Dr Cen Tjhai from Indonesia joined the University of Plymouth's Faculty of Technology on a BEng (Hons) Computer Engineering course, progressed to an MSc in Communication Engineering and Signal Processing and is now undertaking a PhD and working as a Lecturer at the University. He tell us how, during the course of his studies, he cracked a complex transmission code used to send information back from space.

“I first joined the University of Plymouth as an undergraduate student. Eight years later, after successfully completing a Masters and a PhD, I have succeeded in becoming a Lecturer at the University.

Due to the diploma I obtained at college in Malaysia I was able to progress straight to the second year of the BEng Computer Engineering programme at Plymouth. I opted to do a paid placement year in industry which gave me the chance to put my skills and knowledge into practice. I was also lucky enough to gain support from the placement company for my final year project.

Following my undergraduate achievements I enrolled on an MSc in Communications Engineering and Signal Processing at the University of Plymouth. After graduating from this with a distinction I then moved onto PhD research at the University in the area of Communications Engineering, particularly in the area of error-correcting codes. In fact, during my investigations I succeeded in cracking a complex transmission code used to send information back from space, something most space scientists believed could not be solved. I have also filed four patents.

Plymouth is a very nice city, with many good beaches close by, lovely countryside and lots of great places to visit and explore. The University itself I would highly recommend; the support I received from the staff was invaluable.”

Dr Cen Tjhai, Indonesia