A reflection on My PhD: Luke Stewart

Having now reached the end of the process, this is a good time to reflect upon my CDT and PhD experience as a whole. 

I have separated out ‘PhD’ from ‘CDT’ for a reason. The CDT approach of a first year of learning within a cohort environment offers many advantages compared to a PhD solo venture. The interaction with fellow cohort members, and the ability to experiment with other areas of cybersecurity that I wouldn’t otherwise have gone anywhere near, provided an experience that I believe is far more valuable than just the PhD research portion alone. 

Something I didn’t consider was how it would feel to actually finish the programme. By the time my viva arrived, I had already been in work for a number of months. Passing the viva was a strange experience – whilst it was somewhat anticlimactic (probably due to the fact I hadn’t been working fulltime on my PhD in the run-up), something certainly felt different. It took a few minutes sitting in the car for it all to sink in!

 Since the PhD, I have moved abroad and started a new job and qualifications in finance and IT. Whilst my current role may not be directly related to the subject of my thesis (applications of mathematics to key predistribution in wireless sensor networks, soon to be available in the library…), it has already benefitted me. Roles not open to others within the company have been offered, and there is a certain kudos that comes with being nicknamed “Dr Luke”. 

Despite not actually being at Royal Holloway for some time now (Covid hit partway through), in some ways I feel like I haven’t left. I am still working on a paper which comes directly from my thesis, and I am looking forward to being there for the graduation ceremony in the summer. I really do miss it, even if I didn’t always know that would be the case whilst I was there – whether that’s the interaction with fellow cohort members (this is still going in some ways, even if we mostly now just congratulate the latest person to pass their viva on WhatsApp!), or the nature of PhD life. It can be difficult at times, but it’s very different from a regular 9-5. My one piece of advice to current students would be – treasure this experience whilst you can!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Post-PhD thoughts on the Cyber Security field: Amy Ertan, 2017 CDT Cohort, now Cyber and Hybrid Policy Officer at NATO HQ in Brussels.

It has been just over a year since I successfully completed my viva – a milestone that initially felt both terrifying and insurmountable when I first joined the CDT. Now, I have the privilege of reflecting on my PhD journey and how its opportunities have shaped my present. I also wish to inspire curious students to embrace the full potential of the CDT and similar programs.   When I first came across the CDT application form, I initially envisioned transforming from a disillusioned city worker into a technical cyber security wizard, focusing on governance or incident response – as those were the only cyber security functions I was familiar with at the time. Very quickly, the CDT taught me that cyber security encompasses a vast and comprehensive range of approaches, offering me a holistic perspective on the field. Supported by the CDT, I engaged with exciting research and practitioner communities to learn about security governance, feminist and critical approaches, geography, the philos
Read more

Remote working and Cyber Security: Georgia Crossland and Amy Ertan

Image
Introducing the project The shift to remote working represents a huge shift for employees and organisations alike, introducing significant implications for cyber security. Amy Ertan and Georgia Crossland are currently working on a research project, in collaboration with the Research Institute for Sociotechnical Cyber Security (RISCS) and funded by the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), on the impact of remote working on cyber security and wellbeing. This blog post will give an overview of a section of this project, how remote working impacts cyber security. In response to COVID-19, in March 2020, organisations across the world made the rapid shift away from physical office working to remote working, wherever possible. This shift has had a significant impact across many aspects of organisations. This blog post will offer a high-level overview of how the cyber threat landscape was impacted for many organisations and may further change organisational cyber resilience. Remote workin
Read more

New Publication: Remote Working and (In)Security?: Amy Ertan

Image
A recent research report by CDT researchers Amy Ertan and Georgia Crossland has been published with the Research Institute for Sociotechnical Cyber Security (RISCS). The report examines ‘The Impact of Pandemic-Driven Remote Working on Employee Wellbeing, the Psychological Contract and Cyber Security’, with research carried out through a series of interviews with senior cyber security colleagues between January and April 2021. The full report can be found on the RISCS website: New publication: Remote Working and (In)Security | RISCS. Context In the UK and around the world, the impact of COVID-19 represented a total shift away from what was considered ‘normal living’. One aspect of this change was the rapid transition to remote working as people were encouraged to work from home and limit contact with others as far as possible through repeated lockdown conditions. Fellow CDT colleague Georgia Crossland and I were curious to explore how remote working has impacted the experiences - and se
Read more