Science alumnus seeds new CoS Explorer Fund
The NTU College of Science has launched the College of Science Explorer Fund to support students on their scientific journeys. Profoundly impacted by his education at NTU, Subhajeet Parida (SBS/2006) explains why he helped to seed the Fund.
By Jasmine Tiong
Alumnus Subhajeet Parida (SBS/2006) counts himself fortunate to have had so many opportunities at NTU. As an undergraduate, he was President of the Biological Sciences Club, Chairperson of the 13th NTU Student Union Council, and represented the University in cricket, softball, hockey, and track and field. It was also at NTU that he found a passion for research.
"Falling in love with research was my biggest turnaround during my four years at university," said Subhajeet, who graduated from the pioneer cohort of the NTU School of Biological Sciences. "Lab research got me a lot more interested in the subject because I could translate and apply what I read in books to real-life research work and scenarios."
During his final year at NTU, Subhajeet continued his research journey in Basel, Switzerland. After graduating, Subhajeet landed his first job in financial services even though he did not have a financial background. Today, the Head of SEA Rates Trading at Nomura Holdings continues to allude to his success in research.
Subhajeet flew to Basel to continue his research journey during his final year at NTU SBS.
"My research experience in Basel exposed me to a different culture and accelerated my growth - which I would not have got had I continued to stay in Singapore," he said. "Even though there may be no clear 'link' between the fields of banking and bioscience, the bank took into account the research experiences and leadership skills during my interview."
"The research skills I learnt at NTU are highly relevant to me in my current role, which requires a lot of research in finance and economics," added Subhajeet.
Remaining thankful to all those who helped him when he was under financial stress at NTU, and deciding that he should pay his own good fortune forward, he pledged S$27,000 towards the College of Science Explorer Fund during NTU Giving Day on 23 March 2022, effectively launching the Fund.
Established in support of the College of Science Explorer Programme started earlier this year to provide undergraduate students with opportunities in scientific inquiry, the College of Science Explorer Fund will support financially challenged students with non-repayable grants when they participate in the Programme. This timely Fund supports the ambitions of NTU's Education pillar in the NTU 2025 strategic plan announced last January.
The CoS Explorer Fund allows beneficiaries to explore their research interests overseas. Photo credit: NTU Asian School of the Environment (ASE)
"A scientific education at NTU College of Science equips our graduates for the changing world of the future," said Prof Simon Redfern, Dean of NTU College of Science. "We are deeply passionate about nurturing young minds to embrace scientific curiosity, empowering our graduates with the skills needed to excel in their future careers."
He added: "The College of Science Explorer Programme is a critical part of this. We are excited to provide new opportunities to our students that will both deepen their understanding and guide them to learn independently."
The Fund, open to financially disadvantaged undergraduates entering Year 2 who are already recipients of additional financial support, enables them to develop their research projects and participate in seminars, conferences and competitions as part of the College of Science Explorer programme. Each grant has a value of up to S$3,000.
The University aims to award a minimum of 30 Explorer Grants to College of Science students annually and seeks to raise at least S$90,000 every year to support this new initiative. To ensure that students can be awarded these grants in perpetuity, NTU aspires to establish an endowment fund of at least S$2.25 million.
Students doing lab research. Photo credit: NTU College of Science
Every supporter of the College of Science Explorer Fund will receive updates on the student recipients and invitations to events and opportunities to hear about the learnings and research findings from the beneficiaries themselves.
"I hope to see a multiplier effect from the College of Science Explorer Fund - where today's beneficiaries become tomorrow’s donors," said Subhajeet.
If you wish to learn more about the College of Science Explorer Fund, please contact Hannah Williamson or Edwina Lim.
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