The SMU Office of Postgraduate Research Programmes organised its first Inaugural Interdisciplinary Workshop on “Moving Forward in the Post-Pandemic Time”. The Workshop was open to all SMU postgraduate research students. It was held virtually on 11 December 2020. Close to 50 postgraduate research students attended the Workshop.
Our esteemed panellists included Professor Timothy CLARK (SMU Provost), Professor David CHAN and Professor Kapil TULI. Professor WANG Heli (Dean, Postgraduate Research Programmes) moderated the session.
Participants gained insights from Professor David Chan, Professor Kapil Tuli and Professor Timothy Clark about coping with their research and academics in the midst of this pandemic.
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Professor CHAN explained how one's thoughts and feelings will subsequently affect the decisions, choices and behaviour, which in turn affect our productivity, social impact and how we are going to navigate through this crisis. He also emphasised on the multiplicity and linkages of dimensions, levels, social groups and changes that will affect individuals, social groups, institutions and the government.
Professor TULI shared about his experience and life as a doctoral student. He explained how COVID-19 can be a crisis turned into an opportunity where students should focus on the things they can control — their own mental health, physical health and research portfolio. The way COVID has impacted countries globally can be a rich data research opportunity. Students can then use this time to design meaningful research questions from this shock.
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Professor CLARK provided a great overview to how the pandemic has affected society and specifically the way our educational institutions operate. He also shared the trends to teaching, research and digital learning for both students and professors alike, as well as travelling, networking and other student activities. He culminated his talk with how we should look at pandemic, and the relations to different institutions, social trends and social groups should be viewed from a multi-stroke interdisciplinary approach instead. He also shared about his PhD student experience and insightful advice on how students should move forward and adapt to the situation.
