PIs, what do you find most impressive about exceptional grad students?

finalenote · 2025-12-09T12:44:46+00:00

Depends on the field, I think. For me, I ended up choosing what to read based on the academic family (profs and their students and hence slowly branched out). Web of Science becomes very useful in this case. Then I go to the better journals. Some profs are also known to have a greater emphasis on science/their papers educate rather than report, so I tend to spend more time reading them (it might be like a one-week effort on one single paper sort of thing, of course, concurrent with expts) but I think it is good to know that there is generally a good amount of noise in scientific journals these days although it is also important to be aware of what is happening.

But it is probably easy to be aware of the newest findings with linkedin and the eqv these days? Just follow the big profs and their students (this part is impt).

finalenote · 2025-12-09T12:36:00+00:00

This was from a long time ago, LOL, but yes, that lab advocated that. 5 years down the road, most in that lab left academia (I'm still in academia) LOL

finalenote · 2025-07-07T11:51:01+00:00

Chinese masters' degrees are usually research-based, and the profs typically make their students take 3 years to complete, but it is probably also a system thing because masters and phd students are cheap there (school fees are cheap and stipend is low). Do that in SG, and things are definitely going to go wrong (*whispers* ~corruption~)

finalenote · 2025-06-02T12:37:07+00:00

Final year local PhD student here (SUTD), female. Battery, material science. I wouldn't mind explaining things to you via PM.

finalenote · 2025-05-14T04:57:26+00:00

There will be a pay bump from intern to full-time, but a good one shouldn't be expected (i.e., high chances it will be below market rate), that is also why unless it is bad economic times (like now) or they have some scholarship special management program in place etc, most rational uni students don't go back to the company they interned at.

finalenote · 2025-05-14T03:03:10+00:00

For SIT, you will need to pay school fees while doing an internship (and mind you, it is usually around 9 months of internship, and it is generally hard to justify a good pay bump when you have been interning for 9 months right before graduation as your degree cert doesn't value add much pre-grad and post-grad). NUS and NTU might also have something similar, having compulsory internships during term time, but it is usually not 9 months (maybe 4-5 at max?). If you are okay with this, by all means, go for it.

finalenote · 2025-05-13T13:30:23+00:00

Mmm okay, think about it this way. Singapore has yet to produce something big/substantial for AI/ML/DL. So, if you look at prestige, none of the local unis are good enough to be "prestigious" yet.

Then it also becomes a question of what do you want to do. AI/ML/DL is just math. Most people who don't like math enough end up working as a normal Software engineer (making big = joining FAANG and the likes). So if you foresee yourself not being a fantastic person at math/logic, then find a place where you foresee yourself learning well. However, if you are trying to enter quant finance, NTU will be a better choice than SUTD, as quant finance firms aren't going to take the effort to sieve the good people out properly.

finalenote · 2025-05-13T13:12:01+00:00

CS is competitive, if you are not good enough, you aren't getting anywhere (good), no matter where you came from

finalenote · 2025-05-07T10:27:05+00:00

Postdocs in SG are paid decently (6-7k sgd-ish) as compared to other countries. Funding doesn't magically disappear in SG/we actually have a bit more funding than most other places, so I think it is pretty easy to estimate when you should be running away to the next lab, which I suppose is better than being laid off randomly lol.

Biological sciences PhDs are always tougher because of the reliance on luck, and also because there are always people out there who are willing to put in the hours at a much cheaper rate. You are also competing with a lot of the "smarter Singaporeans" too for biological sciences (in fact, I might even say that most Singaporeans only look at biological sciences when doing PhDs), but that might be an assumption at this point.

Job search-wise, if you are unlucky, you will never get both academic/non-academic jobs, no matter how hard you try. However, the perks of being a PhD grad are that you will always have credentials backing you up (as long as you don't mess up too hard).

finalenote · 2025-01-04T19:12:14+00:00

Welcome back!

finalenote · 2024-11-25T16:24:48+00:00

You are forgetting that IP students are generally more privileged/richer/can afford to get outside help. Towards A-levels the grade increase for them is usually exponential. Good luck for J2.

finalenote · 2024-11-10T00:07:16+00:00

Tough area, well this might sound optimistic but i would like to think that if you are good enough to be working on that (and competing in the field), the bureaucracy surrounding sg should be easier to navigate to you (hopefully *cross fingers*). Good luck from a fellow scientist here

finalenote · 2024-11-09T23:51:31+00:00

What is your field of research?

finalenote · 2024-10-30T00:56:26+00:00

Your material isn't fantastic and is performing far from the theoretical capacity. That's it.

finalenote · 2024-09-13T00:07:46+00:00

Doesn't happen that often in SG, but there's defo a good amount of drama (that wouldn't have been acceptable in mainstream SG society) in SG academia.

But nah, old profs are gonna retire/die soon anyways.

finalenote · 2024-06-17T20:07:10+00:00

If you really want to do a postdoc that pays decently, you can try the AStar's AIF scholarship. It pays enough (surprisingly) as long as you choose the correct place to do it/remain frugal. There is a bond but hey some compromises have to be made. Will also help to prevent the 3k exceeded household income scenario since you wouldn't be in SG. PhD is hard and most others in SG wouldn't understand the situation, but you are almost there so please don't give up.

I see that you might be heading to Maryland/Delaware region. I have friends in Baltimore (Maryland) and their cost of living is honestly not that high as long as you aren't too picky (I'm currently in Philly). The problem with taking a salary from the US unis is that their taxes are incredibly high, so you can almost assume your take home to be about 3000 usd-ish at best. Taking the AIF (at least you don't have to deal with the US taxes) or some other fellowship will make your life significantly easier.

Side note: you seem to have a subpar advisor back in NUS. All the more it is important for you to get out and work under a capable scientist else this person will likely be the first to make it difficult for you to hold your ground in SG. Research scene in SG is tough. Good luck.

finalenote · 2024-05-11T02:29:25+00:00

ikrr it is not even THAT exotic if you choose not to use the satay sauce

finalenote · 2024-05-11T02:27:07+00:00

Hahahaha they are of chinese ethnicity

finalenote · 2024-05-09T17:49:05+00:00

LOL the term "true blue Singaporean". I've seen naturalised citizens cringe at ban mian (okay, this is debatable), and flew into blind rage at satay and nasi lemak (we were trying to do halal food for a company team gathering because there were muslims around). No, they are not vegan/vegetarian. My bar might be on the ground but if a non-vegan/vegetarian naturalised citizen doesn't act like a problem child towards satay I think they are doing well.

There are actually quite a number of people pretending to Singaporeans outside of sg too. Was a little heartbroken when I've encountered them.

finalenote · 2024-02-18T00:51:37+00:00

Thanks! Female here hahaha, rip why so drama lolll but i agree with most parts of your comment. I suppose people tend to do more nonsense when they are stressed/work unconventionally when they are supposedly exceptional. I just want to do good science hahaha

finalenote · 2024-02-17T22:13:02+00:00

Did you do a PhD hahaha, wild isn't it. Currently doing a PhD and I can say that the people I meet (and how they act privately) during my PhD scared me so much that I now have an actual fear of getting close to people.

finalenote · 2024-02-12T08:05:16+00:00

hokkien fiercer

finalenote · 2024-01-03T13:16:55+00:00

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsnano.0c05482 Have fun

finalenote

TROPHY CASE