Industrial Seminar Series(ISS): ExxonMobil and Deutsche Bank

The Faculty of Science Industrial Seminar Series (ISS) was conceived as a series of idea-rich talks by industries offering abundant professional opportunities for science students, and the talks seek to inspire and broaden the minds of our students preparing for their careers.

Deutsche Bank Singapore

The first installation of the ISS kicked off with a presentation by Deutsche Bank Singapore.

Speaking at the seminar were Deutsche Bank Singapore’s Ms Serene CHEN, Manager Director and Head of Risk Management Solutions, APAC, and Head of MNCs, Global Emerging Markets, and Dr TIAN Zhiling, Director, Global Emerging Markets. The speakers recounted their own journeys as STEM graduates and how they grew with Deutsche Bank. The panel also shared about a recent project that Deutsche Bank brought to fruition for a Taiwanese offshore wind farm, as part of the Bank’s commitment towards supporting ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) initiatives for a green and sustainable future.

This spoke to the interests of the student attendees from the quantitative sciences as well as those from environmental studies, appealing to both their technical interests and passions in mitigating the impact of human activities on the environment.

ExxonMobil

The second installment of the ISS provided participating students with insights into the energy and petrochemicals industry. Dr Saifudin ABUBAKAR, our Chemistry alumnae, and current Global Strategic Portfolio Manager at ExxonMobil Chemical Asia Pacific, was the speaker at the seminar.

Dr ABUBAKAR shared an overview of the research & development (R&D) efforts at ExxonMobil, and how the company is advancing climate solutions in hard-to-decarbonize sectors such as power generation, commercial transport, and industrial materials and processes. With expertise in carbon capture and storage, light-weighting, reversible polymers and materials research, ExxonMobil has been developing solutions that mankind has needed for improved standards of living since the 1940s. These insights provided participants with a better idea of the research innovation by ExxonMobil, and offered a glimpse to future career opportunities.

The first seminar was held on 8 September, while the ExxonMobil session on 21 September, was the first hybrid seminar of the semester – 37 students physically attended the session while over 60 participants joined virtually over Zoom.

Upcoming ISS talks for Semester 1 will include speakers from the fragrance and flavour industry, the biotechnology industry, and food & beverage (F&B) industry.