wow. there is a war brewing in TODAY.
pdftxttxt for 2nd articleLook elsewhere, docContrary to popular belief, having a PhD won't guarantee work in life science research
Letter from Peter Song
I REFER to your report, "The life sciences conundrum" (Oct 9).
I studied civil engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Then, with so much hype being created about the future of life sciences, and with the civil engineering industry in the sunset stage, I took a shot at being retrained for the life sciences. I got a scholarship to do an NUS PhD programme in bioengineering.
I stopped after three years on my own accord, deciding to graduate with a Masters degree instead. Contrary to what some have said, a PhD will not get you a research position in Singapore.
I learnt this the hard way.
Firstly, a PhD is very specialised and most students learn only within a small sub-field governed by their thesis' area of research. So, when the student graduates, he is considered experienced only in that small area of science.
He thus loses all chance of working in any life science research position — even a junior post, as he is over-qualified. He will likely have to find a post-doctoral position in the department from which he obtained his PhD. But his supervisor may not have the grant money to employ him.
This lack, despite the Government's generous funding, has to do with the research environment at the university, which views students as the main source of manpower.
When PhD students graduate, the professor simply gets another group of students to continue the research. The students are paid a stipend from another department in charge of scholarships; effectively, the students come free to the professor because the grant money isn't used to pay them.
For grant approval, the professor competes on quality of ideas, commercial potential of ideas and estimated cost of research. All things being equal, the professor who quotes the least amount is given priority.
So, the PhD holder has one last option for employment: A*Star's research institutes and private sector research firms. But A*Star seeks out researchers who are experienced and have good track records. The private sector also requires people with a specific set of experience. And, unless their thesis is related, fresh PhD graduates do not have a chance.
Finally, A*Star scholars, due to their bonds, can start as fresh PhD graduates in its research institutes. The moral of the story? If you want to work in life science research, you must be an A*Star scholar; a PhD from elsewhere in Singapore would be useless.
We're scholars for good reasonsLetter from Ran Xia
I REFER to He Yi Hua's letter, "Degrees of distinction" (Oct 10). I am from mainland China and I was a research scholar with the National University of Singapore (NUS), from which I graduated with a Master's degree. I feel I must clarify some distorted facts.
Ms He says only graduates with first and second-upper class honours are accepted to the NUS graduate school on scholarship, while other local undergrads with a passion for research are not given a chance.
Universities evaluate potential scholars based on criteria among which academic results are usually key. What is more appropriate than scoresheets in assessing a student's capability for the purpose of advanced study and research?
Ms He pointed out that the Cumulative Average Point (CAP) system is a problem. The CAP system applies equally to everyone, so blaming it is not right.
As for passion, that is not all it takes to be a good researcher.
Yes, as Ms He points out, there are no degree classifications in China. But it takes more than a professor's recommendation to get into the NUS graduate school. Every Chinese student has to submit their scoresheets with all the marks of their subjects.
A CAP score can also be calculated using the marking system in China as a comparison. There is no basis to assume that NUS only looks at recommendation letters when it offers scholarships to mainland Chinese students.
Ms He said: "When it comes to doing research, some (postgraduate students) seek help from the undergraduates." I do not know what "help" she refers to. If it is about academic guidance or research direction, then I guess the undergraduate is doing the job of the professors at NUS. If it is about lending a hand in experiments or clarifying English terminology, what is the big deal?
I am not discrediting the help in any way. But the way Ms He perceives the significance of such "help" may be quite different from how others view it.
It is not graceful to justify one's deservedness of a scholarship by discrediting another's, especially without knowing the facts. And if one wants a scholarship, the right thing to do is to prove that one is worth, not depend on the grace of a system change.
