‘This isn’t your average science degree’: Brothers gain practical, transferable skills for growing aquaculture industry

Students also benefit from the strong partnerships that JCU has forged with industry partners and government agencies. In April 2021, JCU’s Tropical Futures Institute received part of a $23 million grant from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) to lead or collaborate on four research projects in sustainable urban food production.

Another benefit of studying at JCU is the small size of its aquaculture faculty.

This means classes are smaller as well, giving students more one-on-one time with their lecturers. This helps build a close-knit community among the faculty members, alumni and current students.

“I feel there’s a much better sense of mentorship in JCU,” says Tzer Chyan. “They are able to direct you to certain interests, find you opportunities or give you advice on further studies.”

Thanks to the varied backgrounds of the professors, students will be able to find mentorship in every aspect of aquaculture and the broader life sciences sector, from development of new genomic tools, to statistics and bioinformatics, to even farm management.

Dr Gibson-Kueh, for example, was the one who advised Tzer Shyun to apply to TMSI. A handful of his classmates from JCU’s aquaculture programme currently work in adjacent labs in TMSI, specialising in different areas like invertebrate populations, corals and seagrass.

“We never really interacted with any of these organisms in our curriculum, but they definitely did teach us the skills we need to adapt to our job requirements,” he says.

In his current role as a lab manager, he is part of the organism culture team, which cultures algae, as well as invertebrate species, that researchers can use for their projects.

Since JCU set up the aquaculture programme in 2017, successive batches of graduates have taken up varied roles – from lab managers to research assistants and farm managers – in aquaculture and related industries, such as seafood-processing businesses, pharmaceuticals and feed manufacturing.

Tzer Chyan has just graduated and is looking for a full-time position. He is keen to go into research, specialising in fish health management and aquatic animal diseases.

“I want to build up my work experience as much as possible,” he says, adding that he hopes to one day work in the National Parks Board or SFA. A career in academia is on the cards as well.

His older brother, too, is keeping an open mind even though he enjoys his current work as a lab manager.

“Research assistants tend to focus on a single project, but a lab manager has more opportunities to learn by observing multiple projects,” Tzer Shyun explains.

“Maybe that way I’ll find something I’m more interested in, which might determine my next career step,” he says, adding that companies are less likely to request specific degrees at job search sites.

“They always say ‘graduate in life science, marine science, aquaculture or equivalent’,” he says.

“Ultimately, they are looking for transferable skills that our aquaculture degree course at JCU has equipped us with.”

Find out more about the Bachelor of Science (Majoring in Aquaculture Science and Technology) programme available at the Singapore campus of James Cook University.

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