I remember when I was a child, my dream was to be a scientist. When I was in high school I was indeed good at physics, so I chose to learn applied physics in the university. My thought never changed in that I don’t like boring, unchanging life. I like to learn new things. In this regard, scientific research makes my life enjoyable. Unlike other occupations, scientific research needs longer time to learn, so taking up a higher degree for me is totally necessary. I choose NUS because it is the best university in Asia and also my master’s supervisor happened to work in NUS. So I got to know more about NUS, and decided to pursue a PhD here after my master’s graduation.

Right now I am planning to do scientific research and it will probably be my life-long career. Due to the coronavirus situation, I am not able to pursue a postdoc in other countries. Currently I am doing postdoc in NUS on a NUS-SZU (Shenzhen University) collaborative programme.

I like the saying in “Ithaca” by poet Constantine P Cavafy: “As you set out for Ithaca, hope your road is a long one, full of adventure, full of discovery.” To me, scientific research is my Ithaca. Probably, I would be an ordinary scientist all my life, but I like this kind of life. What inspires me? It is the new knowledge, discoveries and deeper understanding of the universe.