Reflection on my time in the CDT: Simon-Philipp Merz

After enjoying the privilege of a long vacation and a few months of distance since my viva, it is time to reflect upon my time in the CDT.

A long time ago, in 2018, when the UK was still part of the EU and for most people in Europe pandemic referred only to a board game, I moved to the green and leafy Egham hill. Knowing little of what the future had in store, I had a great time making new friends in my cohort and beyond, enjoying the social activities of the CDT and running with colleagues in the Windsor Great Park. Further, having access to a seemingly unlimited travel budget opened the door to the cryptographic community widely.Leaving my comfort zone and going to my first cryptography conferences and summer schools, I got to know other researchers. This made it not only more fun - and less scary - to go to conferences in later years, but also proved invaluable for the exchange of research ideas, for starting new collaborations and working together with people across borders during the times of lockdown and virtual conferences that followed.During my time in the CDT, the cryptography group at Royal Holloway changed massively. Every year people left the group and others joined. Seeing people go was often sad but knowing familiar faces in all the places they moved to and catching up after some time was always delightful.This network that comes so naturally with the CDT is in my opinion its biggest advantage. Even during the moments when I got stuck in my research, I could always cherish the thought that I am part of a cohort. A cohort where everyone faces similar challenges despite working on different topics. Having a tea break, chatting to my colleagues, going together for walks in the Surrey Hills (or on trips further away), appreciating the local Indian cuisine or appropriating some British traditions in the pubs, there was always a social net that helped master all difficulties. This did not only lead to progress in research but also personally.I am still doing academic research in related areas to the ones I was interested during my PhD. This, and the fact that many fellow students started working remotely, contributed to a slightly anticlimactic feeling of the viva. However, while it might be the end of the PhD journey for me, I believe that many of the connections forged during my time at the CDT will persist.I wish all the current and future PhD students at the CDT to enjoy their time as much as I did. Get to know the people around you, and appreciate the time and freedom the CDT can provide!

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