Dr Luke Johnson, PhD

Yesterday afternoon, I successfully defended my PhD Thesis: Advanced MR Imaging and Modelling of Legg–Calvé–Perthes Disease. It was a much more pleasant experience than I expected/feared, but this might be down to luck. All of my examiners were very kind and supportive, which isn’t always the case.

Everybody approaches their oral defence differently. Some people spend the time making sure they could answer any potential question, but my approach in the lead-up was to make sure I was well-rested and relaxed. I think it worked! There is one piece of advice I received that I shall pass on: make sure you decide in advance what you are going to wear. Having one fewer thing to think about as you prepare on the day is invaluable.

So… what next?

I’ll still be kicking around in Vancouver for a little while. My fiancée just submitted her own PhD thesis this Friday and expects to defend in March. I’ll be revising my thesis, tidying up my data and putting protocols together for my successors, as well as writing more research summaries to put up on here. And I’ll be sneaking up into the mountains for a day of skiing here and there as well.

All in all though, I’m just happy to be on this side of the big day. See you on the slopes!