Sarah’s curiosity led her to the world of academia.
After graduating from NUS with a double degree in business administration and chemical engineering in 2012, Sarah joined Unilever working in various roles, including procurement. She never planned to become an academic, but one year working in the private sector left her hungry for new knowledge.
Even after graduating, she remained in contact with Professor Sun Jie. When he found out about her desire to further her studies, he recommended she pursue a PhD with what is now the Department of Analytics and Operations and that he would be her mentor.
Embracing change
When Dr Sarah Gao Yini was in the second year of the NUS Business School PhD programme, she faced one of the biggest challenges of her life: she became pregnant. Feeling torn between pursuing her career as an academic and being a mother, she did not know what to do.
“I remember that day when she told me about taking a break because of the baby. She was hesitant and fearful of the future,” said Teo Chung Piaw, Professor of Analytics and Operations, who took over as her mentor in the PhD programme.
Prof Teo advised her that starting a family might take up some time, but it would not affect her research productivity since the generation of research ideas and methods depends on one’s creativity. He also shared that his personal experience of starting his family during his PhD course.
“Balancing my personal life with a demanding research agenda was the greatest challenge during my time at school,” recalled Sarah.
Besides Prof Teo’s support, she received help from the PhD and Research Department as well as her fellow classmates who would exchange ideas with her and lend a hand when possible. Sarah’s former mentor, Prof Sun Jie, continued to coach her with her research and even offered personal advice.
