Into the vibrant, exciting, and smart future of Singapore.
Singapore’s growth was built upon a strong foundation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). As Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong emphasised, “Looking ahead, we will need strong STEM capabilities to continue to upgrade our economy, and to become a modern, forward looking and technologically advanced society.”
STEM graduates, with their analytical discipline and problem-solving skills, benefit from career opportunities across a myriad of sectors, and from technical to management roles. Hear from our graduates who have pursued exciting careers in STEM:
From Engineering Product Development (EPD) student to Dyson’s Design Engineer
EPD alumnus Avenash Mirchandani Changaroth
What do you do?
“As a design engineer with Dyson’s Research, Design & Development team, I design components that sit within our new technologies. Designing, prototyping, and testing make up my core responsibilities, and I spend about 2 hours daily in the prototyping lab, focusing on the internal structure and systems architecture of our products. It’s a role that allows me to exercise both my creative and problem-solving skills.”
What’s most exciting about your job?
“Apart from the interesting technical work, a large part of my job entails making sense of test data and presenting it succinctly. Additionally, coming up with test reports and setting acceptable specifications for suppliers to meet was new to me — this requires a good understanding of the different processes involved, as well as the suppliers’ capabilities. That aside, Dyson products are well-known in the industry for being radically different and better, and so I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of that.
How did SUTD give you an edge?
“The hands-on skills that were prioritised in SUTD are an asset few other undergraduates have. Surprisingly, even in my highly technical role at Dyson, the non-engineering related courses have also helped a lot. I spend a lot of time engaging with different departments —such as commercial, procurement, and external suppliers — so great communication skills are essential. The weekly presentations and small class sizes at SUTD made it the ideal environment for active class participation, and that made me a better and more confident presenter.”
The Engineering Product Development degree programme equips students with the knowledge and skills to be a technically grounded and traditional engineer, and provides one with the competitive expertise in design thinking and design innovation. Its multi-disciplinary design approaches empower alumni like Avenash to develop next-generation products that address societal needs.
As product development expertise continues to be widely sought-after across many industries, EPD graduates are set up for a wide range of engineering, design and management careers in both private and public sectors. Graduates like Avenash have found careers in healthcare, consumer goods, robotics, finance, defence, and energy and power.
Find out more about SUTD’s EPD degree programme here.
From Engineering Systems and Design (ESD) student to ANZ’s Systems Analyst
ESD alumna Keerthana Janmugam
What do you do?
“I am part of FDM Group’s Technical Business Analyst Graduate Programme and am currently being placed with ANZ as a Systems Analyst. In ANZ, I am a part of the change management team which supports the implementation of new processes in a system by capturing business processes, conducting impact assessments, and documenting the changes in our system. I meet with stakeholders to understand their Business-As-Usual (BAU) then capture these changes for the new system. I also create user manuals for the Front Office to ensure users transition smoothly into the new system, including future User Assessment Testing (UAT) and Training plans.”
What’s most exciting about your job?
“I get to work with an international team — ranging from New Zealand, Australia, UK, US, India, to various SEA countries. This exposes me to different work cultures, deepens my understanding of financial sectors around the world, and heightens my understanding of the global financial sector.”
How did SUTD give you an edge?
“The user-centric approach adopted by SUTD is extremely applicable to what I do. The user testing experiences that I gained during my Capstone project and internships gave me the exposure to plan large-scale User Acceptance Testing (UAT) in my current role. Working with various stakeholders during my internships and Capstone project also helped me set expectations, and taught me to communicate my ideas effectively. SUTD’s curriculum also prepared me for a self-directed learning approach, a trait that is valued and appreciated in this line of work.”
SUTD’s Engineering Systems and Design degree programme has a core focus in design, analysis, and optimisation. This shapes students’ decision-making abilities to tackle open-ended challenges that contain complexities and uncertainties. For instance; “How do you decide what company to invest in?”, “Where do you locate that new factory?”, ”How can a business operation be both “green” and efficient?”, or ”When should you launch that next-generation product?”
With their strategic and analytical abilities, graduates like Keerthana have great career prospects in consulting and analytical roles that span many domains. These include healthcare, banking, manufacturing, supply chain, energy, transportation, and entertainment and hospitality.
Find out more about SUTD’s ESD degree programme here.
