"Life as a PhD student is a time you will never have the opportunity to experience again"

By Lea Laursen Pasgaard and Sofie Astrup, AAU Communication and Public Affairs.
Photos: Lasse Møller Sauna and Anders Fast Nielsen

The red carpet was rolled out when around 300 people gathered at AAU INNOVATE in Aalborg East on Friday, 31 January. AAU's newest cohort of PhD graduates were celebrated with musical performances, speeches and a reception.

Rector Per Michael Johansen welcomed the participants and encouraged the PhD graduates to use their newfound voices and knowledge to make a difference in society.

"Now you are ambassadors of science. Of knowledge. In a world where reality is fragmented and change is accelerating, this is extremely important. That's why you're important. This is also what makes the PhD ceremony a special event, and I am honoured to be able to celebrate this day with all of you."

Vocalist Cathrine Benedikt and pianist Johannes Rodh gave the musical performances – ’You’ve got a Friend’, ’Over the Rainbow’, ’The Rose’ and ’What a wonderful World’.

AAU's Director of Innovation Mads Bang also spoke to the graduates, talking about his own journey from PhD graduate to business owner – and the road back to AAU. He encouraged the graduates to seize the opportunities that present themselves in the future to make a difference.

"With your education, society will look to you for answers to the problems that the older generation was so kind to provide. Or haven’t fixed. Society will at some point expect you to step forward and take on the responsibility of generating the new knowledge, the solutions and the new jobs that we all rely heavily on," he said.

Family, friends and supervisors watched proudly and smiled as Pro-rector Anne Marie Kanstrup called the graduates on stage one by one, and Rector Per Michael Johansen handed them their diplomas.

The ceremony was concluded with another musical performance followed by a reception.

See more pictures from the ceremony below.

AAU Update spoke to three PhD graduates about their time at AAU, the ceremony and their working life today.

What was is like doing a PhD at AAU?

Avishek Das
The writing process itself shifted between good, hard, crying and then finally finished. But overall, enjoyed the process, because I had fun with my supervisor and received lots of support from my wife. So I feel really lucky.

Ayşegül Özçelik
There were many ups and downs, which were both exciting and challenging, but my favourite part of the process was the PhD defence, because after that we had a big celebration.

Farzad Saffari
The process had a mix of perspectives, both from myself and my supervisors, which I had to deal with, which was challenging. But I learned a lot about myself during the tough times.

What are your plans for the future?

Avishek Das
So far I’ve worked at AAU and AU, but the day after tomorrow I will move to a new country where I will start a position as a postdoc.

Ayşegül Özçelik
Recently, I got a position as a postdoc, and then we'll see if the future allows me to become one of the 5-10 percent who get through the eye of the needle and are allowed to continue in academia.

Farzad Saffari
I don't see myself returning to academia, because I'm happy with my new job in the industrial environment.

What advice would you give to new PhD students?

Avishek Das
Very simple – Enjoy the journey! There are ups and downs, but look forward to the day when you finish, because it’s all worth it.

Ayşegül Özçelik
Try to enjoy the time and keep your head up, because it will be really good in the end.

Farzad Saffari
Take some painkillers and enjoy the process. It's a time you'll never have the opportunity to experience again, so focus on your work.

Translated by LeeAnn Iovanni, AAU Communication and Public Affairs