DATA SCIENTIST BY DAY, OPERA SINGER BY NIGHT
Prof (Dr) Matthew Chua balances his time between his data science work, classical singing hobby and his family of five.He crunches numbers at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), using data science to contribute to policy-making and resource management.
But after work, his inner Pavarotti emerges and he displays his love for opera through classical singing.
Prof (Dr) Chua has performed professionally at the side for over 10 years. The 36-year-old sang at the Lee Kuan Yew Memorial Concert and SG50 Concert at the Park in 2015, and more recently at the Catholic 200SG Concert in 2021. In 2019, he was first runner up at the NUS Rising Star competition.
Listen to him belting it out here:
The professor at the opera
Despite the theatrics of the role, Prof (Dr) Chua's beginnings in the opera were quite simple. A church choir boy since secondary school, he was told that he had a potential for classical singing – which is usually done solo.
It was only after national service that he started taking it seriously. He took formal classical singing lessons and joined the Singapore Lyric Opera, a performing arts company.
"I performed with them on a regular basis during my university days. In fact, I think I was singing more than I was studying!" he added cheekily.
He graduated with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering in 2012, before earning his PhD as a Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) in 2015.
Using data science for good
Now an Assistant Director of Data Science at MINDEF, Prof (Dr) Chua leads a team of data scientists in projects to improve the ministry's policy outcomes and operational efficiency.
Last year, he joined the national-level Data Arcade Tournament, organised by GovTech. As part of the annual competition, participants were given complex data from various agencies, to analyse and form a data storytelling narrative.
Prof (Dr) Chua presented his recommendations for the National Council of Social Service, and clinched 2nd runner up in the tournament.
"It was the first time I took part in a data science competition at a Whole-of-Government scale and my first time using the (data analytics) tool Qlik.
"I'm grateful for the support of my colleagues and bosses through this memorable journey," he said.
With a passion for data, Prof (Dr) Chua spends his after-work hours giving lectures on artificial intelligence and novel technologies at the National University of Singapore, School of Medicine on an ad-hoc basis.
As an Assistant Professor there, he also mentors Masters and PhD students in their research.
"I hope to inspire them to be excited about data science… My excitement in this field comes not only from the continuously evolving technologies, but also from the people, who are constantly evolving."
The busy professor is also a father of three – who hopes to build up a mini choir at home!
On how he balances his time between his job, hobby and family, he said that prioritising is key.
"One thing for sure is that I cannot juggle all these things without strong family network.
"I thank my supportive and understanding wife who oversees the matters at home; and my parents and in-laws who step in to help as and when needed."
