Today I defended my PhD thesis in front of four French jury members in Strasbourg. My presentation took $\sim$45 minutes, and then the back-and-forth Q&A with the jury members took $\sim$60 minutes. Examiners and other jury members asked good and relevant questions, some of which were very on point. I felt like they were genuinely interested in my research work and what I was about to say to answer their questions. I was very happy when I observed this from the beginning of the Q&A part. They also seemed to like my responses and, I guess, my way of thinking through problems, which was good to hear, too. We seemed to disagree on a couple of things with one jury member, but we both acknowledged that either of us could be wrong. I didn’t know what to expect when I started my presentation, but then I felt like the work and everything else were appreciated by the jury. At the end of the defense, they discussed internally whether or not I deserve to get a PhD and then decided to declare me a PhD holder. I felt like the process went very smoothly and very well in general. I got my PhD degree in AI. People cheered, I received some nice gifts, then I left the lab to digest the things a little bit and have some fun with some of my fellow PhD students in Strasbourg.

Me in my PhD defense (28.11.2025)
Me in my PhD defense. 28.11.2025

At the final moments of the jury’s congratulations and others’ cheerings for me for getting a PhD, something struck me lightly. I internally had this very weird feeling about things. The whole thing seemed unreal because many fragments from the past 3 years of my PhD were playing in front of my eyes, and I couldn’t believe how, after this many years of “struggle”, without anyone truly rooting for you, except very few people, could end like this… people saying the nicest things and congratulating you for what you have done silently for the past 3 years. One of the people who supported me during this process was my director, Anne Jeannin-Girardon. My mother’s support meant a lot, too. I am thankful for this.

It is not really about having a PhD degree or becoming a doctor… Well, the world has made it this way, but keep an open mind, folks! We are who we are when there is no one in the audience watching us.