Read more about Singapore\u2019s Best Employers 2026 here.<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Nothing calms a new hire\u2019s nerves more than knowing that someone more experienced has their back.<\/p>\n In her first week at DSO National Laboratories<\/span><\/a>, Ms Jolene Kwek had exactly that. Paired with a work buddy, she was never left to figure things out alone.<\/p>\n She remembers one early session \u2013 she sat with her notebook open as her colleague patiently took her through the key aerodynamics fundamentals and the laboratory\u2019s simulation tool she would rely on as an aerodynamics engineer. For three hours, she scribbled down everything she could.<\/p>\n \u201cAerodynamic design and testing is the bread and butter of aerodynamics work. It\u2019s very important to get the basics right,\u201d says Ms Kwek, 24. <\/p>\n \u201cEven now, if I don\u2019t know something, I\u2019ll go back to that notebook.\u201d<\/p>\n Her assigned buddy was senior aerodynamics engineer Jonathan Lim \u2013 and, as it turned out, a familiar face. <\/p>\n The two had already worked together in 2023 during Ms Kwek\u2019s three-month summer internship before her final year of studies at the National University of Singapore. She was offered the DSO Merit Scholarship after the internship and joined DSO a year later upon graduation.<\/p>\n Beyond the lab, Ms Kwek conducts science and technology workshops for secondary school students, introducing them to aerodynamics software and real-world analysis.<\/p>\n PHOTO: DSO NATIONAL LABORATORIES <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n At DSO, employees are given not only close guidance from day one, but also the latitude to question, test and build on their ideas, no matter how inexperienced they are. <\/p>\n They can also seek mentors from other departments, widening their exposure to different domains. <\/p>\n During Ms Kwek\u2019s internship, Mr Lim, 31, mentored her on a project that drew on her background in aerodynamics. <\/p>\n It focused on using machine learning to analyse images of different airfoils and predict their performance. These insights could one day accelerate the design cycle of DSO\u2019s unmanned aerial vehicles.<\/p>\n Ms Kwek recalls how she was only in her first month as an intern when she spotted an opportunity \u2013 how different methods of pre-processing the images could improve the models\u2019 outputs. The response from her supervisors was immediate: Go ahead and try.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s always this two-way communication (with my supervisors), to help align our work with our interests, and make sure that we are satisfied and engaged,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n Senior aerodynamics engineer Jonathan Lim (second from right) and his colleagues receiving a calligraphy note of thanks from a student at DSO\u2019s World of Science workshop in 2024.<\/p>\n PHOTO: DSO NATIONAL LABORATORIES<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n In 2026, DSO has again been named among Singapore\u2019s 250 best employers<\/span><\/a> in a list compiled by global research firm Statista in collaboration with The Straits Times<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/picture><\/div>
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