Yuhua Feng

Yuhua Feng is an undergraduate student at the School of Chemistry where she is pursuing a BSc in Chemistry and Mathematics. She also spent a year studying abroad at the National University of Singapore.

Undergraduate life at Leeds

Yuhua decided to study at Leeds because she really liked the fact that the University is a campus university. She had visited other universities, but at Leeds, it is very convenient because everything is so close together. She added, “Leeds as a city is very vibrant, both day and night time. It’s a city that has a great combination of calmness and livelihood depending on where you are, and I like this balance a lot. For example, on a nice sunny weekend, one of my favourite quiet places to visit is Roundhay Park. On the other hand, the busier places such as Headingley, Hyde Park and the City Centre are great places for entertainment.”

“I was undecided on what I wanted to do in the future so I chose to do a Bachelors degree in Chemistry and Mathematics because I believe that the programme could open doors for me after I graduate. Specialising in two subjects is tough but equally, it has built me into a more versatile individual who is ready to undertake any type of challenges in the future.

Doing a joint honours degree means I have a lot of flexibility because I can choose to focus on one specific area of a subject or I can take a broad approach and take lots of modules spanning across different areas of interest. The choice is really yours to make. A joint honours degree definitely offered me a lot of opportunities along the way. I have been involved with opportunities offered by both partnering schools e.g. helping out with the undergraduate open days, undertaking a summer research internship and being a course rep, enabling me to bridge communication across both schools. Alongside the opportunities, I have met many friends whom I have shared modules with but are from other Schools.”

Specialising in two subjects is tough but equally, it has built me into a more versatile individual who is ready to undertake any type of challenges in the future.

Broaden your academic horizons

One of the best aspects about Yuhua’s course is the opportunity to choose from a variety of Discovery modules. Discovery modules are certain modules that are hosted by other departments across the university which do not require prior knowledge to the topic you intend to study. Students whose programme allows for discovery modules to be taken can take such modules to develop a certain skill during their time at Leeds. She added, “I have always had a love for languages, and this was the perfect opportunity for me to improve my language skills further. The best thing about this was that I was able to do something outside of my science major and it still counted towards my degree!”

I have always had a love for languages, and this was the perfect opportunity for me to improve my language skills further.

Internship opportunity

In the summer of 2020, Yuhua completed a mathematics research internship with the University of Leeds which provided her with an insight into the requirements of data analysis.

“During the 10-week internship, I utilised R programming language and Microsoft Excel to conduct statistical data analysis on students’ examination and survey results from the School of Mathematics. My findings supported the school in making critical decisions regarding future examination styles which in turn will improve the students’ university experience. Following on from the internship, I also began learning a new programming language, Python, where it is used in the ‘Big Data, Big Science’ module that I took during semester 1 of my final year. I especially enjoyed this module as I can practice my Python skills to analyse changes in pollutant concentrations and use this to understand the effects of the COVID-19 national lockdown in the UK on air quality. With this Python knowldege, I am currently working with an external chemical company for my final year project whereby I am using Python to tackle some real-life data related issues.”

Spending a year abroad in Singapore

Yuhua really wanted to gain the international experience and explore the language and culture of another country. Passionate about language learning, she met a lot of my international friends through the language exchange programme that the University of Leeds offered. This spurred her interests in going abroad and chose to apply to the National University of Singapore (NUS), as it is ranked as one of the best in Asia. 

Life in general was very different in Singapore. The first thing that hit me when I arrived was the heat! A lot of activities take place during night-time, when it is cooler, so people tend to socialise in the evening, and shopping centres even stay opened till late!

“I was really lucky that my study abroad advisor was someone who I already had a really good relationship with. Dr Marcelo Miranda was my academic tutor for the physical chemistry part of my chemistry degree. We had many one-to-one meetings to discuss the application process and he was very eager to help with anything. He offered me a lot of advice about how and when I should apply and always gave me detailed and instant replies on email. Alongside this, the study abroad office was also really helpful with giving guidelines as to what documents to submit and by when.

