Post by Elif Esra Aydın

🎓 End of Postdoc Chapter at Net Zero Futures Lab (formerly Adaptive Design Lab), SUTD 🌱 Grateful. Humbled. Inspired. That’s how I feel as I wrap up this incredible postdoctoral journey under the mentorship of F. Peter Ortner and his exceptional team. It was a true privilege and honor to work with all of them. As a belated post, I feel that I owe each of them a brief testimonial after sharing two years (plus) of great collaborations, stressful deadlines, many many submissions, and joyful celebrations. When I was feeling lost after my PhD, Peter saw potential in me, trusting me to lead the environmental performance research package for a major URA-funded project and co-supervise his lab. Working with him has been the healthiest and most empowering professional experience of my life. He leads with empathy, trust, and genuine care — always checking in, celebrating milestones (with fun board games! 🎲), and calmly guiding us through challenges. 👉 If you ever get the chance to work with him, do not hesitate to approach him, seize the opportunity — you won’t regret it! A big thank you to the dream team who made every day exciting, fun, and inspiring: 💡 Dr. Tay Jing Zhi – our zen master, balancing research brilliance with everyday creativity 🧠 Zebin Chen – coding genius who turns concepts into reality, fast-really fast 🌐 Anna Claudia Yenardi – web development wizard with a design-savvy eye 🤖 Praveen Govindarajan – tech strategist blending innovation with impact 🏗 Sezgi Yalçınkaya – LCA expert connecting materials to buildings through engaging visualizations 👏 And to Dr. Xinyu Zeng, soon-to-be Dr. Doreen Steven Mlote, Xi P., Ryan Chua – I’m so grateful for your dedication and collaboration! This journey has been about more than just work — it’s been about growth, laughter, and shared purpose. I know this team will continue shaping sustainable futures with brilliance, strong skills, and a good heart. ✨ To future collaborators: you’ll be lucky to work with any of them! Last but not least, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA) - Design & Planning Lab directors and colleagues — Julian Cheng, Tuan-Yee Ching, Loh Teck Hee, Guo Xiang Ong, and Kelvin Li — for their guidance, support, and collaboration. It was an honor to be part of URA’s research and development efforts and to expand my perspective through this partnership. 📢 PS: I’ll be sharing my contributions to the field and my future prospects in the next posts. Stay tuned and let’s keep in touch! #PostdocJourney #SUTD #NetZeroFuturesLab #Leadership #ResearchTeam #Gratitude #Sustainability #WorkCulture #CareerGrowth #URA #UrbanDesign #ClimateResistanceCities