For some people, planning ahead is the key to achieving professional success. But for Dr. Charlle Sy, the chair of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, the best opportunities arise when she least expects them: a chance encounter with a colleague, a key stakeholder attending one of her presentations, or a research problem that reshapes her team. While these opportunities have sometimes made her feel off-kilter, they have also broadened her career in positive ways.
Period of uncertainty
Sy faced some of her most unexpected hurdles while majoring in industrial engineering in DLSU. Analytical and numbers-savvy, she was part of the third batch of BS/MS students—an honors program that allows undergraduates to pursue a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree simultaneously. Sy chose this degree program because she initially wanted to learn how things are made. “That (industrial engineering) became interesting to me, thinking that I would be working in a factory back then,” she explains.
However, her doubts started to creep in during her on-the-job training (OJT) in Lufthansa Technik Philippines, the country’s leading provider of aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul services. At the time, the company was working for Philippine Airlines. Sy was tasked to conduct time and motion studies, check the aircraft’s cockpits for any damage, and observe how the aircraft’s engines were repaired.
Although she is grateful for the experience, Sy faced plenty of “dead times” during her OJT: “I often find myself done with my tasks very early into the day and spend the majority of it being idle.” It also made her realize that she was not cut out for a traditional eight-to-five job, which often has a rigid and monotonous work schedule.
A new calling
In light of her OJT experience, Sy was anxious about starting her career because she felt unprepared to handle the rigor engineering demands. “I was trying to find other opportunities or other reasons for me not to join the workforce,” she shares. Eventually, another calling arrived in the form of a scholarship to the National University of Singapore (NUS), where she earned her doctorate degree.
Her time at NUS marked her introduction to teaching. As one of their scholars, Sy had to teach hundreds of students in the university’s lecture halls. She also held smaller tutorial sessions that catered to 30 to 40 students at a time. “It was in NUS that I realized that teaching is actually something that I enjoy doing. The rest is history,” she says.
After earning her doctorate degree, she returned to the Philippines to work as a professor at the Laguna Campus, where she taught courses related to research, engineering, and statistics. Although she lived in Quezon City, Sy’s dedication to teaching fueled her to travel for three hours to Biñan City three times a week.
Unlike NUS where auditorium-style classes are the norm, Sy’s classes in the Laguna Campus were small and personal. “I was only teaching three to four students,” she elaborates. Despite the adjustments she had to make, Sy says she “enjoyed the time in Laguna.” She adds that smaller classes provide more room for creativity and hands-on learning. They also make it easier for students to share their perspective on a topic.
However, Sy “was still looking for the big classrooms.” She also wanted to build a career as a researcher. After a year in Laguna, she moved to the Manila Campus to continue teaching. She was part of the University’s teaching staff for 10 years before becoming department chair.
Crossing frontiers
“Being asked to chair the department was a big surprise for me, because I actually tried to avoid any admin position,” Sy admits. While she initially found the role “daunting,” Sy says she has been getting the hang of it—slowly, but surely.
In addition to her administrative duties, Sy also spends her time as a graduate advisor. In fact, it was during a consultation for her students’ thesis topic that she chanced upon the field of micro hydropower systems through Engr. Isidro Marfori of the Department of Mechanical Engineering—a happy accident that ignited her curiosity in increasing the efficiency of these sustainable systems in generating electricity.
This discovery ultimately led her to win the 2023 Underwriters Laboratories ASEAN-U.S. Science Prize for Women. First held in 2014, the competition showcases the works of female scientists and highlights the importance of sustainable development.
Calling her achievement of the award a “wonderful surprise,” Sy credits Dr. Raymond Tan, vice chancellor for research and innovation, for encouraging her to apply for it. “I tried without any expectations at all, and it came as a surprise when I got through one stage after the next,” she recalls. It was such a surprise that when she received the news that she was one of the top two regional finalists for the prize, she had to cut a trip to Greece for a conference short.
Aside from her acclaimed work on micro hydropower systems, Sy has also done COVID-19-related research alongside Dr. Tan and Dr. Kathleen Aviso, the dean of the Gokongwei College of Engineering. During the height of the lockdown in 2020, they proposed a model to optimize the allocation of COVID-19 vaccines and antiviral drugs.
What lies beyond
Having discovered a passion for renewable energy, Sy plans to gear her research toward the Sustainable Development Goals by probing into other energy sources available in the environment. With a new batch of BS/MS students to mentor, Sy says she has been helping them work on their respective projects that explore solar and hydroelectric power, with some mentees even planning to continue her work on micro hydropower systems.
Aside from renewable energy research, Sy also envisions a deeper integration of data science and machine learning in her future work. Given the ever-evolving nature of her field, she recognizes the great need to catch up with innovations in technology in order to move forward and meet the growing demands of the industry.
When asked which aspect of her research she was most proud of, she replied that making graduate studies and research more mainstream in the field of industrial engineering has been particularly meaningful for her as a professor. “Back then, my students were content with just lectures and classes, but now, more students are becoming interested in joining conferences abroad and publishing [studies] of their own. That attitude inside the department is something I’m really proud of,” Sy remarks.
With an exciting new chapter as a visiting professor at Cornell University on the horizon, there seems to be no stopping this Filipina scientist’s steadfast determination as she traverses one unexpected journey after another, eyes open to whatever opportunity lies ahead. “Don’t put barriers to what you can or cannot do. Don’t be afraid to try, and be prepared to work hard.”
The Charlle Sy way—scientifically proven and tested.
