Thinking about pursuing a PhD degree but not quite sure if you are equipped with the skills for the journey?
Embarking on a PhD candidature is a significant commitment, and the motivation behind it should be aligned with one’s career aspirations. Apart from the training to acquire research skills through original research, it is important to understand the soft skills and mindset needed to succeed during and beyond the PhD candidature.
Join us for a panel discussion to get a glimpse of what a PhD journey entails and what is needed to thrive throughout your graduate school experience.
In this session, you will:
- Understand the difference between a PhD candidature and a typical postgraduate coursework programme
- Learn how to prepare for a successful PhD journey, such as having the motivation, passion, mental resilience, along with the importance of building a strong support network
- Learn how to identify opportunities to acquire career-relevant soft skills during the PhD candidature beyond your research topic or domain expertise
Speaker(s)
Hui-Chieh Loy
Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy | University of California, Berkeley
Vice-Dean | National University of Singapore, NUS College
Associate Professor Loy is from the Department of Philosophy at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. He is currently the Vice Dean (Academic Affairs) and Master of Cinnamon Residential Wing for NUS College, the honours college of the National University of Singapore. A/P Loy is also the Chair of the NUS Philosophy, Politics, and Economics joint programme committee.
A/P Loy’s research interest is mainly in early Chinese philosophy, with forays into cognate fields in collaboration with others. His other academic interests include ancient Greek philosophy, early modern and contemporary ethics and political philosophy.
He is on the editorial board for Chinese Comparative Philosophy for Philosophy Compass and for the Journal of Confucian Philosophy and Culture. More recently, he has also been involved in education related research.
May Koh
Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Science & Engineering | Nanyang Technological University
Postgraduate Career Advisor | NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates
May brings over a decade of profound scientific research expertise in biomedical materials for the Medtech industry, coupled with the successful completion of two postdoctoral fellowships at Linköping University, Sweden and National University of Singapore. As she pivoted from a research scientist to a career advisor, she unveiled a deep-seated passion for nurturing and developing the untapped potential within individuals guiding them on a journey of self-discovery. Outside of work, she engages in volunteer work as a befriender, proactively connecting with the social community to collect and preserve interesting stories that contribute significantly to the preservation of Singapore's diverse cultural heritage.
Cheah Yan Ling
Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Science & Engineering | Nanyang Technological University
Masters in Materials Science | Erasmus Mundus MaMaSELF Université de Rennes 1, France & Universita degli Studi di Torino, Italy
Industry Relations Manager | NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates
A career is a journey.
As an Industry Relations Manager, Yan Ling enjoys working with industry stakeholders and facilitating students in discovering their professional pathways. Drawing from her own transformative journey—from being an uncertain undergraduate to a dedicated researcher and engineer, and presently as a career practitioner—Yan Ling is passionate about empowering others to continually develop and progress in both their personal and professional lives.
Benjamin Tan
Doctor of Philosophy (Organic Chemistry) | University of Oxford
Bachelor of Science (Honours First Class) in Chemistry, with Minor in Life Sciences | National University of Singapore
Postgraduate Career Advisor | NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates
Ben believes that education is not just about equipping oneself with the required technical knowledge, but also a process of personal growth. Keen to use his experiences from being a PhD student, research scientist, and research administrator, Ben partners students in their journey of curating a distinct combination of relevant skills as their unique selling point, and to develop a keen sense of career opportunities available which would serve to benefit regardless of their career stage.
Register by 14 March 2025
Career Workshops
Date: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Time: 12pm – 1.30pm
Event Venue: Online via Zoom
Industry: Others
Faculties: School of Computing, NUS Business School, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, College of Design and Engineering
Target Audience: All Year 2 and 3 undergraduates who are planning to pursue PhD studies, or Year 4 undergraduates or Masters students who may be considering pursuing PhD studies in the near future.
Register