The PhD Experience: Challenges, Growth, and Life Beyond Academia

Considering a PhD but unsure if it is the right path? Or just starting your candidature and feeling uncertain about what lies ahead? Join our panel session as we demystify the PhD application process and share honest insights from current PhD candidates.

Hear their personal experiences transitioning into graduate research, overcoming challenges, and maintaining well-being throughout their studies. Learn how a PhD can build valuable technical and soft skills that open doors in both academia and industry.

Participants will:

• Gain clarity on the PhD application process.
• Learn from real experiences about expectations, challenges, and available support.
• Understand the technical and transferable skills developed through a research thesis.
• Explore career planning considerations and pathways after completing a PhD

Who should attend:

• Year 2 & 3 undergraduates planning to pursue PhD studies.
• Year 4 undergraduates or Master’s students embarking on PhD studies soon.
• Year 1 & 2 PhD students seeking guidance and perspective.

This is a pre-event workshop for NUS Career Fest 2026.

Speaker(s)

Dr Cyrus Ho
Assistant Professor and Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
Assistant Dean (Student Life and Wellbeing) at the NUS Graduate School

Dr Cyrus Ho is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS) and a Senior Consultant psychiatrist at NUH. With over 380 academic papers published in international peer-reviewed journals and as a co-author of six books, he is recognised by Clarivate Analytics as one of the world’s most highly cited researchers from 2021 to 2024. Dr Ho is actively involved in teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Currently, he serves as the Psychiatry Undergraduate Education Director at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and the Assistant Dean (Student Life and Wellbeing) at the NUS Graduate School.

Ms Valerie Ow
PhD Candidate, Biomedical Engineering, NUS

Valerie is a final-year PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) fully funded by the prestigious A*STAR Graduate Scholarship. Her research focuses on the development of smart hydrogel systems. Beyond research, she has mentored high school and undergraduate students in science. She looks forward to sharing her experiences on navigating the PhD journey to help prospective students make informed decisions.

Mr Karan Arora
PhD Candidate, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS

Karan is a third-year PhD in Public Policy candidate at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. He is a recipient of the President's Graduate Fellowship, and his research interests lie at the intersection of behavioural economics and public policy. Before embarking on his PhD, Karan founded BEAST, a research and consulting company in India that helps leading organisations solve complex challenges using behavioural insights. He has also held various teaching positions in India and completed an MSc (Distinction) in Behavioural and Economic Science from the University of Warwick.

Dr Benjamin Tan
Postgraduate Career Advisor, NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates

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 to partner 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 04 February 2026.
(Registration will close once all slots are filled)