Did you ever fear the dissertation should be cancelled or postponed?

-    Yes, I was very worried. I felt ready to defend my PhD and didn’t want to postpone. I was very fortunate to have everyone onboard and to be allowed to defend under these circumstances. 

How did it go?

-    It went very well. My opponent gave a presentation which was followed by everyone in the room. Next, we engaged in the conversation as in in the “usual” defence. Naturally, it felt different to talk to my opponent via zoom, however, we managed to have a great discussion! 

Was everything (technically) going the way it should?

-    The technology was on our side. We got technical support to set up everything before the dissertation, which was very appreciated. We even set up an additional zoom for those who were unable to come. This way all my family (including my 87-year-old aunt) and friends could see me defending my PhD. After initial few minutes of “can you hear me well?” everything was working smoothly. I think that having Zoom available for those who cannot attend is a great solution regardless of the virus-pandemics. 

How do you experience the Corona situation, has it affected you in any other way?

-    The Corona situation has definitely created an additional stress. I was anxiously following the recommendations provided by the authorities, hoping that I will not be asked to postpone my dissertation. The days before my defence I did not leave my home to make sure that I will be healthy on the day. I am very lucky to have my husband who was happy to run errands for me. Having everyones health in consideration, I postponed my doctoral celebrations and asked my family to stay at home, who instead followed everything on Zoom.