It is not easy describing her work in DSO, other than stating that it evolves around signal processing to achieve the most desired results.

Quickly, you realise her work is top secret, but Huixian prefers the attention be paid on the fact that her work is special. “Most people don’t realise that my team and I are working on high-end science, and that we are not working with something that is always already proven. But rather, we make discoveries and the most exciting part of it all, is that we implement them into real defence systems.”

Creating an impact is something close to Huixian’s heart. Her research career may have just begun, but she is setting her sights far in wanting to do top-notch research work, hopefully Nobel prize equivalent. She also wants to publish more papers.

Like all great researchers, challenges excite her. In her daily course of work, she strives to overcome technical challenges as she pushes the limit of physics, devises algorithms and exploits technology for greater advantage.

When the going gets tough, she finds talking to experts in the field and reading up on current research literature to be very useful.

Her team mates have been an inspiration to her. “It is great working with like-minded individuals who are equally excited about research.”

She is also grateful to her supervisors in DSO, who are always eager to discuss her challenges and ideas. They have sent her to overseas conferences to gain further exposure in her field of research.

These have reinforced Huixian’s belief that engineering is the bridge between science theories and the practical world. “The ability to apply these theories and invent something meaningful is what I love most about my job.”