CHARTERED ENGINEER PROFILE
AN ATTRACTIVE PATHWAY TOWARDS
A PURPOSEFUL CAREER IN ENGINEERING ‘The Singapore Engineer’ speaks to Dr Victor Sim, on his career progression and the benefits he has derived from becoming a Chartered Engineer in Singapore. Dr Sim holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Applied Chemistry) degree with 1st Class Honours, from National University of Singapore, and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, from Nanyang Technological University.
Dr Victor Sim
The Chartered Engineer accreditation scheme was initiated by IES. The Singapore Engineer (TSE): Could you provide highlights of your career to-date, including the awards and commendations received? Dr Victor Sim (VS): It has been a gainful journey for me, applying domain skill sets to real-life projects and excelling in areas to generate new intellectual property. For example, I was Surbana Jurong’s (SJ) Principal Investigator for the SGD 3.2 million R&D project on big data analytics, artificial intelligence and digitalisation, in the water sector, for both stormwater (flood) management and plant process control. Both projects have resulted in minimal viable products (MVPs) with commercial applications. It was not easy commercialising R&D on the fly, but correct expectations were important to the overall success. Strategically, the scope covered more of the development portion and utilised an engineering mindset with an end in mind, and broke down various parts to smaller pieces, whilst also maintaining strict adherence to timelines. This engineering mindset was similar to the approach I took when overseeing the IES Repositioning Exercise Consultant Study which was carried out during Phase 2 in 2020. On paper, I had created and delivered new revenue streams with these MVPs and have lifted SJ’s capabilities and placed them, at least, on par with those of global consultants in the areas I have worked on. Within the SJ Group, I have been consulted on matters where my competencies in the area of water could be applied. For example, during the circuit breaker, last year, Changi Exhibition Centre (CEC) was chosen to be one of the multiple recovery centres for quarantining foreign workers. The CEC was not built for extended periods of occupation, as it was used for exhibitions, each lasting 18
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER June 2021
a few days, such as the Singapore Airshow which is held every two years. As a recovery centre for quarantined workers, the amount of wastewater generated would be an issue, as it had to be disposed of, every day. A water treatment facility had to be built onsite, in just a few months. With the shortage of available workers, a quickly deployable, plug-and-play solution was envisioned. Drawing on my experience overseas, I found that this decentralised solution presents a good economic opportunity in the ‘new normal’. Earlier, I had the great opportunity to work under Professor Ng Wun Jern, the previous Executive Director of NEWRI (Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute), who is a well-respected engineer. This was my first experience in a ‘pseudo management’ role. In a short span of time, I built up MECIA capabilities, after inheriting a non-engineering team, and honed my skills in supervision, project management and coordination, that I had picked up earlier in my postgraduate studies. I also picked up a lot of soft skills when I was at NEWRI Community Development (NEWRIComm). Besides being exposed to the various technical factors governing wasteto-biogas generation, fresh water treatment, wastewater treatment and sanitation works, across ASEAN, Sri Lanka and India, and becoming aware of the need to acquire pure domain knowledge to do this job well, it was also about exhibiting diplomacy at its best. How does one gain respect, when there is an observable difference in knowledge, culture and societal development, and one has to balance monetary and skill set transfers with financial sustainability, whilst keeping in mind, at the same time, the specific ethical, legal and regulatory requirements of overseas projects? In the functional role of Deputy Director, I assisted NEWRIComm to win multiple accolades, including the NTU Humanitarian Award 2018, and both the IES
