illuminating science

So as my last post indicated, I have successfully submitted my PhD. It now gets sent to two reviewers who (theoretically!) have two months to read, review and comment on my thesis. After that time, they send it back with their recommendation. This can be either:

• The thesis is brilliant - congratulations! (Okay, “satisfactory” the is official adjective in use)
• Once you correct a few minor errors - congratulations!
• Several sections need reviewing, but once this is done - congratulations!
• The thesis is insufficient for a PhD, but if you revise it you can resubmit it.
• Do not pass go, do not collect $200 - the thesis is no good, never will be any good, and you don’t get a PhD. Full stop. End of story.

Clearly, the final option is pretty rare - if you get to the point of submitting, it’s a pretty crummy supervisor (let alone student!) that hasn’t picked up on a thesis that bad before now. Most theses need minor corrections or revisions - you make them, show it to a “chair of examiners” that works at your university, and you’re done. My aunty, Jennifer Gilmore, is one of the few I know who required no corrections at all (and put her on the Dean’s List of Outstanding PhD Theses!). Of course, I won’t mention how many years she’s actually been working on it!

I now have a position doing science outreach at the University of Queensland, which I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into. I’ll have lots of opportunities to visit schools and work with students, as well as other public outreach ventures. And I’ll be putting a lot more into my blog, too!