About

"No, but pourquoi pas right ?"

Discussing the carbon cycle

Explaining the Bohr radius

Lab Mugshot

SPS Brochure Photoshoot

B'jour à tous ! This is Ryan :) 💯 

I am the weird friend that comes up with strange ideas : food, activities, my own language. While not necessarily always the best example, I pride myself upon me challenging fashion norms, expressions in language, and trying things outside of my domain. After all, we cannot say that life is boring if we haven't tried out everything yet, be it trying a new cuisine, a new sport, or just being in a different place. The quote "pourquoi pas right", which means quite literally "Why not right" was coined in an immersion programme to Brest in 2015 which is quite evident of how I make decisions. 

I am currently a chemistry undergraduate at the National University of Singapore (NUS), hoping to specialise in materials science, and also minoring in nanoscience and physics. Chemistry is the science that makes up new things, the central science that seems to bring the various branches I have been exposed to together. While I am still exploring my interests in the field, my current academic interests involve transition metals, catalysis, and materials. I would like to acknowledge the various opportunities I have had in the Special Programme in Science (SPS) to kickstart my journey in research. I reckon this all started from young as I have always enjoyed experimenting with various materials, be it mixing different soaps together, trying different methods of cooking, or simply dissecting organs / food that will be consumed later.

Most of my friends would also know me as their personal tutors. Since secondary school, I have been helping out my peers and juniors with their school work, staying back and spending my spare time to create materials to help them better understand the material that was being taught in school. I have taken up private tutoring stints in 'O' level, 'A' level, and IB syllabuses with respect to the sciences and mathematics. My students would describe me as a person who is willing to go the extra mile to help them, create questions, link various subjects together, and overall to allow them to appreciate science as it is. While they may not intend to pursue the sciences later on in life, it is my hope that they would be able to acknowledge the progress that we have made in science and it also reflects on my part as an effective science communicator. With respect to education, I have interests in teaching and assessment as I have been discussing various approaches towards better learning and evaluating the progress with my students.

Outside of science, I am also an avid language learner. Being a native bilingual in English and Chinese, and having the opportunity to take up a third language (French) at the Ministry of Education Language Centre and then being offered a French Language Elective Programme (LEP) Scholarship in junior college, I was able to take my proficiency in the language to a higher level. After graduating from junior college, I have dabbled in various other languages, of which three I am pursuing formally : Arabic, Malay, and Tamil. Other languages I have some experience in, but nowhere fluent, are Hindi, Japanese, and Flemish. In time to come, I do hope to learn more languages such as Thai, Vietnamese, ... Contrary to popular belief, fluency is not my goal, but the ability to communicate is. What point would it be if we couldn't understand what each of us wants to express ?

EDUCATION

National University of Singapore | 2020 - 2024

Hwa Chong Institution | 2012 - 2017

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Fluorescence Bioimaging and Nanoparticle Synthesis | JAN 2023 - Present

Student-as-Partners (Education / Pedagogy Research) | JUL 2022 - Present

Nanomaterials (Catalysis, Electrochemical Storage) | MAY - JUL 2022

Organometallic Catalysis | AUG - NOV 2021

French Coursework | NOV 2016 - NOV 2017

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Teaching Associate | The Pique Lab | MAR 2024 - Present

Mentor | Special Programme in Science (SPS), NUS | JUN 2022 - MAY 2024

Science and Language Tutor | Freelance | SEP 2020 - DEC 2023

Curriculum Design (Intern) | The Pique Lab | SEP 2020 - DEC 2021

SCHOLARSHIPS & AWARDS

International Natural Sciences Tournament 2022 | Competition | 2022

French Language Elective Scholarship (FLES) | Scholarship | 2016 - 2017

TALKS / PRESENTATIONS / PUBLICATIONS

Workshops

Talks

Publications

LANGUAGES

SOFTWARE

OTHERS