He is an avid Chinese chess player and gets a real kick out of solving brain teasers. In fact, Ng Khin Hua, a Senior Member of Technical Staff from DSO’s Cognition and Fusion Lab, is proud to admit that he is, and enjoys, being analytical.

“I like to know how things work.” But he doesn’t stop there. “I want to also know why they work.” So when things are faulty, he takes them apart and dig deep into the causes. Assembling computers from scratch? No problem. In fact, Khin Hua quite enjoys it.

So the Defence Technology Training Award or DTTA (now known as DSTA Scholarship) was not only an obvious choice, it was the perfect choice. It gave Khin Hua the chance to do applied research in the areas of mathematics and computing to develop and provide leading-edge technology for our nation’s defence.

Awarded the DTTA in 1994, he eagerly pursued his R&D interest in DSO upon graduating with a 1st class honours degree in Computational Science & Mathematics from the National University of Singapore.

Since then, he has never looked back. Not surprising, since his work deals with complex mathematical equations and hours of computer programming to create intelligent software systems. These systems process information harnessed from different sources, such as sensors, to provide soldiers with enhanced assessment of the battlefield.

In fact, Khin Hua has been the Project Leader for some of these technology development projects. He says zealously that there are many fascinating algorithms behind an intelligent system, and the challenge comes from working on new and even better algorithms to meet the operational requirements of these intelligent systems. “It’s like the battle of the wits!”

In recognition of his technical contribution, Khin Hua and his project team mates won the Defence Technology Prize or DTP (R&D Team) award in 2005. DTP is the Ministry of Defence’s most prestigious national award that honours teams and individuals who have made outstanding science and technological contributions to Singapore’s defence capability.

The team was also awarded an internal organisation-wide group performance award to applaud the outstanding achievements of their project.

The team’s success, according to Khin Hua, boils down to two simple factors: passionate colleagues who are relentless in pursuing Excellence and Teamwork – values which are part of the dynamic learning culture that DSO promotes.

“In DSO, you are respected for the technical expertise you hold and not just because of your seniority.” He also likens the fact that one could always present their views without being ‘penalised.’

He believes that such a positive culture is the breeding ground for new ideas and innovations, adding that, “No spark of ideas are too small to explore in DSO as there are always avenues to test it out.”

The fostering of continuous learning is deeply rooted in Khin Hua’s passion for research. He took up DSO’s postgraduate in-service scholarship in 2003 for a Masters to further his knowledge in computing. “My passion for research runs on the fuel of knowledge, which allows me to identify challenging problems and formulate solutions.” Awarded the same postgraduate scholarship in 2008, he is now obtaining his PhD at the Imperial College London.

When asked if there is anything else other than his research that keeps him constantly on his toes, Khin Hua’s face lit up immediately. “Playing with my two daughters never fails to drain that last bit of energy from my body and yet, it is ever so fulfilling!”

For Toh Sze Wei, receiving the Defence Technology Training Award or DTTA (now known as DSTA Scholarship) in 1995 was a dream come true.

Since young, he has developed a particular interest in war histories and would enjoy watching every war documentary and movie he can get his hands on. “It’s fascinating to know how new technologies and inventions were used by the military to win a war,” Sze Wei eagerly exclaims.

The DTTA gave him an opportunity to study and create technological innovations to enhance the defence and security of Singapore by working with like-minded individuals in the Defence Technology Community.

Focused in the field of robotics since his university days, Sze Wei was able to continue working in his area of interest when he joined DSO. He started in a team project to develop a small all-terrain robot and even had the chance to test the systems in one of his robotics projects in Australia.

Today, Sze Wei is a Programme Manager, and he and his team continue to focus in the field of robotics where they design, develop and build wheeled, tracked and legged robots. Their years of hard work have paid off, as they will be transiting one of these developments for the Singapore Armed Force’s operations.

A self-confessed techie, Sze Wei can hardly contain the joy of his exploratory developments in robotics. While most of us liken robots to nothing more than just metal outfits, Sze Wei’s fascination is skin deep. “Robots are intricate machineries that are a work of science and art. If you explore how they think, react and move, it’s truly one of man’s greatest achievements! ”

One of his fond memories includes study visits to renowned American and Japanese universities to learn more about robotics. “These overseas trips are great learning experiences, as they give you insight into the latest state-of-the-art technology and research trends.”

His passion and commitment to the field of robotics clearly shows. Sze Wei won an organisation-wide group performance award awarded by DSO, in recognition of his excellent technical contribution. He attributes his success to the positive culture in DSO, such as striving for continuous learning and organisational camaraderie, and noting the many recreational activities organised by the staff committee to support work life balance.

