These three undergraduates did what their professors do – advancing knowledge through research and publishing their research in journals. Find out how they earned their first research bylines
by Dr Daphne Ng
The electrical engineering whizz
WHO
LEE JINHEN
Graduating electrical & electronic engineering student
WHAT
As an NTU undergraduate, I published five international conference papers as first author, one of which won the Best Student Paper Award at an international conference.
PET TOPIC
I specialise in optimising power management systems for Internet of Things (IoT) devices like smart appliances.
BEST REWARD
The very process of innovation and discovery. I am also heartened that my research as an undergraduate can be applied to help circuit designers design cheaper and more efficient IoT devices.
BIGGEST SACRIFICE
Spending countless Sunday evenings designing circuits and reading lots of research papers. The literature review process is the hardest part. You read intensively to understand the research problem and to advance previously published work, knowing this painstaking effort may not yield immediate results.
MEMORABLE MOMENT
Meeting pioneering figures – giants in the field of electrical engineering – as a young researcher at one of the world’s leading integrated circuits and systems symposiums held in Monterey, California.
PROUDEST MOMENT
When one of my papers on designing a new voltage regulator for IoT applications was selected as the Best Student Paper at a major international conference attended by researchers, engineers and industry professionals worldwide. This was work I did under the supervision of Assoc Prof Chan Pak Kwong as part of the Research Apprentice Programme at my school that lets us interact with faculty members and gain research experience.
WHAT’S NEXT
When I started university, I thought I would graduate and be an electrical engineer. But thanks to my undergraduate research experience, I’m now looking forward to becoming a researcher and will be pursuing my PhD at NTU in August.
“Apart from being passionate about my work, I am results-oriented. I enjoy pushing myself beyond my comfort zone and exploring new things.”
Discovering my flair for research
Towards the end of my freshman year, I was shortlisted for NTU’s Undergraduate Research Experience on CAmpus (URECA) programme, which lets students work on research projects under the mentorship of faculty. Back then, I was not very interested in research and only wanted to fulfil the requirements of my degree. Embarking on a URECA project on power converter integrated circuits under the supervision of Prof Joseph Chang at my school changed everything. My passion for research was ignited, and I was given the opportunity to work on my own ideas and publish research papers, which was exhilarating and fascinating. I am grateful to Prof Chang and research scientist Dr Victor Adrian for jumpstarting my journey in research.
The plant whisperer
WHO
AUDREY LIM
2022 biological sciences graduate
WHAT
In my final year at NTU, I published a research paper as a co-first author, having discovered the function of a protein in regulating oil production in sunflowers.
PET TOPIC
I am interested in the molecular pathways and processes that plants use to synthesise oil. It is exciting to think we can use technology to improve plant growth.
BEST REWARD
Seeing my experiments yield positive outcomes motivates me. My work is meaningful and can be applied to bioengineer crops such as sunflower and soybean to produce more oil to meet the growing demand for plant oil in everyday products like food and detergent.
HARDEST PART
When experiments don’t work out and you have to troubleshoot to find out what went wrong.
MEMORABLE MOMENT
I remember FYP poster day fondly, when I shared my research with my peers and NTU professors. Now that COVID-19 travel restrictions have lifted, I look forward to attending conferences overseas to present my work and meet other scientists.
PROUDEST MOMENT
When the paper I co-authored was published by a well-regarded journal. This made the long hours spent in the laboratory and the hard work worthwhile!
WHAT’S NEXT
My undergraduate research experience gave me the confidence to pursue a doctorate. That’s another four years of school, but I’m enjoying my time in academia, with Asst Prof Ma as my PhD supervisor. I feel fortunate to be able to carve out a career in research.
“I’m passionate about understanding how living things work. I think it helps that I’m hardworking and motivated, and greatly enjoy the process of doing research. I’ve never once felt that I made sacrifices to reach this stage. In fact, I got the valuable learning experience I was looking for.”
Discovering my flair for research
As a nature lover, I wanted to get a head-start on plant research when I was in my third year. But I didn’t know which research group to join. My senior who took Asst Prof Ma Wei’s module on plant biotechnology enjoyed his lessons and suggested I join his laboratory. So I reached out to Asst Prof Ma, who teaches at my school, to ask if I could volunteer at his lab as a part-time student assistant. Although I didn’t have any research experience, he took me under his wing and patiently guided me, as did my laboratory mentor, Dr Kong Que. They both sparked my passion for research. Later, I did my final-year project (FYP) in Asst Prof Ma’s lab.
The entrepreneurial data scientist
WHO
LIM KAI PENG
Graduating biological sciences student
WHAT
I co-authored a journal paper discussing how to correct unwanted data variation in large protein studies.
PET TOPIC
I worked on my prof’s method for removing unwanted variation in protein data. My research helps ensure that reliable biomedical conclusions are drawn when the data is analysed further.
BEST REWARD
My FYP allowed me to follow my curiosity and, in my opinion, there is no better return than becoming an expert in your favourite topic.
HARDEST PART
I have lost count of the days and nights that I spent formulating solutions and trying them, only to fail again and again. Figuring out on your own why your experiments are not working isn’t easy. Good thing I could bounce off ideas with my prof and laboratory mates.
BIGGEST SACRIFICE
It’s a juggling act to balance research, studying and running a business, all at the same time. My social life took a hit.
PROUDEST MOMENT
When I solved a tricky problem that I was stuck at for a long time. Seeing your research published after months of hard work is also indescribable.
“If you are interested in doing something, take a leap of faith and give it a shot. I am not afraid of challenges and I relish trying new things. In fact, my passion for photography, videography and entrepreneurship led me to start my own venture. There are many parallels between research and entrepreneurship. I’m glad that through my deep dive into research, I learnt how to solve tough problems and think critically – skills that are also important for being a successful entrepreneur.”
Discovering my flair for research
Asst Prof Wilson Goh’s module on data science sparked my interest in bioinformatics – the analysis of biological data using computational tools. I was so fascinated that I reached out to him and asked if I could do bioinformatics research in his laboratory at my school for my final-year project (FYP). I am grateful for his mentorship and NTU’s excellent research facilities, which made everything possible.
This story was published in the Jul-Aug 2023 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.
