I obtained my undergraduate degree at Soochow University (SU), China, in 2014. You may be surprised that I actually majored in chemical engineering instead of physics at that time. However, I always have a strong interest in physics that was rooted in my mind since high school. Opportunity came in the form of a joint programme between NUS and SU that allows junior students to pursue a master’s degree in the Department of Physics at NUS. Without any hesitation, I applied for the programme and transferred my study to physics in the same year. After I have completed the master’s programme, again motivated by the same passion and looking forward, I decided to continue to explore the wonderful world of physics with a PhD pursuit.

At the beginning of my PhD journey, I perceived that the organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite is a novel material which exhibits intriguing optical and optoelectronic properties. This advanced new material is attracting worldwide attention and many interesting and important open questions remained to be answered—more open questions mean more opportunities. Also, I could carry out my further studies at the Centre for Advanced 2D Materials which is one of the most advanced 2D materials research centres in the world. It is equipped with a state-of-the-art clean room and top-notch facilities which can fully support my research work.

In my opinion, anyone pursuing higher study in physics should ask themselves at least two questions before deciding on their research field. The first and foremost is, Do you see the beauty of physics deep in your heart and are touched by it? The second: Are there adequate hardware capacities (e.g. experimental equipment) that can support your research study?

For undergraduate studies, I think most of the time the goal is to understand formulas and concepts that had been verified and written in textbooks. But for PhD research, you must carry out innovative works yourself to explore the unknown world and broaden the boundary of knowledge. The truth I must say is that the PhD journey is quite hard and you have to be mentally well-prepared.

I encountered numerous challenges in the past four years since I opened up a new research direction in my lab and walked on the path alone. Albert Einstein once said “the formulation of a problem is far more essential than its solution”. I cannot agree more with his words. Coming up with a cool idea is the most challenging thing for researchers.

I would like to share three tips—which have helped me greatly—with any PhD student here. Firstly, put in intense effort on literature review, understand the logic of the published papers and ask yourself constantly what you have really learned. Secondly, attempt hands-on bravely rather than just storing ideas in your mind. Physics is essentially an experimental science and sometimes you just might make unexpected hair-raising discoveries. Remember, an idea does not mean anything until you realise it. Thirdly, it is a good habit to discuss questions with researchers all over the world and build a good cooperative relationship with them. Learn from them but do not rely on them; be your own master.

I harvested my first paper in the fourth year, a little late, but a year later, I published three more first-author papers with high impact factors and an additional two first-author papers are in the waiting list. I cannot achieve this without the help of my supervisor A/Prof Eda Goki and some outstanding collaborators. The PhD journey is like a marathon—seizing your rhythm and moving forward step by step, I am sure you will reach your goal.

The lessons I have learned from my academic journey are many. The most important is to be humble towards nature. The more you know about nature, the more you will hold nature in awe. I am open-minded with my future career. I truly believe that science and technology are two primary productive forces that drive the world, so I would prefer opportunities in academy or R&D positions in industries.

To my juniors, I hope you seize the day, cherish the time and enjoy your academic journey too! Though after graduation you seldom may use or even forget the knowledge you gain, the methodology of doing things and logical thinking you acquire now will enrich your mind and benefit you consistently.