Life in general was very different in Singapore. The first thing that hit me when I arrived was the heat! A lot of activities take place during night-time, when it is cooler, so people tend to socialise in the evening, and shopping centres even stay opened till late!

Having less strict academic requirements from NUS meant that I had more free time to explore the country and get more involved with social activities. Living in halls was also very different to what I had imagined. The student hall that I stayed in was called Raffles Hall. There were 8 blocks of student accommodation with additional blocks for academics and staff who live there during term time. I was part of a block committee who were in charge of hosting inter-block events every month. These events were fun social activities that would last 3-4 hours at night and will usually be followed by going for an late-night meal. I was also part of the Raffles volunteering society which I assisted a local community centre in weekly mentoring sessions with children from disadvantaged backgrounds and also helped the delivery of monthly social events at elderly care homes.

One of the best things about my study abroad year is that the entire Year is based on a Pass/Fail basis. This meant that I had complete control over the modules I wanted to take at the NUS. Leeds was also very flexible with the type of modules I could take to count towards the overall Pass/Fail result. For example, I had requested for the School of Chemistry to allow a lab-based research module to count towards my Year Abroad as I explained the benefits it would bring to me as a student. This was approved, and as a result, I had the opportunity to conduct a research project under the supervision of Jason Yeo Boon Siang, a professor from the Department of Chemistry at NUS.”

I had complete control over the modules I wanted to take at NUS and Leeds was also very flexible with the type of modules I could take to count towards the overall result.

Research project

“The project I worked on in Singapore touched upon an alternative pathway to carbon dioxide (CO2) repurposing - using electrochemistry to convert waste CO2 into longer chained oxygenates or hydrocarbons which can be used for fuel, for example. This project tackled the issue regarding the overproduction of electricity with the current, rising trend towards renewables. Working in the electrocatalysis laboratory, I enhanced the selectivity of multi-carbon product formation by experimenting with different copper nanoparticle catalysts for carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR). With the laboratory experience, I gained proficiency in using various techniques including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, headspace gas chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography as well as learnt to operate electrochemical cells independently. The project also comprised of a presentation and a research paper style report outlining the outcomes of the project.”

The project I worked on in Singapore touched upon an alternative pathway to carbon dioxide (CO2) repurposing - using electrochemistry to convert waste CO2 into longer chained oxygenates or hydrocarbons which can be used for fueL.

International opportunities

“Having the international experience has really given me a lot of confidence to widen my career search in countries abroad. Leeds has a network of world-class partners and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to study abroad. I have always had a keen interest in environmental studies, so I explored Singapore's environmental management and sustainability goals by keeping up to date with local news and talking to company representatives during campus hiring seasons.

Singapore is one of the leading examples of how a country can live sustainably while exerting limited impacts on the environment. There has been increasing focus on hydroponics as a way of managing the country's food security as well as the look for more sustainable buildings to improve ventilation and increase greenery. Taking a year abroad there has therefore allowed me to witness the success of such projects in real time and I am more certain than ever that this is the kind of sector I wish to work under in the future.”

Having the international experience has really given me a lot of confidence to widen my career search in countries abroad.

Advice and tips

“The Chemistry and Mathematics BSc programme is tough, but the support system at Leeds is amazing. I have been a course rep for a few years now and I have seen first-hand the amount of effort all the staff and student reps give in to try and improve student experience. It is something that is sometimes taken by granted because it is done in a subtle manner, but I assure you that your voice will be heard, and your opinions will be taken forward at the University of Leeds. There are a lot of staff and student support available from personal tutors, peer mentors to wellbeing and careers support.

Best of all, just make the most of your time at the University. Join as many societies as you like and take advantage of all the opportunities that are available to you.”

Find out more 

Discover more about our Undergraduate degree courses in the School of Chemistry.