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!



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