PhD Careers in Life Sciences

After completing his PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Oxford, Dr Benjamin Tan spent over 6 years as a scientist at A*STAR where he concurrently served as an adjunct lecturer at National University of Singapore or NUS for about 3 years. He then pivoted his career towards research programme and grant management in the civil service. Today, he is a Postgraduate Career Advisor at the Centre for Future-ready Graduates at NUS, guiding STEM graduates as they navigate an increasingly complex career landscape. In this episode, we explore how each chapter of Benjamin’s career has shaped his perspectives on decision-making, resilience, and opportunity. He will share ten years’ worth of hard-earned lessons that may spark new clarity for your own career journey.

Dr. Kamolawan Chomchopbun, a pharmacy graduate and PhD holder, has built her career across both multinational corporations and startups, moving seamlessly between the two worlds. In this podcast, she shares how you don’t need to have your career path fully mapped out. What matters is staying prepared for opportunities, whether through mentoring, building connections, or keeping an open mind. Her story is filled with practical lessons that are both enjoyable to hear and valuable for your own career preparation. If you’re thinking of landing an industry job without doing a postdoc, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

What does it mean to lead with questions rather than answers? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Daniel Mahadzir—researcher, founder, CEO, investor, and activist—whose career defies the traditional academic path. As an Innovation Fellow at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute, he works at the crossroads of food security, digital health, and climate action. He also leads R&D at Adeante Corporation, advancing sustainable agri-tech to strengthen Southeast Asia’s food systems. Daniel’s journey shows that a PhD career doesn’t have to be linear. It can be bold, impactful, and full of surprises.

In the first episode of PhD Careers in Life Sciences, Dr. Eve Chao Wang shares how she built her transition from academia into the pharmaceutical industry. From starting out as an analytic consultant to becoming Senior Business Development Manager, Eve’s journey highlights the skills, mindset, and self-development strategies that can help PhD students and postdocs thrive, no matter which career path they choose.