My name is Natasha Stella Tibon. I am a graduate of the IMU Pharmaceutical Chemistry and am currently a R&D Analytical Chemist working at Novugen Pharma.

Since secondary school, I was fascinated with how medicines were made, how scientists develop them and how they work in our body. This curiosity led me to pursue a degree related to drug development. I am extremely blessed to be sponsored by Yayasan Peneraju to pursue my studies in Pharmaceutical Chemistry (PC) at IMU.

The PC programme has shaped me and equipped me with the necessary skills to excel in my current job role. The programme is designed with various learning opportunities and platforms for students to develop to sharpen their skills, from the basics of analytical knowledge and laboratory skills to the soft skills of critical thinking and communication skills.

Some great examples are the PBL (Problem-Based Learning) sessions and reverse-classrooms (also known as flipped classrooms) whereby I have to prepare my notes beforehand and have a student-led discussion with fellow students under the supervision of lecturers. The sessions will start with us presenting our findings relating to the problem statement/topic of discussion, followed by a Q&A session. As these are student-led discussion, we are, in a way, forced to take the initiative to drive the discussion ourselves. Looking back, it is through these sessions that I learn my communication skills, on how to present my findings boldly to an audience and to persuade them of my opinions.

As a chemist, it is an important skill to communicate sound science and present solutions to the problems that I faced at work.