Wharton

I have always wanted to do research and to advance science. While nowadays there are many ways to contribute to the body of knowledge, a PhD provides formal and concrete training in many areas: critical thinking of scientific problems, problem solving skills, scientific techniques, and communication skills. I therefore chose to pursue a PhD with those skills in mind.

I did receive offers from other universities, but what really pulled me towards NUS are two-fold. Firstly, the unique ecosystem that NUS offers with tertiary healthcare institutions (Duke-NUS Singhealth AND YLL/NUHS) meant that true translational research really happens on the ground; this is unlike many other universities where the academic focus takes precedence over clinical needs. Secondly, NUS has world-class science, and half of where you choose to pursue your PhD depends on who your supervisor is going to be.

Undergraduate training is foundation building – it provides you with all the theory and ammunition to understand basic science and have a taste of various core experimental techniques. Graduate school, however, is focused in honing your skills in a very specific field; the goal is to become an expert in a topic by doing lots of reading and research.

Bats are the only flying mammals, and they have the unique status of being viral reservoirs. We wonder why bats don’t get sick from viral infections, so we try to understand their immunity by using single cell sequencing, a technique that allows identification of different immune cells and their profiles.

We have found interesting targets that make the bat anti-inflammatory. My hope is that we can take lessons from the bat and apply it to humans, allowing patients to suffer from less symptoms and sequalae from infection (and other diseases)

One of the unique things that I did was the Three Minute Thesis competition organised by the NUS Graduate School. Scientific communication is incredibly important, and through this I also got to meet many other postgraduates at the NUS main campus and learn about their work.

Being able to collaborate internationally is incredibly fun – to learn about different cultures, how science is done in other places, and learn techniques otherwise not available in Singapore.

My highlight during my PhD would be to work in BSL3 – this mean donning the ‘space suits’ and working directly with the SARS-CoV2 virus itself. This meant that I was contributing as a scientist in the pandemic, and it felt great!

There are many common challenges shared by graduate students, for example having to change their thesis many times, and tough working relationships with supervisors. My personal challenge was balancing projects – there were many exciting opportunities going on in the lab, but only finite time. I overcame this by really choosing projects where my skills can shine the most, and where I’m most passionate about.

I joined NUS Resonance, the NUS A cappella group, under Cultural Activities Club, when I was PhD year 1. It was great to mingle with the undergrads and sing together.

Something a bit more personal: I’m a jazz practitioner, and I do gigs (both music and dance) from time to time in that space. I truly believe in a balanced lifestyle, and this is how I take my mind off science!