Two weeks ago I successfully defended my PhD 🥳
It’s been a long journey with plenty of ups and downs, and honestly, the non-scientific challenges were often harder than the science itself.
I started in 2020 right after the first COVID lockdown. I was promised a functioning lab, but instead arrived at a construction site. Then came another lockdown, and most of the first year was spent setting up equipment, ordering materials, and rebuilding a dysfunctional teaching lab from scratch. Not much actual research happened.
Years 2 and 3 were frustrating with lots of failed experiments and little progress. By the end of year 3, I barely had results for a thesis. Things finally clicked in year 4, and multiple projects started working.
Then things fell apart.
Six months before finishing experiments, my supervisor announced she was leaving. What followed was a conflict between her and the department, and we PhDs were caught in the middle. The lab shut down abruptly, and I pushed hard (~55 hrs/week) to finish experiments in time. We were then forced to move labs under chaotic conditions and spent 3 months without proper workspace.
I shifted focus to writing the months after this. I completed one published paper, one submitted, my thesis, and a third manuscript. But my supervisor became unavailable for months while still expecting near-perfect results. She ultimately refused to approve my thesis, mainly because the third manuscript didn’t meet her perfectionist expectations.
When it became clear we wouldn’t agree, I involved the ombudsperson and study office.
In the end, I submitted against her wishes. She delayed signing, but eventually did.
I passed with "Magna Cum Laude", with no criticism of the scientific content.
Looking back, this experience, especially how it ended, taught me resilience more than anything else. I’ve since moved into industry in a role related to my PhD, and I’m glad I pushed through.
For anyone struggling: believe in your work!