Associate Professor Tang Fu Ee

“I have been with Curtin Malaysia for 14 years now. It’s been a long time but it was my first job after doing my PhD in the UK and I continue to love it. I’m a local boy, from Miri, and whilst I was still in the UK, my mother called and said, “Hey, did you know Curtin is opening in Miri? Maybe you want to come back?” That was her way of getting her boy to come home.

“When I was going into my degree, I had so many options I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I thought that since I was a science student, I should make use of my science background and pursued engineering. When I was actually doing it, I felt engineering as a profession was not the sort of career for me. So I thought of one way out, and a very practical way to help people, would be to teach and go into academia. During my undergraduate studies, my university offered a scholarship for PhD studies, which I applied for and won. So, I went on to do my PhD with the intention of going into academia.

“I love teaching. I really enjoy it. Sometimes when I’m down, I go into class and talking to young people makes me feel better. I feel a sense of achievement when students tell me they understand the knowledge I try to impart to them and that they enjoy my classes. This motivates me to improve my teaching further.

“Currently, as the Associate Dean of Learning and Teaching of the Faculty of Engineering and Science, I also get to mentor and assist staff members, particularly younger academics, on the finer points of teaching their classes. I enjoy this, too, and I always root for our staff to do well.

“A few things I wish I had known while I was studying is that you won’t apply everything that you study, and that you don’t need to master every single area. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to concentrate on the main concepts and not worry about mastering everything. I would also remind myself that there are lots of options. You don’t have to practice as an engineer or be in academia. The world is different now and there are all kinds of options. I think people should do what they really like. Personal happiness is very important.” –Associate Professor Tang Fu Ee, Associate Dean, Learning & Teaching, Faculty of Engineering and Science