By Temo Anda | 15 Jan 2026
People who know me today would never guess it, but as a kid I was very quiet, shy and even a bit antisocial.
Growing up in the northern suburbs of Mexico City, in an area called Satélite, I spent most of my time playing the Nintendo Game Boy. Funnily enough, I learned a good portion of my early English vocabulary from dialogue in RPGs like Pokémon and Golden Sun. Since I was so quiet in school, I paid close attention in class, so I always had strong grades, which led to study opportunities abroad.
In Mexico, it is far more common to have Spanish names, but my family has always valued our pre-Hispanic heritage. Traditionally everyone in my family receives both a Spanish and an Indigenous name. In my case they forgot the Spanish one, so I was simply named Cuauhtémoc, after the last Aztec emperor. Fortunately for my friends and colleagues today, Temo is the shortened version.
From Mexico to Singapore
In my first job back in Mexico, I was a quality control engineer at Vitro, a major glass bottle manufacturer. Realising I was far more interested in improving processes than simply supervising them, I applied for a scholarship and embarked on a master’s degree in robotics and AI at the University of Sheffield.
As a foreigner with only a few years of experience, I had difficulty securing a job in the UK. Then one day, the director of my master’s programme called to congratulate me on graduating with first-class honours and encouraged me to pursue a PhD. He even offered to gather recommendation letters from my professors.
I was accepted by ETH Zurich, and during the final interview, they told me the position would be based in Singapore instead of Zurich. Coming from Mexico, which is literally on the opposite side of the world, I knew very little about Singapore. But the opportunity was too good to pass up, so I decided to take the leap.
For my PhD, I chose a combined research track in AI and transport science, at a time when the field was still nascent. I was fortunate to present at conferences and workshops around the world, including in Shanghai, São Paulo, San Francisco, Haifa and Zurich.
After graduating, I joined DataSpark, a startup working at the frontier of mobility intelligence using telco data. Those four years were full of innovation and experimentation, and they shaped much of the applied and product-focused mindset I carry with me today.
AI that creates social impact
In 2024, I joined NCS, the region’s leading tech services firm, which acquired DataSpark in 2021. (NCS is also part of the Singtel Group.) As a senior AI scientist, I get to propose new ideas, build prototypes, pitch them, and eventually deploy solutions with clients.
I often describe my role as half creator and innovator, and half hands-on developer. This creates a very positive cycle, because I know how feasible ideas are and can pitch them with confidence.
One of the things I value most is the opportunity to work on projects across Asia with strong social-good impact. It is incredibly rewarding to apply everything I learned during my master’s and PhD to real-world AI systems that benefit society.
For example, I currently lead a project focused on improving road-incident response. Using a mix of machine learning, GenAI, and AI agents, operators can respond more quickly and consistently to incidents. This leads to faster deployment of emergency response units and smoother traffic flow.
Singapore becoming an “agentic city”
On the research side, I also contribute to SEA-LION v4, the Southeast Asia LLM initiative. Building a regionally aligned model is important because it strengthens the ecosystem, supports local languages and contexts, and reduces dependency on foreign models for critical use cases in healthcare, compliance or workforce development.
Singapore is moving extremely fast in AI. It is not just becoming a Smart City. It is evolving into what I call an “agentic city”, where intelligent systems help orchestrate everything from mobility to urban operations. It is exciting to play even a small part in that transformation.
I believe AI will not replace people and jobs so much as people who use AI will replace those who do not. The best way to future-proof yourself is to stay curious, remain adaptable, and learn how to collaborate with these new tools.
Pursuing passions beyond work
Public speaking is one of my biggest passions. I love being on stage, probably because I used to play in a rock band. I believe the audience deserves a good return on their time, so I try to make my talks engaging, entertaining, and still grounded in real knowledge. Some of my favourite moments are when students or young professionals come up after a talk and tell me how it inspired them.
As a proud Mexican, I enjoy boxing, and I have been training for years with Singapore’s number-one boxer, Prithiv, at Prithiv Boxing Club. It has become one of my favourite ways to relieve stress and stay active.
In Singapore, I have been fortunate to make both local and international connections. My local friends have become like family. We meet weekly for fitness classes and almost always end up getting dinner and drinks afterwards.
People often ask me for Mexican food recommendations. My current go-to is Huevos in North Bridge Road, which in my opinion is one of the more authentic Mexican spots in Singapore. As for drinks, I always recommend anything made with mezcal, which is the smokier cousin of tequila. A good mezcalita is usually a safe bet.
March 2026 marks 10 years since I moved to Singapore. It is hard to believe, but it also reflects how much I have enjoyed the lifestyle, culture and opportunities here. Moving to Singapore has opened doors I never knew existed and given me a sense of belonging far away from home. I can definitely see myself staying here for the long term.
About Temo
Temo is a senior AI scientist at NCS, a leading tech services firm with a presence across the Asia-Pacific. He holds a PhD in AI and transport science from ETH Zurich and a Master’s in AI and robotics from the University of Sheffield.
Connect with him here.
