Comments on: News Stop: The Life Sciences Conundrum

By: Bernard Leong » Is Social Engineering still appropriate for Singapore?

Bernard Leong » Is Social Engineering still appropriate for Singapore? — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:37:54 +0000

[...] briefly from Sydney Brenner’s speech and piece together some earlier thoughts of mine on the life sciences conundrum to answer whether social engineering is appropriate in Singapore. The essay will address how the [...]

By: Ava

Ava — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:47:26 +0000

I read your website every week, its great and got lots of information to take in and lots of interesting articles.

By: Beyond the Cul De Sac

Beyond the Cul De Sac — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 06:36:16 +0000

[...] yourself. And if that still doesn’t explain why I’m so conflicted, I’m sure the words of the Dean will do the job. Fancy reading about how the department of life sciences “will be [...]

By: L

Sun, 04 May 2008 16:26:01 +0000

In terms of career options and prospects, it is always better to pursue a professional degree rather than arts or science degrees which are usually considered general. Research jobs are only for the top students of the cohort and don’t forget university award degrees based on bell curve. At the end of your four years, you could be ending up wasting your time pursuing a degree that cannot land you a decent paying job.

By: Benjamin Linus

Benjamin Linus — Sat, 03 May 2008 16:40:13 +0000

I recommend that for someone unsure of what they want to do in the future, pursue a degree that will be of value. Life science, is not appealing to many corporate employers, business and accountancy are. So why waste so much time trying to fight for a second upper where one can with relatively ease obtain the same standing in the 2 courses? Btw Business minor don`t seem to appeal to employees either.

So unless you don`t mind doing routine work and not being able to chart major progress in your life, or you are definitely sure of doing PhD, consider other options.

By: Anderson

Anderson — Sat, 03 May 2008 16:32:51 +0000

Speaking from personal experience, many undergraduates choose to believe in the rosy picture of being able to work in the life science industry, even as they are about to graduate. Many of my peers refused to see that the industry does not provide satisfaction for a degree holder. The job scope is routine, mundane, and ones output is just a minute part of the whole research project. As a lab technician, which many without a PhD will doing, one is at best expendables. One needs to ask if it is worth it to waste their time doing things that may not contribute much to the scientific community, not being able to put one`s talent to good use, and getting paid peanuts. I was told that even if you work all your life in a govt. research agency, your pay will not exceed $4000. Do you want to work in an environment insulated from the outside world, ignorant of “The Shock Doctrine”, or global affairs.

Indeed, life science is not an easy subject to excel in, and it take quite a bit of effort. Worst still, the course apparently does not appeal to banks and many non-life science industries. In applying for internship, I did not receive a single response from the banks(GS,ML,Citi,SCB,HSBC,DBS), 4 consulting firms, nor the 7 ad agencies which i applied, even with a decent CCA record. One really has to ask if it`s worth pursuing such as course.

By: Calvin Neo

Calvin Neo — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 01:09:04 +0000

I read the thread thus far and can’t help but feel there many LS students are facing serious difficulties. As a recent engineering graduate from NUS, I experience similar problems.

My advice is short and clear – What are you going to do about it?

I am sorry to say that if a PhD is the best bet you have, then risk is needed to pursue it. If money is the immediate concern, they take up a job first to meet your short term expenses. If Singapore is not good, look overseas. If you are bonded, break it or accept it…

I apologize for having to put solutions across in such harsh manner. But to all my dear friends, we made certain decisions and came thus far. Even if we were (unitentionally) led to where we are, the lesson is to recognize that we still move on but now hopefully became smarter.

By: HL

HL — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 01:02:58 +0000

Hi,
This is an interesting read regarding life-sciences graduates in Singapore.
I do agree that you will need a PhD to continue independent research, on the other hand, there may just not be enough opportunities for PhD holders. Take myself for example, I have a Masters degree in Clinical Neuroscience, and about 6 years of research experience in Cognitive Neuroscience. Due to funding problems, I couldn’t do my PhD, and now with each passing year, the opportunity cost of doing a PhD for me increases.
When I decided to look for jobs other than research, most of the employers have found that I’m too research-oriented, or that my area of research expertise is not what they are looking for. I have taken some business management modules at the undergraduate level, but that does not count for them. Sigh. I would like to expand my current field of expertise to the corporate sector, but the opportunities are too limited for me. At present, I’m still searching for a job in the biomedical sciences sector, but no success so far. This process is frustrating and depressing.
In my opinion, for Singapore to be a biomedical sciences research hub, it has to have a diverse range of neuroscience resarch, from molecular to systems level. Typically, a clinical disease is affected at each stage of neuroscience. I think to focus on a particular stage of neuroscience research will hinder our development to being a biomedical sciences research hub.

By: Sigh

Sigh — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 15:13:54 +0000

Anea
Like anyone who obtained a second lower, it is diffcult to pursue a PhD here even by self-finance. The universities must first approve your application, and both NUS and NTU request for a second upper. I reckon they have too many applicantions and has to adhere to a quota. I agree with wolf, the best way is to approach the PI of the lab, email may not be the best mean, try calling the PI. Try sale position, you will meet more PIs this way and also will allow for more time to understand their research. A good service establishes a good relationship between the PI and you. Maybe after 1-2 years, if your passion is burning, approach the PI.

By: wolf

wolf — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 08:52:55 +0000

Anea,

The 2nd lower requirement is very frustrating for us at the research institues too whenever we want to hire people; we find a lot of good candidates who we have to fight for because admin/HR will throw them out without even looking just because of grades.

My advice is not to submit your resume directly (ie via the official online channel) to the institute/company where you intend to apply, but contact the principal investigators and project leaders if you can and talk to them directly. Ask to see their lab and express an interest in their work (if you ask for a job directly, they may just tell you to submit your resume to HR). Sometimes they have positions (mainly GAP/research officers) available – and sometimes not advertised either – and if you can convince them of your passion and skills, you can push your resume and job application through them. The chances of landing a position are often higher this way compared to submitting your applications cold.