After wrapping up an intense work week in Switzerland – including meetings and presentations across Zurich, Bern, Lausanne and St Gallen – I am on my way back home to spend Christmas with my family and enjoy some days of (I think) well-deserved rest.

As another year draws to a close, I can’t help but reflect on the incredible journey that 2024 has been! Sometimes, when we’re caught up in the grind of daily tasks, it’s easy to lose sight of just how much has been accomplished. That’s why I wanted to take a moment to pause and share some of the highlights of this year:

– LvL UP trial: Without diving too deep into the specifics (you can read our full protocol here), the LvL UP trial is a large and intricate study that represents the cornerstone of our research programme. It marks the culmination of four years of hard work – not just in designing the trial itself but also in developing the LvL UP app that’s being tested. It is precisely because of this long journey that 2024 has been so exciting as we could finally reach some key milestones. This year saw the successful completion of the LvL UP pilot trial, and we’re thrilled to have kicked off the main trial in Q4, with recruitment progressing smoothly so far (fingers crossed!).

– Admin, admin, admin: If there’s one thing 2024 has taught me, it’s why so many academics warn about getting buried under administrative work. Whether it’s the painstakingly detailed IRB application (Singapore really takes it to the next level!), coordinating the various institutions involved in the trial, or juggling countless other logistics, this year has been heavy on the admin front. While I can appreciate how this has been valuable training that will pay off in my future projects, I am definitely looking forward to having more time for research in 2025 🙂

– Publications: One thing I’ve definitely noticed over the years is that publication timelines seem to be getting longer. Compared to when I first started submitting papers in 2017, the process now feels slower. That’s why it’s been rewarding to finally get some key papers from my previous and current postdoc positions across the finish line this year. In 2024 it was also my first time writing a conference paper and collaborating on a book chapter, which has added a bit more of diversity to the usual paper writing endeavour!

– Conferences: I feel very privileged to have been able to attend three different conferences this year, where I had the chance to share my research and connect with fellow researchers. During my PhD I didn’t have the opportunity to attend many conferences. In fact, I only attended one for one day and it was in Brisbane, the same city I was doing my PhD in! during my first postdoc at UCL, COVID-19 hit, which meant the conference scene was basically off-limits. Luckily I am doing some catch up during my time at the Singapore-ETH Center.

– “Singing and dancing”: This phrase was coined at my current institution, and while it was meant humorously, I think it reflects well all the translation efforts we do here in Singapore. The Singapore-ETH Center is quite different to the previous institutions I have worked in as there is a much stronger focus on ensuring that our work is aligned with Singapore’s top priorities and has a real chance of creating tangible impact. This means actively showcasing our research at various events and meetings, and (most importantly) gathering feedback from a wide range of stakeholders, including government agencies, fellow academics, and even startups. While this collaborative, translational approach has been a constant throughout my time in Singapore, 2024 has been especially rich in such events and opportunities.

– Scientific advisory board meeting: In May 2024 we held the third Scientific Advisory Board meeting for our Future Health Technologies programme. I remember it as a stressful week, but we received some useful feedback on our LvL UP trial and other ongoing projects (and also some reassurance we are working on the right path!). The scientific advisory board has been highly useful for our programme and I am committed to bring the same concept to my future projects if I can.

– Grant review: while I have done quite a lot of journal article reviewing in my career, in 2024 I was invited to review my first grant application by the European Science Foundation. It was rewarding to see that a committee considered I am “senior enough” for such task. It definitely took me longer than reviewing a journal article (which I’ve become quicker over time) but I truly enjoyed reviewing the project and tried my best to do a fair assessment.

– Scientific committee for the UCL Centre for Behaviour Change conference: I just finished reviewing some of the abstracts submitted to the conference and I’m already getting excited for the upcoming CBC conference in sunny Lisbon. This year I am co-chairing the ‘climate change & sustainability’ track and it’s been great to get to know more about this thriving area in behavioural science.

These are just some of the highlights I could recall on the short flight back home – I am sure I am leaving something outside, but I think it is time to put my focus on 2025 now 🙂 Here’s to a year full of new learnings and exciting opportunities!