congratulations to Paul Ennis

On passing his viva yesterday, HERE.

For those unfamiliar with the terminology, a viva is what we in the USA would call a “dissertation defense.” I’ve never attended a viva, but my understanding is that the differences from the USA are as follows: your advisor is not present, and audience is not present, and your chances of failing are somewhat real rather than almost entirely imaginary (to fail someone at a defense in the USA would also amount to a degree of public humiliation for their advisor, and is thus somewhat ceremonial– though not nearly as ceremonial as what I saw in the Netherlands, where the defense stops automatically after 45 minutes or so, ended by a costumed gentleman with a scepter).

In any case, if there’s one huge turning point in academic life, that’s it: finishing the Ph.D. It’s a great feeling, and I hope Paul takes some time off to celebrate it, especially since he’s already accomplished a lot more than most people have by that point (certainly a lot more than I had, anyway).