Theo Y.C. Lam

Theo Y.C. Lam
BSc (Hons) in Environment and Sustainable Development, 2016
MPhil in Environmental Engineering, 2019

My seven-year journal in CEE has been a fantastic one; I found my true calling in being a researcher. Most students who got into this program almost certainly consider sustainability to be one of the core elements in their value system; turning a belief into action requires not only dedication but experience and opportunity. In my undergraduate years, I had a vast experience in various aspects of the concept of “sustainability”, as the program offered courses in fundamental science, engineering, statistics, economics, ecology, environmental law and policy. Such variety empowers the student (a.k.a. me) to make a well-informed decision about their future career. For me, my final year project experience finally lured me into the path of academia.

CEE is also extremely resourceful. Our department hosts a state-of-the-art third-generation sequencing PacBio Sequel, the first installation in the Pacific-Asia area, and a private cluster of high-performance-computer! Fortunate enough, I was also the first person in charge of this sequencer and received official training in molecular biology and bioinformatics during my MPhil years. I was conducting a global survey of the microbiome in anaerobic wastewater, and this sequencer helped me get my first paper published. In addition, the bioinformatics skill I acquired from the training earned me a position in developing a bioinformatics pipeline for our fellow researchers at the department of applied biology and chemical technology.

With strong international connections, CEE allowed me to visit places like the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and TU Delft. And now, I continue to pursue my PhD at Imperial College London, which has a strong affiliation with CEE.

I am grateful for the opportunities arisen and the people I met during my years in CEE, I could not imagine what my life would be otherwise.