Career Prospects

I joined MSE in 2015 to pursue my PhD degree because the school offers a multidisciplinary curriculum and plenty of opportunities to establish research collaborations globally. As a researcher at NTU, I have attended several major international conferences, had the chance to travel to Sweden (Lund University) in a short overseas research attachment, and conducted research work at the Australian Synchrotron (Australia) and ISIS Neutron and Muon Source (UK). So “shoot for the Moon, aim for the stars”, and MSE will always back you up!

Because life is more fun with friends, I joined the MSE Graduate Students’ Club (MSE GSC), where I served as President and fostered connections within the MSE community and across NTU. Furthermore, the MSE GSC provided me with support and guidance to navigate my journey in Singapore.

Appeared on Straits Times 2016 “From Normal stream to PhD course”

The overall experience of my 4 years PhD was challenging but a fruitful one. This place has a conducive research environment with good facilities, approachable technical staffs and administrative staffs. Despite all the obstacles during my stint in PhD studies, my professor provided useful advice and directions in my research. As such, I had decent data and was able to give presentation in an overseas conference at South Carolina as well as attended a seminar in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Through this overseas experience, I gained valuable interaction with scientists all over the world. We exchanged ideas, discussed the progress and prospects of the research project. Life in MSE is challenging but the perseverance makes me improve my soft skills, knowledge as well as the analytical mind. I would like to thank MSE, and my professor who gave me an opportunity to pursue PhD when I have an interest in research.

I was admitted to NTU in 2021, majoring in materials science and engineering. I obtained my Bachelor of Science degree from Lanzhou University, one of the 985 universities in China, where I studied Chemistry.

I have had many cheerful moments in this program and I would like to share the best of them with you. In my second semester, I took a course in Materials Crystal Chemistry taught by Prof Tim, which provides students with comprehensive training to cultivate their skills. Students are required to finish tasks combining almost every strategy which would be useful for academic research. The course was really challenging and I have never encountered an assignment as tough and elegant as this. I ended up with an A+ grade, and really strengthened my understanding of crystal chemistry. I think one of the most important things a student should get at university is the quality of education, it is vital to learning something useful.

Right now I’m in my gap year, waiting for the results of my application and I’ve already got some.

The abundance of coursework gives students more possibilities to participate in different areas of work. For me, I took part in an internship about Semiconductor Devices, and got one of my second MSc offers in the field of manufacturing engineering. The environment at NTU is adventurous for international students. The vibrant campus life and active research atmosphere is attractive to students who want to explore their fields in depth.

I had my undergraduate study at Xiamen University Malaysia (2017-2021) before enrolling into NTU, during which I was major in New Energy Science and Engineering.

I was particularly impressed by the variety of courses offered in this programme, with one course in particular standing out to me: Crystal Chemistry of Materials, taught by Professor Tim White. In this course, our students study crystal structures by building crystal models, which is a more straightforward way to understand the coordination environment in the crystal. Besides, we also have the choice to conduct a dissertation project. This project provided me with opportunities to learn about materials simulation software, further enhancing my materials computation skills.

Now I am a PhD student at NTU MSE and recently my research focus is about developing the energy-related electrocatalysts.

The MSc programme in Materials Science and Engineering benefits me in three main aspects. Firstly, the courses taken in MSc programme improved my understanding of materials science, building a systematic knowledge framework for me. Secondly, the gained skills from the research of the dissertation project are useful for my recent research. Moreover, seminars hosted by MSE and NTU allows me to know more about the edge-cutting research topic, giving me inspirations for academic and career planning.

I obtained a Bachelor of Applied Science in Materials Engineering and a Minor in Engineering Business from the University of Toronto.

My best experience when attending the program was the accessibility of resources. Resources include the number of electives to choose from, research opportunities across all fields of materials, the latest knowledge in MSE taught by international researchers, and the administrative staff who made my study smooth and delightful.

I am currently pursuing a second Master of Science in Technology Management, and I hope to leverage my knowledge in MSE and the managerial skills I am developing now in the technology consulting industry after graduation. NTU’s School of Materials Science and Engineering has been achieving the top three in the world for many years, so the degree is well-recognized, whether in academia or the industry. I have not yet encountered any difficulties in passing resume screening and obtaining interview opportunities.

It would be better if the programme had lasted longer so I could have the chance to complete my research project. I also found the course contents easier than I expected and wish there were fewer tests and more training on research skills. Overall, I believe I made the right choice to accept NTU’s offer.

Before coming to Singapore, I worked as a Thermal Design Engineer at Huawei, and I have two years of experience in the thermal design field after I graduated from Tatung University in Taiwan with a Bachelor's degree.

My best experience when I attended the programme was that I was able to meet great students from all over the world at NTU and gain inspiration from their experiences by exchanging each other's views on different industries and evaluating our career paths.

Before I graduated, I had already received offers from several companies in China and Singapore. The offers are from Huawei, Honor, Hikvision, Yangtze Memory, UMC, Micron, and GlobalFoundries. Currently, I am living in Singapore and working as a Chip Process Integration Engineer at UMC-SG.

I would say that the NTU MSE Master of Science programme has given me another chance to make a new career choice. It was not only the global reputation of NTU MSE, but most importantly the content of the program which has greatly broadened my horizon and made me realize that there are no definite rules in life. In addition, the curriculum of the program is very relevant to the real needs of the industry, which gave me a greater advantage over other candidates in job interviews.

GlobalFoundries has a very successful track record in hiring MSE graduates. We found well-trained graduates who are passionate about research and working in the industry. MSE graduates have proven to be highly versatile and possess good leadership and research skills. Their well rounded education has made them valuable and indispensable employees in our company.

We have found NTU MSE graduates to be highly motivated individuals who are both versatile as well as meticulous in their work. These are important traits that NatSteel Asia values in the highly competitive and ever-evolving steel industry.

The combination of scientific knowledge and engineering application is evident in MSE graduates. We value their remarkable ability to learn and dedication to strive for excellence.