PhD Dissertation Defense
I gave my final PhD dissertation defense on Monday, June 5th 2023. This was a very special day, and week, to reflect on the work I’ve done and the progress I’ve made as a scientist, and to share that progress with my family, friends, and the academic community here in Amherst. It’s been a wonderful and challenging expeirence.
I was very grateful that my parents, brother, aunt and mother-in-law were able to come share in the experience of the defense! And of course, my wife Zoe was there to support me throughout the process, from visiting UMass in March of 2018, to joining Jianhan’s group in December, through many years of hard work and success, and now completing my degree and celebrating with her.
I’m also grateful to all the people who have supported me, including my committee members Scott Auerbach, Lynmarie Thompson and Markos Katsoulakis, but especially the many friends and labmates I’ve had here in Amherst. It was a joy to celebrate this moment with them all. But it’s a bittersweet moment too, because Zoe and I will be moving to Baltimore to start our next chapter in just a few days.