There is the old adage that excellence is the product of satisfaction in one’s labour. IMST graduate Dr Teo Chee Chong, who attained a Master of Science degree in 2001 and was conferred his doctoral degree in 2006, believes strongly in this. Upon the completion of his studies at SMA, he was successfully offered an appointment at the Division of Infrastructural Systems and Maritime Studies in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, NTU. As an Assistant Professor, he will contribute his expertise in logistics management and operations research to the relatively new Maritime Studies programme. He will build upon the industrial relations and research opportunities to spearhead growth in the field.

Chee Chong’s position allows him to fulfill his passion in research and teaching, both of which he first experienced at SMA. He said, ‘I have a passion for research. I am always excited by new discoveries and in solving challenging problems. I love to teach too. I was the Teaching Assistant for a number of courses during my Ph.D. candidature and these experiences have affirmed my passion for teaching. Being an academic offers me the best of both worlds.’

Such is Chee Chong’s commitment to research that he deems it as his most outstanding accomplishment at SMA. ‘I feel that one of my greatest achievements in my Ph.D. was that I was able to combine both theory and practice in my research. I worked with a company at which I applied my mathematical model to ensure the relevance of my research to practical industrial problems. This was made possible by the IMST programme’s rich industrial connections.’

It is no surprise when he concluded by saying, ‘I work towards becoming a valuable member of NTU by excelling in research, teaching and industrial collaboration.’

SMA strongly believes that Chee Chong will certainly be able to achieve that because he enjoys what he does and SMA is proud to have played a part in it.