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Oktoviano Gandhi
Nationality: Indonesia
Faculty & Year of Study: NUS Graduate School of Integrative Sciences & Engineering (NGS), Year 5
Undergraduate: University of Oxford, United Kingdom
Why Did You Choose To Pursue Your PhD At NUS?
I wanted to pursue research on something that is practical and can be applied in real life relatively soon, not 10-20 years later. Singapore in general, and NUS in particular, are known for the generous funding in applied research. Moreover, after finishing my integrated Masters degree in the UK, I wanted to be closer to my family in Indonesia, and as the top university in Asia, NUS is an obvious choice.
What Do You Like Most About Graduate School?
Freedom to pursue what I want. I have been very lucky to have a supervisor who trusts me and gives me the opportunities to pursue my interest at my own pace. Because of that, I was able to explore multiple research topics, collaborate with other researchers, and also do activities beyond the laboratory, all of which made my PhD journey much more productive and meaningful.
Any Highlights You'd Like To Share With Us About Your PhD Life?
On top of doing research and publishing papers (which all PhD students need to do), I also joined and initiated social projects. Our social projects were to electrify rural villages in Indonesia by building solar energy microgrid. The villages that we visited did not have any access to electricity and therefore their days ended when the sun sets. For each project, we spent a week building the microgrid, training the villagers and working with a local NGO to make sure that the system is sustainable even after we leave. It was very fulfilling to be able to use our knowledge to help people who need it the most.
Can You Tell Us Something Fun About Your PhD Journey In NUS?
As part of our PhD, we get to attend international conferences to present our research works. These conferences are great for a few reasons. Of course we learn a lot by getting direct feedback from other researchers in the field, and equally important is that we get to explore new cities and culture through these conferences. That is why I always chose to attend high quality conference in places that I had not visited to get the most out of PhD life!