From Information Systems Technology and Design* (ISTD) student to Titansoft’s Software Developer
ISTD alumna Ashlyn Goh
What do you do?
“As a Software Developer at Titansoft, I build and maintain online software platforms for corporate use, including project management systems, subscriber accounting systems, and business intelligence management systems. My days start with a Daily Scrum meeting where the team syncs up everyone’s progress and discusses any impediments to the sprint goal. Then, I work on sprint items, such as building new features or fixing bugs. I may also participate in code reviews or pair programming, which helps reduce defects in our codebase and improve code maintainability.”
What’s most exciting about your job?
“Many people have the misconception that software developers only write code, but I see us as problem solvers first, and coders second. The solutions we develop can range from simple bug fixes to more complex architecture designs. This year, one of my team’s main goals is to improve our MLOps (Machine Learning Operations) pipeline — standardising and streamlining the continuous delivery of machine learning models in production. These allow for more informed data-driven decision-making — for instance, we might use predictive models to perform simulations to get quantifiable evidence in order for our clients to make business decisions.”
How did SUTD give you an edge?
“I got a great foundation in software engineering — from algorithmic thinking that allows me to think critically about my codes and how I can improve them, to software testing and concurrency concepts, both of which I use heavily in my daily work. The emphasis on project work also honed my communication skills, making me a better collaborator and team member in the workplace.”
SUTD’s Computer Science and Design degree programme has a focus on information and computing technologies, and their relationships with the world. Students are groomed into highly-sought-after computer scientists, but with an elevated expertise in multi-disciplinary and systematic design approaches which enable them to excel in creative ways.
For these reasons, graduates like Ashlyn can choose from a wide range of computing and management careers. Their expertise in computing science, system thinking and interdisciplinary design enables them to tackle exciting and challenging careers in telecommunications, e-commerce, FinTech, transportation and gaming.
Find out more about SUTD’s CSD degree programme here.
*We’ve renamed our Information Systems Technology and Design degree programme to Computer Science and Design with effect from the graduating class of 2021 to better reflect the interdisciplinary, computing-intensive curriculum .
From Architecture and Sustainable Design (ASD) student to Structural Designer at Passage Projects
ASD alumna Kady Ho
What do you do?
“I’m a Structural Designer at Passage Projects, which specialises in developing unconventional structures – such as modular structures with complex systems, or dome structures. I analyse and rationalise complex structures, prepare presentations for tenders and competitions, and investigate how to optimise workflow between design and structural analysis software. It’s my job to apply theoretical knowledge of geometries, technical skills in computation, and practical knowledge in fabrication and construction to achieve elegant, rational, but also cost-efficient structures.”
What’s most exciting about your job?
“Conventional structural engineering is mainly concerned with whether a structure stands. However, at Passage Projects we prioritise aesthetics and strive to keep to the architect’s design intent, while proposing smarter, rationalised geometries that make fabrication easier and cheaper. This means I have opportunities to be involved with design, on top of the rationalising and computing aspects, by proposing variations of the architect’s base design that factor in geometrical and economical feasibility.”
How did SUTD give you an edge?
“One unexpectedly useful thing I learnt was the application of mathematical knowledge on vectors! Having a strong mathematical background allows me to explore solutions that are geometrically pure – which helps me to create simplified structures with repeated members, hence developing more affordable solutions. Additionally, the multi-disciplinary experience gained from the multiple projects I did in SUTD enabled me to communicate more effectively with people from different academic specialisations.”
SUTD’s Architecture and Sustainable Design degree programme takes a future-focused approach that equips students to design for the immediate present whilst solutioning for future needs in the digital era. Students are immersed in cultural, historical and sustainable aspects of designing buildings and cities, via digital tools, machines and augmented reality.
Hence, graduates like Kady are highly sought after by the architecture industry for their technical competency, and their ability to leverage on data, technology and holistic cultural understanding to create sustainable designs that are locally and globally meaningful.
Find out more about SUTD’s ASD degree programme here.
SUTD continues to groom future leaders across diverse careers that span many domains and industries. This is because our industry-centric curriculum and hands-on learning experience equip students with practical and future-forward skills that are highly sought after by all employers.
Prepare yourself for an exciting career in STEM by pursuing a design-centric and interdisciplinary education at SUTD.
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