Institute of High Performance Computing

It’s uncommon, though not unheard of, but the keeping of chickens as pets for Dr Daniel Cheong of the Computational Materials Science programme is a pastime that serves both a recreational as well as practical nature. “We keep about 6 chickens at home - 1 rooster, 4 hens, and a baby chick… They are meant as pets (though we haven’t really named them...) and we do eat the eggs that are produced, but before you think that’s all, we have eaten some of the roosters as well… They were just making too much noise early in the morning and they had to go!”

Despite the fact that Daniel eats his alarm clocks, he nevertheless looks forward to his day at IHPC where his research interests include molecular modelling and simulations and the studying of ionic systems. Having spent 13 years studying and living in the US, he is surprised and encouraged to find that there is much similarity here in terms of working culture as it is over there. “…I also really enjoy the diversity of people in IHPC. One thing I missed about being in school and in the US is the fact that you are in an environment where you can meet and interact with different people from very diverse cultures and backgrounds. I think it’s great that we have a similar environment here at IHPC...” Like many before him, the calling to be a researcher did not come about until his days as a Ph.D. student. “I don’t recall there being a moment of conscious decision that I was going to be a researcher. Perhaps the closest thing would be making the decision to pursue a Ph.D. But I have always liked Math and Science and wanted to do and learn something new, so going into research seemed to be a logical choice for me…”

As part of his Ph.D work, Daniel was looking at phase behaviour of electrolytes of different charge and size. He was able to formulate and utilise a new method to more than triple the scope of the charge difference of the electrolytes that he and his group were studying, i.e. boosting from a 3:1 charge ratio to a 10:1 charge ratio. This provided effective data to gain some insights into the behavioural patterns of colloidal and micellar systems. “I have always enjoyed working with computers, and my background is in molecular simulations, so I thought I could fit into IHPC quite well. I also believe that computational science will only become more and more important in research and at this moment, there is a pressing need for more researchers to be engaged in this new frontier….’

As a researcher and primarily a scientist, Daniel cites the qualities of curiosity, creativity and perseverance as prime attributes that a researcher should have. “…You need to be curious enough to keep wondering and asking questions about how things work or how something can be improved. You also need to be creative while doing research to find new and better methods of doing things and to solve various problems at hand. But most importantly, you need determination and focus as the driving force behind the two C’s mentioned above because research is after all, an arduous process sometimes. In those times, you need to be able to persevere and not give up”

‘It takes both looking at the small details and the big picture in order to fully appreciate the wonders and awe of research work. Focusing on small mundane tasks would make research seem boring. But if you look at the big picture, and see the potential and possibilities of science and research, then I don’t think anyone can truly say that R&D is boring. That being said, there is excitement to be found even in the little things and accomplishments that you make along the way, such as perhaps finally figuring out why your simulations keep crashing and how to fix the problem!”

Though he may have high expectations of himself and his work, Daniel counts himself as just another regular guy-next-door… “I watch quite a lot of movies on DVDs. I tend to gravitate towards comedy, but I do watch all kinds, except for horror. I try to read as well, mostly fiction. I also dance ballroom and salsa”

“I think there are way too many places I would like to visit and too many things I want to learn. I would particularly like to visit Egypt and see the Great Pyramids, plus be able to ride on a camel’s back. I’d also like to pick up more dance styles, such as Argentine tango, Tap, and the Lindy Hop. ”

“The list goes on, so you can imagine how much planning this would take. I guess in the meantime, I’ll just be at home…. eating my chickens…”