In 2021 I made the decision to start my PhD in Singapore. I felt moving to a new country could offer me experiences beyond the PhD. Singapore seemed like a great location being in central Asia, meaning an abundance of travel options and the chance to learn from new cultures. I felt calm about the move for most of 2021 (I had accepted an offer months before coming) although the nerves set in as my flight approached.
Singapore initially felt very different to home. Covid restrictions had been lifted for a while in the UK however Singapore still had them in place. This made my first few days a bit daunting and put obstacles in front of settling in and meeting new people but in the end it was not a problem. I met most people through dormitories and others who shared my Scholarship (A*STAR had put us all in contact). Being around people in the same situation helped, soon day to day life in Singapore felt normal and I had no worries about the move. We’d go in our groups (at the time limited to five) and hit the bars or some beaches, see some of the tourist spots and explore the country as well.
Obviously throughout this I had started the PhD, I had worried if I would struggle but overall, it was fine. There were some challenges. In Singapore you must take six modules in your first year. The maths heavy content could be difficult having come from a more Psychology/ Neuroscience background. I did experience burn out with catching up and doing my research at the same time but, happy to say, I did it, the grades were good, and it’s all done now! I definitely feel like my research has greater potential as a result. I think the burn out was also caused by the pressures I faced from settling into a new place.
At the end of April 2022, most restrictions were lifted in Singapore. Things opened up a lot more, sports facilities became available, offices opened up too making it easier to meet other PhD students and collaborate. By this time I already felt very settled but life here definitely felt fuller after this. Travelling also became a possibility and with friends I visited Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Restrictions did make the move more difficult for myself and my peers, however that’s in the past as things have been much better since.
I genuinely feel I have met a bunch of great people here. When you move to a new country it’s important to relax, be yourself, and throw yourself into situations where you can make a network with mutual support. The most important thing when moving country is to make sure you’re not isolated and find a group where you feel at home. The first couple of months are important and I feel will mould your future in a new country so just get out there!
Halfway through 2022 my research really started to kick off. When I started the PhD my research studied neurological mechanisms related to developmental learning processes and how these could be applied to AI. However, I switched to cognitively inspired AI-on-AI control which I found more interesting as there seemed to be a large gap in the literature on how we can teach an agent to manage a set of AI models. After a few weeks I produced my first prototype (the “Supervised Image Classification Executive Controller”) and it’s been going great since.
In December 2022 I went home for a month. My supervisors allowed me to work in the UK for a bit, this allowed me to spend some more time with friends and family which I am grateful for. It was brilliant catching up and seeing everyone again, also being able to spend Christmas at home (although, I overcooked the Christmas dinner a bit). During the week I’d work from home, cook a bit, catch up with friends from where I grew up, and spend time with my family. On the weekends I’d just travel around (Portugal at one point!) and meet up with people a bit further away.
While home I realised the pressures I had been putting on myself and what I wanted to change when I went back to Singapore. I had been going to socials most nights and not taking time to calm down and look after myself, probably contributing to the burn outs I had experienced earlier in the year. So, one major change I made is to make a couple of nights a week focused on fitness, some personal hobbies, and just relaxing. I also moved to accomodation more central to the city which suited my lifestyle better, before I lived far out which could sometimes feel isolating. I’m glad I took the time to reflect and make these changes as they had a pretty positive impact on my life here.
And that’s it really. I feel that moving to Singapore was the best decision I could have made. Meeting plenty of people, making time to look after myself, and focusing my PhD on what inspires me certainly helps. I am grateful for the support of my friends here and at home, my family too. I’ve come to set myself bigger goals for the future and realised an abundance of opportunities from the PhD but also from what I have learnt from moving to Singapore. I can’t wait to see what the future here holds; I feel that I will not settle here forever but I love the country and I’ll be happy here for a while.