What first attracted you to the field of Engineering?
My early interest in engineering started in my nursery days. Since both my parents worked until late, I often stayed in the nursery for extended hours. While waiting for my parents, I created miniature cars, robots and buildings using cardboard, thread and straws. I became fascinated by understanding the behaviour of these materials and coming up with an idea to use them to construct something that works!
As I progressed by studying, my interest shifted towards fundamental sides - e.g. fluid dynamics and heat transfer. However, I still love to spend time in the lab building up equipment to observe thermofluids phenomena!
What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about Engineering?
I used to believe that engineering and its branches were highly specialised fields so that if I chose mechanical engineering I would not have to study chemistry (in which I struggled), literature and economy anymore! However, we are living in a complex society where we must work collaboratively with people from different expertise to tackle today's global and local challenges.
Engineering, therefore, requires broader views, knowledge and social skills in addition to your own expertise.
What's the biggest mystery in science you'd love to solve or see solved?
One of the most significant questions I am currently exploring is how we can link phenomena across different time and spatial scales, or whether this is even possible. It is often the case in nature that local behaviour is somewhat different from what is observed at the macroscopic level.
For example, one of my projects is related to rapid cooling such as steel manufacturing and emergency core cooling. In those applications, tons of water are sprayed onto a metre-sized surface whose temperature is several hundred degrees. It may seem like a large-scale problem, but I am tackling this by looking at a single droplet smaller than 1 mm hitting the surface.
While we gain valuable insights from studying individual droplets to improve the cooling process, a gap remains between individual droplets and the overall spray. Therefore, I have been working to come up with a theory or experiments to bridge across scales (from micro to macro) for a problem of interest, which I hope will ultimately help to address multiscale problems in broader scientific contexts.
What advice would you give to someone considering studying Engineering?
Be proud! Throughout history, engineering has played a vital role in human civilisation. As engineers, we harness the power of nature to create useful solutions. This is a highly rewarding profession.
However, we must remain mindful of the impact our work can have on people's lives and the environment - for instance, consider the consequences if natural power is misused? What if we falsify the design of aircrafts for whatever reason?
While studying engineering, you will acquire specialised knowledge and skills, opening up exciting career opportunities. My advice, or rather, wish for you is to be proud, honest and responsible individual. Remember the timeless adage: "With great power comes great responsibility."
What do you do in your spare time?
On a beautiful day, I like to walk around my neighbourhood during both morning and afternoon hours. It helps me organise thoughts and refresh. While walking, I also like to observe flows in nature such as falling leaves, rivers, and dew or rain droplets on plants!