Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering), Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)

Starting postgrad

I chose to do research in the field of RFID technology mainly because of my personal interest and job relevance. I had gone through many episodes of tough times to reach the academic achievement. I was a part-time PhD student with a family to take care of and it was difficult to strike a balance between work, family and study. It was stressful, but memorable. I believe that I would become a role model for my kids to follow when they face their future challenges.

Choosing the course and institution

As a student of UTAR, I had the chance to enjoy an excellent learning experience. As one of the most reputable private universities, voted by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings in recent years, UTAR offers quality higher education qualifications that are respected by employers and academics worldwide. The university management supports an innovative learning and teaching environment.

My research

My PhD research was primarily centred on the design and characterisation of miniaturised UHF RFID tag antennas. My research outputs were published in the high-impact Tier 1 (Q1) international journal, the prestigious IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, in both 2017 and 2019 (impact factor: 4.13). I have also co-authored many other technical papers in the same journal.

Friending supervisor

My supervisor was my main motivator throughout my PhD research. He had provided me with valuable advice and support ever since I first enrolled in the course. He shared with me the potential obstacles in research life. He patiently taught me the proper ways to do research and how to write a good technical paper. With the conducive learning and research environment, I managed to secure an early submission (early graduation) after generating 4 high-impact publications in the IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation within 2.5 years.

Mapping profession

In an ever-changing economic environment, no job is safe and can be secured forever. You must always improve your skills so that you can become a valuable asset to your employer. Your job would be more secure then! Having a PhD can surely broaden the horizon of your career path.

Postgrad perks and quirks

I must admit that achieving the PhD dream was not an easy task, I sacrificed my free time for my research and paper writing. I always believed hard work will eventually pay off. My message to the new PhD students is that you should not be afraid of facing new research problems as you will surely learn something valuable after they are solved. Please work closely with your supervisors, classmates and seniors. Consult them when necessary and this will definitely speed up your learning process.