By Kowsar Teymouri

Graphic design by Yu-Wen Jan

It was a mid-July afternoon, and I was busy wrapping up my week when I received an email from the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics (ISPG) with the subject’s first word reading “Congratulations”! My heart skipped a beat–I had received the Early Career Investigator Program award to attend the World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics (WCPG) in Singapore! This was an absolute dream come true.

Singapore was everything I had always imagined and more. Once I stepped into the Changi International Airport, I was blown away. The airport is home to the Jewel, an entertainment complex with the world’s tallest indoor waterfall surrounded by lush greenery and botanical terraces. I was mesmerized by its magic!

The Jewel at the Changi International Airport

WCPG is one of my favourite conferences, as it closely aligns with my research on the genetics of schizophrenia. It gathered psychiatric geneticists from around the world to share the most recent advancements in methodologies and exciting findings in the field, which packed my days with unique learning. ISPG is special as it provides an excellent avenue for scientists to collaborate through Psychiatric Genetics Consortium groups and combine their data to conduct genome-wide association studies with impressive numbers of samples, allowing for novel insights with strong statistical power to be made.  

My husband and I made sure to plan for a few extra days beyond the conference so we would have time to explore Singapore together. We spent one day wandering through the vibrant neighbourhoods of the city, admiring its stunning architecture. Chinatown, with its bustling street market and irresistible tropical fruit stands, was a unique experience–it has a rich cultural heritage and is home to the famous Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, as well as the beautiful Sri Mariamman Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore.

The Sri Mariamman Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore

The next day, we hopped on the famous Hello Kitty cable cars to visit Sentosa Island, where we walked through the breathtaking nature trails. Matching the genetic theme of the conference, we walked through the double helix bridge to get to Marina Bay, which gives you a perfect angle to see the best that Singapore has to offer: the famous Marina Bay Sands, the Gardens by the Bay, the ArtScience museum, and the Merlion statue–the half-lion, half-fish symbol of Singapore.

The Marina Bay Sands and ArtScience Museum

One thing that surprised me about Singapore was the language. Singaporeans speak “Singlish”–a unique local dialect that combines English with words and phrases from Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil. It sounds Chinese, but if you pay close attention, you can catch the English!

This was one of the most unforgettable trips of my life. I received valuable career advice from a remarkable mentor at WCPG and connected with top researchers in my field. And, of course, Singapore was the perfect content opportunity for my travel blog!