SINGAPORE – With the analytical mind of an engineer and the curiosity of a scientist, Mr Quek Gim Pew has the best of both worlds when it comes to research.

The 67-year-old graduated from NUS in 1981 in electrical engineering before earning his Master of Science degree from the Naval Postgraduate School in the US in 1986.

When he joined the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) more than 40 years ago, he became immersed in the world of defence research and development (R&D).

In his career with Mindef, Mr Quek held various leadership roles.

He was the chief executive of DSO National Laboratories (DSO) from 2004 to 2016 before becoming Mindef’s chief defence scientist until 2021.

Mr Quek is currently a director of SMRT Trains.

“In my early years, I did some developmental work on sensors and signal processing before moving on to planning and managing R&D.

“It was here that I had the opportunity to participate in many exciting programmes, from emerging technology development to full-scale system development.

“Many of these are classified, but it was most satisfying to know that these would put Singapore in good stead in times of uncertainty,” he t...