The Scientific Activist

I’m Official! (According to Oxford University, at least)

Posted by Nick Anthis on August 20, 2006
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This announcement is a couple of days late, so please accept my apologies, although I can blame it in part on a lack of internet access.

Anyways, as of 15:30 GMT last Thursday (August 17th), after enduring what was surely the longest transfer viva in the history of man (two and a half hours–hell, they should have gone ahead and given me my degree right then and there), I am now an official Oxford D.Phil. student. (The D.Phil. is Oxford’s archaic equivalent of the Ph.D.) That means I can look forward to another 2+ years of hardcore science here in the Department of Biochemistry. Yes!

So, how did I celebrate?

Very appropriately, by staying at the lab until 3:30 am, setting up NMR experiments. Woo hoo!

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Comments

  1. #1 Babbler
    August 20, 2006

    Congratuations! That’s wonderful!

  2. #2 Tara C. Smith
    August 20, 2006

    Congrats! One big hurdle down.

  3. #3 Corkscrew
    August 20, 2006

    Good show old chap!

  4. #4 John Lynch
    August 20, 2006

    Good job Nick. Well done!

  5. #5 Nick Anthis
    August 20, 2006

    Thanks, everyone!

  6. #6 Peter
    August 20, 2006

    Congrat! Out of curiosity, where did you transfer from?

  7. #7 Abel Pharmboy
    August 21, 2006

    Heartiest congratulations, Nick. As they say across the pond, well done, mate!

  8. #8 Nick Anthis
    August 21, 2006

    Thanks, again. So, I didn’t actually transfer from anywhere. The “transfer” was from “probationary research student” (PRS) to an official D.Phil. student. All D.Phil. students at Oxford, as far as I know, start out in the P.R.S. category.

  9. #9 Jon
    August 21, 2006

    Congrats Nick!

  10. #10 nick
    August 22, 2006

    Congrats! Weeeee!

    Did you have to wear ceremonial clothes? A cape with diagrams of proton spin?

  11. #11 Nick Anthis
    August 22, 2006

    Ha! I wish. Students here have to wear a ridiculous outfit even just for exams (for guys: black suit, white bowtie, academic gown, carnation; similar for girls), but for my transfer viva, I didn’t have to wear anything special. It was kind of a let-down, really….

  12. #12 Pete Newell
    August 22, 2006

    If this transfer viva is anything like a qualifying exam in the states 2.5 hours isn’t too bad. A couple grad students in my lab were grilled for over 3 hours, one around 4!
    I’ll be submitting myself to this torture in a few short weeks….

  13. #13 Nick Anthis
    August 23, 2006

    Very true. All in all, it wasn’t too bad. Good luck!

  14. #14 Rob
    September 20, 2006

    Congradulations! This is a big achievement! Now get the DPhil :)

  15. #15 todd
    December 26, 2006

    Good stuff.

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