Meet a CQTian: Mashitah Bte Mohammad Moasi

Outside of work, admin support staff Mashitah enjoys going for walks, finding new makan places, and going for picnics with her family.

Who are you?

My name is Mashitah, I’m 50 and a mother of four. Currently, I am an admin support staff at CQT having rejoined the centre last year.

How did you end up at a quantum research centre twice?

Prior to joining CQT the first time, I was a technical officer doing quality assurance software auditing. I wanted to scale back to spend more time with my children which led to me looking for roles in administration. I joined CQT when it launched and worked in procurement, finance and visitor reimbursement. I worked for eight years until August 2015. Then I left to be a stay-at-home mum.

Now that my children are older, I thought about rejoining the workforce. There was an opening at CQT for admin support and here I am again.

What is your role at CQT now?

Now, my role is to assist with grant administration. For example, we may receive requests from Principal Investigators for virement of funds. For these movement of grants from one account to another, we help to put up the change requests to get them approved. Most recently, I was assisting with the grant administration for all our Principal Investigators when CQT received a new bridging grant from the National Research Foundation.

I also assist with ad-hoc jobs, such as logistics of important events and student matters.

What has it been like to get back to work?

It has been easy to get back to work. I left CQT for family commitments, but I enjoyed my time working here and the working environment. Working with my colleagues from when CQT was founded, I enjoyed our teamwork and formed close relationships with them. We kept in touch over the years. Coming back, I’m happy to see familiar faces and meet new people.

In terms of work, there have been many changes in the different systems that are used as well as my duties and responsibilities. I’ve been learning and getting used to these changes.

What has been your favourite aspect of work?

It would be reconnecting with my old colleagues. I'm happy that I get to work with great people.

What are some of the challenges?

The new grants for our researchers have just recently been approved and the projects are also just starting. CQT has also expanded with more research groups and more projects going on. When the work really gets underway, we expect more volume in the grant administrative requests. It will be a challenge to stay on top of things.

What do you enjoy outside of work?

I enjoy going for my morning walks in the neighbourhood where I can spend some “me-time”. With my family, I like to venture to new makan places and find new things to eat. Recently, we were at the Malayan Council’s newest outlet at the Esplanade to celebrate my son’s birthday. I also enjoy picnics in the mornings. My family and I sometimes go to Sentosa beach at around 7am. It is very quiet at that time and we would just relax and enjoy the beach. The crowds and tourists start coming after a few hours.