Whether it’s shaping the AI landscape or keeping cyberspace safe from threats, SUTD postgraduates are actively making the world a better place

A postgraduate degree at SUTD opens up diverse and exciting future-focused career paths. From securing your dream job at a tech giant, to revolutionising next-gen innovations, or evolving the AI ecosystem, SUTD nurtures our postgrad students to design a better world. Here’s a glimpse at what three of them are doing:

Shaping the future of AI at NVIDIA
Ng Aik Beng, Asia Pacific South Regional Manager at NVIDIA AI Technology Centre
SUTD PhD Programme – Information Systems Technology and Design (ISTD)

What I do
I am a technologist, researcher and evangelist with the mission to grow and develop the Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem. My team stays on top of the rapidly evolving AI landscape across the region, and works closely with collaborators to launch innovative and impactful AI initiatives.

Why I love my job
It’s incredibly dynamic – change truly is the only constant. Our projects are incredibly meaningful to me as they focus on advancing AI on both the fronts of scientific advancement, as well as training and skills development for the community. I know I’ll look back and be glad to know that I was part of this exciting AI revolution.

Why I chose SUTD
Before my PhD at SUTD, I was working at NVIDIA. Prior to that, I had amassed experience in diverse industry domains over my 18-year career, including telecommunications, manufacturing, government, supply chain and business transformation. I chose SUTD because of its close community. There’s this air of vibrance and energy – a “start-up” feeling, where people come together to make ideas become reality.

The SUTD Advantage
SUTD gave me the opportunity to work with and learn from some of the most talented and supportive people – from my PhD advisor, to the professors, my PhD programme director, fellow students and more. The interdisciplinary approach fostered networking and the exchange of ideas from people with different training. This has been invaluable – it enabled me to look at the same idea or problem through many different perspectives, shaping my thoughts to be more holistic and encompassing.

In addition, the rigour of the PhD programme instilled an “awakening” of sorts in me – which is to embrace and enjoy the journey of navigating the unknown in the pursuit of knowledge and its applicability towards the advancement of our society at large. This experience will undoubtedly go a long way towards empowering me to better contribute in my career.

Revolutionising Semi-Conductors at GlobalFoundries
Soh Mei Yu, Senior Technology Development Engineer at GlobalFoundries Singapore
SUTD PhD Programme – Engineering Product Development (EPD)

What I do
My work centres around wide-bandgap semiconductor technology, especially gallium nitride (GaN) technology, which has great potential for enhancing existing silicon technologies to bring forth new circuit applications and capabilities. I’m responsible for coordinating with various fab modules in order to solve integration challenges arising from technology transfer and development. This includes planning of design of experiments (DOE), execution and analysis of results.

Why I love my job
With Moore’s Law approaching an end, the semiconductor industry needs new approaches to allow for continued miniaturisation of electronics application with increased efficacy, at continually lower costs. This is where GaN technology could come in. My project recently demonstrated a consistently higher efficiency value performance for a fully on-chip integrated LED driver enabled by GaN2BCD TM technology.

Why I chose SUTD
It was meeting my current supervisor on an industry field trip to GlobalFoundries as an SUTD EPD undergrad that convinced me to pursue my PhD at SUTD under the Economic Development Board Industrial Postgraduate Programme (EDB IPP). It’s very important to me that my skills remain relevant to the industry, and my supervisor assured me that there would be industrial support and guidance for the research I was interested to undertake.

The SUTD Advantage
SUTD’s multidisciplinary approach has definitely shaped my aptitude for problem-solving and passion for research. I participated in multiple Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programmes (UROP) – such as the “Smart Campus Project”, which aimed to combine heterogeneous networks and sensor networks to create a smart campus for students, staff and visitors. This taught me to learn independently, communicate effectively and also to formulate realistic timelines to ensure project completion.

Also, SUTD has always worked closely with industry partners to ensure they produce candidates with technical skills that are applicable and suitable for the real world. Under the EDB IPP, I benefited from the invaluable insights of two supervisors – one from SUTD, and another from GlobalFoundries. Getting to undertake this project within a corporate R&D environment means my R&D skillsets will be highly suited for future roles in the industry, and I get to understand the entire supply chain of my research. It’s incredibly rewarding knowing real industry needs and ensuring that my research has real impact. Plus, as a full-time salaried employee of GlobalFoundries, I’ve the bonus of career progression while pursuing my full-time PhD programme at SUTD.

Keeping Cyberspace Safe at Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA)
Justin Ong, Consultant at Cybersecurity Programme Centre
SUTD Master of Science in Security by Design (MSSD)

What I do
As a consultant with the Cybersecurity Programme Centre, I perform threat risk assessment for selected systems, and manage CSA-initiated projects that help to protect our citizens’ digital way of life. My work ultimately contributes to keeping Singapore’s cyberspace safe and secure. It feels like National Service, albeit in a different way!

Why I love my job
Imagine a scenario where your internet or mobile connection gets disrupted due to a cyber-attack on a telecommunications provider, or if access to essential banking services is temporarily unavailable due to a cyber-attack on the banking system. People tend to take access to essential services we rely on – such as infocomm, finance and banking, as well as healthcare, water, energy and more – for granted. It is critical that we work with Singapore’s 11 Critical Information Infrastructure sectors to ensure our essential services are up and running at all times.

Why I chose SUTD
Before beginning the MSSD programme at SUTD, I was a System Engineer at ST Engineering Electronics, focusing on system configuration and administration. It was my first job after graduation from university. I chose the MSSD programme for its focus and comprehensive coverage of cybersecurity topics. It is a practical choice for anyone who intends to jump into the cybersecurity industry, or to further build up their knowledge if they are already in the industry.

The SUTD Advantage
Most people probably think that cybersecurity is all about IT (Information Technology), but there are some OT (Operational Technology) aspects as well. SUTD is able to provide both theoretical and practical knowledge of OT with their iTrust Lab. The lessons in iTrust were very insightful, and I think no other postgraduate programmes have the same facilities as SUTD does.

I really enjoyed the hands-on lab sessions, as they are relevant and up-to-date with the current cyber threat landscape. The best way to learn to defend or attack cyber targets is really to get your hands dirty, as there are only so much you can learn from textbooks and reading materials.

SUTD’s postgraduate programmes shape design innovators who are leading us into the world’s next revolution. Our academic focus on design thinking and interdisciplinary learning has enabled our students to pursue diverse, future-focused career paths.

Discover where a post-graduate degree at SUTD can take you. Join us today.

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