A UTAR PhD graduate’s path from five-country research collaborations to a National University of Singapore fellowship.
A DOCTORAL graduate from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) has transformed a postgraduate journey into an international research career, conducting research in five countries, travelling across more than 40 countries and regions, and securing a position as a Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Dr Tan Jing Jie said his three-year Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) journey at UTAR opened doors to global collaborations and international mobility opportunities that broadened both his academic expertise and personal development.
Before embarking on his PhD, Dr Tan had never travelled abroad. However, through UTAR’s international partnerships and mobility programmes, he undertook five fully funded research attachments in France, Taiwan, Japan, Germany and Canada.
The placements enabled him to collaborate with international researchers in fields including artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision, natural language processing, multilingual modelling and federated learning.
“My postgraduate journey evolved into much more than academic research. Through the opportunities and support provided by UTAR, I learned to adapt independently in unfamiliar environments, navigate different cultures and research systems, and build international collaborations,” he said.
Dr Tan began his academic journey at UTAR by pursuing a Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours) at the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (FICT), where he developed a strong interest in computing and AI. During his undergraduate studies, he received several academic accolades, including the Dean’s List and President’s List awards.
He later enrolled in the Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) programme at UTAR’s Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES), where his research expanded into interdisciplinary AI applications.
His international research attachments were supported by a series of mobility grants and scholarships.
In France, under the Embassy of France in Malaysia Doctoral Research Mobility Grant, he conducted research on computer vision and image captioning at Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, which later contributed to a paper presented at the IEEE SPA 2024 conference in Poland.
In Taiwan, through the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) Short-Term Research Mobility Grant, he explored the integration of psychological principles into large language model prompting and personality recognition.
His research attachment in Japan at the Kanagawa Institute of Technology, supported by the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) Research Scholarship, focused on multilingual personality recognition.
In Germany, he conducted research at Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule (OTH) Regensburg on machine learning applications for silicon microstructure characterisation.
Most recently, he completed a research attachment at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada, where he worked on federated learning alongside researchers specialising in cloud computing.
Throughout his doctoral studies, Dr Tan published several first-author papers in SCI Q1 journals and IEEE Transactions in collaboration with international scholars.
He credited his PhD supervisors — Associate Professor Dr Kwan Ban Hoe, Ir Dr Danny Ng Wee Kiat and Associate Professor Ir Ts Dr Hum Yan Chai — as well as his undergraduate Final Year Project supervisor, Dr Tan Joi San, for their guidance throughout his academic journey.
He also acknowledged UTAR’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) for facilitating access to international mobility programmes, assisting with grant applications and institutional partnerships, and supporting visa arrangements and overseas placements.
Despite the opportunities, Dr Tan said adapting to life overseas presented significant challenges.
“Having never travelled overseas before, I had to independently manage visa applications, flights, accommodation, transportation and daily living while meeting research expectations in unfamiliar academic environments. Language barriers and cultural differences also presented challenges,” he said.
“Over time, these experiences strengthened my resilience, adaptability and confidence. They prepared me well for my current role as a Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore, where I now manage international research collaborations with greater confidence.”
Beyond research, Dr Tan said travelling extensively during his overseas attachments broadened his worldview.
As a budget backpacker, he stayed in hostels, travelled on overnight buses and explored neighbouring countries whenever possible, visiting landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, the Swiss Alps, the Vatican and the Panama Canal.
However, he said it was meeting people from different cultures and understanding their perspectives that had the greatest impact on him.
“These experiences taught me to become more reflective, empathetic and understanding. I realised that people’s perspectives are often shaped by their own experiences and circumstances, and this continues to influence how I approach both research and life,” he said.
Encouraging aspiring researchers to pursue international opportunities, Dr Tan said uncertainty should not discourage them from applying.
“Some applications may not succeed, but every experience teaches us something valuable. Sometimes opportunities only come when we are willing to take the first step,” he said.
UTAR offers more than 140 academic programmes ranging from Foundation Studies to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees across multiple disciplines. The university will hold its Open Day on Aug 29 and 30 at its Kampar and Sungai Long campuses.