A firm believer and advocate of the learning culture in DSO, Sze Wei has been involved in two student mentorship programmes. “As I benefited a lot from my industrial attachment in DSO, I wish to share and spread this benefit to more students,” he says. By letting students experience the R&D environment in DSO, he hopes to kindle their interest in a career in R&D.

Sze Wei is thankful that DSO has given him the opportunity to further his technical knowledge, as well as management skills. Over the past eight years, he has been entrusted with progressively challenging responsibilities that spanned across project to policy management. As programme manager for robotics, Sze Wei is currently heading a programme to plan DSO’s research focus in robotics.

“Through my career development and progression, DSO has certainly fulfilled my career aspirations,” Sze Wei says, before rushing off to his regular basketball session during DSO’s Sports Hour every Friday.

For the uninitiated, the work of a researcher can be both complex and challenging, but this go-getter is certainly not shying away from it. As a research engineer with DSO, Shuwen, Member of Technical Staff of DSO’s Ground Surveillance lab, is a firm believer that there is little sense of satisfaction for something which comes easy. “It summons for a character check if one easily bows down to difficulty,” she adds.

This might be easier said than done, but it is exactly what this Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) scholar chose after a 6-month industrial attachment where she first started out in a project engineer role. “I had no initial involvement with R&D and was unprepared for a career in this field.” Yet, the decision to take up R&D in DSO comes close to the heart, as Shuwen always had an affinity towards a career with a national security agenda in mind. “My father used to bring me to many Army, Air Force and Navy open house events and this sparked my interest in defence systems,” she says.

So when Shuwen was offered the DSTA Scholarship in 2001, she was overjoyed as it gave her the best of both worlds - a first-class education with excellent career opportunities in multi-disciplinary technological fields, while playing a pivotal role in enhancing Singapore’s defence capabilities.

One of her fond memories during her undergraduate days was a nine-month long attachment in France with SONDRA (collaboration between Suplelec, ONERA, the National University of Singapore and DSTA), where she worked closely with an esteemed team of engineers and researchers to produce and deliver clear project objectives. “It was a valuable learning experience, as it exposed me to a dynamic research environment, where I learnt to embrace diversity in work attitudes and cultural elements” she reminiscences. “Thinking back, it was a lot of fun!”

As a member of technical staff in DSO now, Shuwen continues to find joy in her current research on radar systems, where she is actively involved in both indoor and outdoors trials, collection and analysis of data. She finds it fascinating that her research is constantly evolving, as it further stimulates her interest in the field of defence technology.

But it wasn’t always easy from the beginning. Shuwen admits that she knew nothing about radar systems in the beginning and was concerned if she could contribute to the job. Yet she knew R&D in DSO would give her lots of opportunities to learn. “The knowledge for R&D work on radar systems is something that neither my school nor any other organisations can provide.”

So for those who are eager for a R&D career, Shuwen has a piece of advice. “It’s not always smooth sailing because tests and trials are not always positive but there is a lot of joy and pride when there are finally some good results.” She adds that the journey is as important as the destination and one has much to gain at every step of their work.

A testament to her passion and hard work, the first exciting radar project that Shuwen was involved in went on to garner a group achievement award within the organisation, in recognition of the project’s achievements.

She attributed the success of the project to the mutual encouragement and peer motivation from her project mates, birthed from a knowledge-seeking and sharing culture in DSO. “In DSO, there are many experienced colleagues and the door is always opened for discussion. No suggestions are useless; no opinions are stifled, even between staff and their supervisors.” Shuwen explains this creates opportunities for spontaneous on-the-job-training and lessons learnt this way can never be found in books. This has enriched both her personal and professional growth.

Most importantly, Shuwen emphasises that DSO’s pursuit for excellence and innovation begins with its staff, fostering a greater innovation environment. Each employee is given a yearly self-development fund, where they can take up external courses to enhance their effectiveness at work. “In fact, I was granted a 5-day course on radar fundamentals shortly after I joined DSO.”

For this young budding researcher, it’s also about working and playing hard, as she finds time to indulge in her scrap-booking hobby, bringing together her interests in photography, paper craft and design all into one. She appreciates the good work-life balance at DSO and adds that “the recreation calendar in DSO is interspersed with a wide variety of events for staff to participate in.”

Since taking up her challenge almost 3 years ago to immerse in cutting-edge research in DSO, Shuwen is looking forward to learning more and hopes to take up new research in systems engineering and even management responsibilities. “Sometimes I remind myself to take up challenges rather than returning to my comfort zone.”

And that’s the spirit of a great researcher!