Humans of HTX: The zoo trainer turned CBRNE scientist

• Charmaine Sim is a CBRNE scientist at HTX driven by a desire to contribute to society and protect public safety.
• Her career spans wildlife conservation, public health and high-stakes laboratory operations.
• She was involved in the operationalisation of HTX’s CBRNE@Changi, which strengthens Singapore’s pandemic preparedness and response to CBRNE threats.

Charmaine Sim strides across the glaring white chambers of HTX’s new Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) laboratory at Changi with practised ease. She introduces the hermetically sealed spaces in brisk but unharried tones: here lies a device that automates the extraction of laboratory samples; there, a sterile room where DNA and RNA are amplified to enable accurate detection.

The glinting, 6,352 sq m facility was conceived in response to the lessons gleaned from the Covid-19 pandemic, when the CBRNE border operations team was stretched to increase PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) testing. It was against this backdrop of exigency that Charmaine started her career as a CBRNE scientist at HTX.

Though she had previously worked as a medical laboratory technologist, the experience was nonetheless daunting. “We were tasked with testing hundreds of samples daily from people issued Stay-Home notices, and I was on standby 24/7 if the scientists required assistance,” she recalled.

But she weathered the grind, fuelled by a desire to “serve a higher purpose,” which was kindled while working in healthcare.

“At the hospital, we were very careful with our testing, as it directly affected how doctors treated their patients. I like having such an impact on the public, which is why I joined HTX,” she shared.

Her work, which involves testing substances to intercept public safety threats across HTX’s network of laboratories, is anchored in structured procedures, and there’s good reason for this.

“We might receive white powder from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) or Singapore Police Force (SPF) that could be anything from bioagents to baby powder, so we must approach the task cautiously and take all the necessary precautions – such as wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE),” she explained. Such crucial details are often tossed out of the window in silver screen portrayals of her profession.

“What really gets to me are movies in which scientists handle biological agents wearing nothing but gloves and a pair of goggles – no respiratory protection at all,” she laughed.

“They’re not going to survive a pandemic for sure.”

Searching for purpose

Scientists, bound by exacting methodologies and unflinching rigour, are not known to dwell on ambiguity. But who’s to say they’re impervious to the occasional existential dilemma?

Watching a beloved foster rabbit pass away in her arms left Charmaine, an animal lover, bedbound in grief for days. The tragedy gave her pause to ruminate on the age-old mystery of mortality.

“I have many questions that can’t be answered by science – for instance, where does the soul go when someone dies?” mused the scientist.

It's a mammoth of a question, one that’s unlikely to be tidily resolved within the span of a PCR test; but she isn’t losing sleep over it. The 37-year-old prefers instead to channel her energy towards actions that yield tangible outcomes, such as testing everything from SARS-CoV-2 wastewater samples to samples from live poultry, to safeguard the public.

Science, she said, serves as a counterpoint to life’s enigmas. “Within science, there is structure and certainty.”

Contributing to the greater good has been a throughline in Charmaine’s career, which started with her wearing a khaki suit, instead of a lab coat – in an environment teeming with wildlife rather than test tubes. At 20, she joined Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) as a part-time animal trainer and presenter at the Night Safari, where she performed tasks such as animal husbandry and bird photography. She’d taken a shine to the idea of working at the zoo after attending a cousin’s wedding there.

Given her long-held affinity for animals, she took to the role naturally. “Animals are so pure – they have no malice, and it brings me a lot of peace interacting with them,” said the former animal shelter volunteer. Learning to intuit animals’ needs also honed her sense of empathy.

That same compassion extends beyond the workplace. For more than two decades, Charmaine and her family have volunteered as fosterers for non-profit animal welfare group House Rabbit Society Singapore (HRSS), which rescues and rehomes abandoned rabbits.

During her stint at WRS, she was particularly fond of a green-winged cockatoo named Junior, an apparently mutual sentiment.

“He flew away when I left to study in Australia. My colleagues joked that he went to look for me,” she said, laughing.

Amusing anecdote aside, working with wildlife allowed her to spread the wider message of conservation, and “be part of something bigger than just me”.

A rewarding career in science

Now, five years into her tenure at HTX, she appreciates the dynamic role that keeps monotony at bay. Besides managing complex multi-stakeholder Covid-19 operations, she’s helped drive improvements to crucial laboratory systems. “There are always ways to expand your horizons,” she said.

Recently, she was involved in the building and operationalisation of the pandemic-ready CBRNE@Changi, together with the Immigrations & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) – a full-circle experience which led to job transformation.

“Instead of focusing mainly on day-to-day operations, I now spend more time asking questions, analysing data and considering long-term impact in our workflows and designs,” she shared.

And while the reality of beavering away in a laboratory may indeed be less thrilling than what’s depicted in sci-fi movies, it’s nonetheless rewarding.

“We work silently behind the scenes to keep Singapore safe and secure, which I greatly appreciate,” she concluded.