Parenting vs PhDs: which is more challenging? 👶📚

Parenting vs PhDs: which is more challenging? 👶📚

PhD graduates from the Class of #NUS2026 Mervin Tee and Cindy Chan took on both at the same time. While pursuing their PhDs at @SSHSPH, the couple welcomed their first child, balancing thesis revisions, research setbacks, sleepless nights with newborn feeds, and the joys of early parenthood.

For Mervin, who once failed his O-Levels, the journey to a PhD has been anything but conventional. He persevered through polytechnic and university while working part-time, eventually completing his PhD in record time and graduating alongside Cindy. For Cindy, earning a PhD while navigating pregnancy, childbirth and the demands of caring for a newborn was an equally remarkable achievement.

Through partnership, resilience and unwavering support for one another, Mervin and Cindy prove that life's most demanding journeys can become deeply meaningful. 👨‍🎓👩‍🎓👶