Watching CSI and Hong Kong crime shows as a child, Sherwin Ng was fascinated by how investigators pieced together clues at the crime scene. This interest in forensic science lingered even as he grew up, but was ultimately shelved when he chose to pursue an undergraduate degree in chemistry at Nanyang Technological University.
Sherwin began working towards a career in the chemistry labs—until an advertisement for the HTX Associate Programme caught his eye. Now, he works as a forensic scientist at the HTX Forensics Centre of Expertise (CoE).
Projects that align with his passion
Sherwin describes finding the role as a serendipitous fit. During his undergraduate studies, he had been researching how machine learning could help predict the outcome of different drug properties as part of his final year project. When he interviewed at HTX, he was pleasantly surprised that this area of interest matched the work done at Forensics CoE.
Excitedly, he recalls, “They wanted to look into how machine learning or artificial intelligence (AI) can support forensic investigations. I was very interested in how I could use my knowledge to help, so I took the offer.”
Since joining in June 2023, Sherwin has used his experience to support the operations of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB). “I want to enhance their operational capabilities to make their lives easier,” he says.
Similar to his final year project, he’s examining the structure of drug molecules to understand what properties give them psychoactive effects. In the long term, this will help determine which drugs should be considered illegal and why.
In a separate project, Sherwin is also investigating how AI can “optimise fingerprints”. “Fingerprints found over text or on a reflective glass panel can be difficult to analyse. So we’re looking at whether we can use AI to remove the background and clean up the image for officers,” he explains.
Opportunities to learn on the job
But isn’t it difficult to work on such projects without a strong computer science background? Sherwin has found that the answer is no. “When they hired me, they told me that I didn’t need to be an expert in this field and that they would be willing to train me,” he says.
To this end, Sherwin is looking forward to spending his mandatory 100 annual training hours required of Xponents honing his technical skills and deepening his understanding of AI and machine learning.
In any case, the forensics team is very diverse, with people coming from biology, physics and engineering backgrounds alongside chemistry and pharmacology. Every time he has a question about a different topic, there is always an “expert” he can ask for advice and help, he says.
Enjoying autonomy and ownership
Sherwin believes that the collaborative nature of his team is partly due to the open work culture at HTX.
He first noticed this during the HTX employee induction programme, which featured a range of ice-breaking games to make the new Xponents feel welcome and “part of the family”. Particularly memorable for him was that members of senior management took the time to meet with new officers and explain the organisation’s work. “They were very direct and honest. They wouldn’t beat around the bush and if they didn’t know the answer, they would just say that,” Sherwin recalls.
We have a lot of leeway in exploring our ideas.
He is convinced that this open and honest attitude has permeated the ranks, trickling down to his direct superiors—Sherwin can approach them directly with any questions. He is also grateful for the degree of autonomy they give him.
“We have a lot of leeway in exploring our ideas and are not restricted to using a particular technique in our research,” he explains. “Instead, our reporting officers give us a picture of what each project will look like. We work on it and have a weekly meeting to check in with them and stay on track.”
For Sherwin, the flexibility, trust and level of ownership he is given is an incentive for his daily work. He hopes to further deepen his technical expertise before considering if he may prefer to move to a managerial track in the future.
His advice to future Xponents? “Be open-minded, willing to learn new things and adapt.” Opportunities abound at HTX, but only if you have the curiosity and courage to seize them.
Are you a STEM graduate looking for a meaningful career and a positive work culture? Find out more about the HTX Associate Programme here.