Once a student exploring invisible molecular forces, Nathan Chai now works at Micron Technology making memory chips faster, denser and more reliable.
That journey from academic research to industrial impact was not accidental. Today, the process and equipment engineering senior manager leads a team of engineers focused on improving the manufacturing processes behind memory chips used in everyday devices.
Nathan has always wanted to improve things through science and technology. At 16, as an NUS High School student, he participated in scientific research projects at the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.
His work on surface plasmon resonance and its application on measuring molecular properties of thin films later won a Bronze Award at the Singapore Science and Engineering Fair.
“I have always been curious about developing new and better solutions for different things,” says Nathan, now 33 years old. “Physics has been a way for me not just to understand the world around me but to further technological innovation.”
While exploring his options in junior college, the Singapore-Industry Scholarship (SgIS) stood out.
“I prioritised industry because I wanted my career to be focused on innovating and generating real-world applications,” says Nathan.
He adds: “I saw the scholarship as an opportunity to gain an early start with a company I was genuinely interested in.
“This is why SgIS appealed to me, given its strong partnerships with multiple industry players.”
Covering a wide range of industries – with sponsoring organisations from engineering to hospitality, aviation and aerospace – SgIS is the only multi-industry scholarship offered in partnership with the Singapore Government at different stages of the university path. This means scholars can undertake either full-term or mid-term scholarships.
Nathan’s top pick from over 100 companies partnering with SgIS was semiconductor manufacturing giant Micron Technology.
“Through my research, I identified the semiconductor industry – and Micron in particular – as an area I was very keen to pursue. Knowing that SgIS partners with Micron ultimately confirmed my decision to apply,” says Nathan.
He was awarded the full-term scholarship, which sponsored his bachelor’s degree in engineering (chemical engineering) at NUS.
In his third year of university, Nathan did an internship with Micron Technology, where he was mentored by a senior leader of the fabrication plant.
During that time, Nathan focused on process improvement, where he had to identify inefficiencies and then implement applicable solutions for them.
“I have always been curious about developing new and better solutions for different things.”
– Nathan Chai, recipient of the Singapore-Industry Scholarship
In one instance, he had to write a script to automate several manual processes engineers on the floor dealt with every day. “They were still using it when I left,” he adds.
By the time he completed his internship, Nathan had participated in no less than three different projects and accrued substantial fluency in several coding languages.
“The skills and experience that I took away was way more than I had expected,” says Nathan.
He has since taken on a bevy of mentorship roles, both within and outside of Micron Technology.
He was part of the first batch of SgIS scholars who joined the committee of the LEAP (Lead, Excel, Accelerate, Progress) Programme, which comprises leadership development training, networking and mentoring.
“I served as a co-lead for the mentoring sub-committee, where we paired scholars with senior leaders in a structured year-long mentoring programme,” says Nathan.
“Beyond mentorship, the LEAP Programme also includes leadership development workshops and networking opportunities among scholars, which I feel provides a much stronger framework for the development of scholars, allowing them to fully maximise the opportunities available to them,” he adds.
Just last year, Nathan also joined the Singapore Institute of Technology’s (SIT) Industry Mentorship Programme – a collaboration between SIT’s Centre for Career Readiness and NTUC Youth – to mentor young engineers and help shape their career paths.
In his current job, Nathan is also committed to helping his team at Micron build technical skills and grow as individuals.
When he started, the most experienced engineer on his team had under two years of experience.
“Now, in such a short time, they are able to lead their own projects, come up with their own innovative ideas and run their own programmes,” says Nathan.
For him, that growth matters as much as any technical breakthrough. “Building my team from the ground up and seeing them achieve success in their own ways is really my proudest achievement,” he says.
