Work and Play: A Potent Brew for Success
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Singapore has been garnering headlines worldwide for its public R&D initiative, which is spearheaded by the Agency for Science, Technology And Research (A*STAR) to develop
Singapore into an International Research Hub. A*STAR has fostered world-class scientific research as well as attracted and nurtured top talent in Singapore. In the span of several years, A*STAR has successfully positioned Singapore as the Biopolis of Asia, and is now entering the next growth phase of clinical and translational research. housands of scientists at its 12 public research institutes are now conducting cuttingedge research in specific niche areas in Science, Engineering, and Biomedical Science.
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Dr. Tomas Karasek, from the Czech Republic, knew very little about Singapore until he heard about the exciting career opportunities from a fellow researcher. He is now based at the Institute of Higher Performance Computing (IHPC) at A*STAR. Asked why he took the challenge to relocate to Singpaore, Dr. Karasek said “Singapore offers me the opportunity to conduct research at a higher level, compared to my home country. Secondly, my wife and I were very excited by the prospect of living abroad, especially in Singapore - which is the gateway to Asia.”
Indeed, Singapore has opened new doors for Dr. Karasek. Currently, he is completing a one-year tie-up project called T-UP (Technology for Enterprise Capability Upgrading) with a local company, Portek Systems & Equipment Pte Ltd, where he works on the numerical simulation of cranes, vessels, etc to optimise their designs. “I have gained valuable research experience from working here,” said Dr. Karasek. Living in Singapore has also been a unique experience for his wife and him. Their horizons have expanded beyond what they could have imagined in Singapore, they can meet people from diverse cultures and different parts of the world.
They are pleasantly surprised at how clean and safe Singapore is, a reality that far surpassed their expectations. Their relocation to Singapore was smooth, thanks to the generous help they had received from the institute and fellow colleagues. IHPC facilitated his visit to Singapore a few weeks before moving in to settle all necessary matters and to explore Singapore a little. The visit was a tremendous help as it gave the couple a much better idea of what they were in for since it would be their first time living in Asia.
Dr. Karasek marvelled at how much his wife loves Singapore, especially its weather. Although, they admit that they sometimes miss the four seasons and snow during Christmas. However, the tropical weather is just as enjoyable, they added. In fact, they now get to enjoy the beaches and the sea, which is not possible in an inland country like the Czech Republic. Also, Singapore’s sheer variety of food constantly amazes the couple.
One of the funniest things which happened to Dr. Karasek was how he and his wife used to miss their buses as they never signalled for the bus to stop. In the Czech Republic, buses stop automatically at every stop. All in all, Dr. Karasek remarked, “I would definitely recommend global talent to come to Singapore because it’s very interesting and exciting place to live and work.” Indeed, Singapore is a bold vision of the future generation of aspiring research scientists who will drive the leading breakthroughs in modern science.
