Why Did You Choose To Pursue Your PhD At NUS?
I was a NUS alumni following my bachelors degree in Science (Pharmacy). The four-year undergraduate experience has been a pleasant one and this has been the greatest reason why I decided to pursue PhD back in NUS. There are ample resources which students can tap on, to enrich their academic experience – ranging from well-designed infrastructures, convenient transport and amenities to rigorous and holistic scientific training. Therefore, it gives me great confidence to entrust NUS with my PhD pursuit.
Can you tell us briefly about your research topic?
I am exploring potential non-pharmacology alternative for attenuating acute drug-induced liver toxicity. Many times, with polypharmacy complicated with multiple comorbidities, the management of liver injury becomes complex and uncertain. Hence, we seek to investigate the role of therapeutic hypothermia in alleviating liver damage, before it worsens to potential acute liver failure which limits treatment. In a nutshell, it is an unconventional therapy, involving temperature downregulation at the liver, to induce a multi-faceted signaling response for attenuating liver toxicity.
Why did you choose to do this research for your PhD?
I am a pharmacist by training prior to PhD. Hence, I am always concerned about the adverse outcomes a patient may experience beyond how efficacious a drug or therapy could be. Liver derangements, in particular, may occur asymptomatic and being undiscovered without regular monitoring in the outpatient settings. Therefore, it is of my interest to explore for ways to prevent or limit liver damage in a simple and convenient manner, especially in patients with polypharmacy and/or multiple comorbidities, making them more susceptible to drug-induced liver toxicity.
How does PhD graduate education compare with your undergraduate experience?
It’s distinctly different, for which a PhD graduate education calls for more independent learning and hands-on training, while undergraduate education emphasizes on knowledge cumulation through lectures and guided tutorials.
What do you like most about graduate school?
I enjoyed the autonomy to plan and decide my research directions and craft the experiments to answer a research question. This is a rare and valuable training experience where you are allowed to think out of the box, to fail and repeat, unlike in a working environment.
What challenges have you faced during your stint as a PhD student?
The greatest challenge is the constant need to adjust one’s emotions and mentality in face of experimental failures. As humans, we are easily swayed by negative emotions when results do not appear as expected, especially after countless attempts. Yet, it is important to tune back to objectivity, finding out the reasons for failing and keep trying. As cliched as it may sound, to never give up.
Any highlights you'd like to share with us about your PhD life?
I was granted an opportunity to be on board an overseas summer program on nanotechnology. It was a two-week long program in Bandung, Indonesia together with four other graduate students from NUS. That’s a memorable experience as we get to interact with graduate students from other countries, sharing our research expertise and having fun together after school everyday, exploring Bandung. We forged close friendships and till today, remain in touch.
Can You Tell Us Something Fun About Your PhD Journey In NUS?
It’s the people in the lab who we hang out with everyday, that makes life interesting in the graduate journey. Times when we build ice sculptures from chunks of ice during the thawing of freezer or when we organised potluck sessions after work, trying to finish all the food we brought and sharing it with people of other labs, have all been snippets of the wonderful times we shared together.
Any advice for someone who's considering a PhD in NUS?
Have a strong reason on why you would want to pursue a PhD. Be prepared for tough times ahead, but with that strong reason, you will get there.
Any other words of wisdom to share?
To do what you love, but more importantly to love what you do. At the end of the day, it’s the passion and faith that will keep you going, no matter where and when.