PhD Testimonials, by Matías R. Bolaños

Doing a PhD is probably one of the most challenging experiences to go through in an academic career, yet it is also one of the most rewarding. It is a constant rollercoaster that lasts 3 to 5 years, with extremely high highs and very low lows. Here I will present some reflections on this period in my own case.

Personal growth

Going through my PhD was, to say the least, emotionally taxing. Being ~11 thousand kilometers away from my partner, friends and family, while also having a time difference of 4-5 hours, is not for everyone, and it was certainly not easy. However, the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, both within the research lab I was working in and within the Marie Curie network, was an incredibly eye-opening experience, allowing me to interact with people from all walks of life.

Having a close circle of people to rely on during the PhD is, I would say, a requirement. I definitely could not have done it as I did without them, and will be forever grateful for their support during these years.

However, at least for me, the pressure of having to finish a PhD and being relevant within my field was not the healthiest, with (several) days when I stayed in the lab from 8 am to 9 pm, only limited by the building closing. Although I am very happy and proud of the progress and results I obtained during this period, I would not do it the same way again.

In summary, in my opinion, strong interpersonal relationships and a good work-life balance are key to having a successful and sustainable PhD experience.

Professional development

After finishing my PhD, I do have conflicting thoughts regarding research. On the one hand, the act of research itself is both extremely fun and rewarding, with the peaks of these years being those “shoot, that was actually pretty obvious” moments. On the other hand, however, it is a high-pressure world, sometimes with very little to no reward. That being said, my PhD research did prepare me to handle frustration way better than I was expecting, together with some crucial problem-solving skills. It also taught me to work with a pretty diverse team, both in the lab environment and then during the writing process for papers.

Something I was a bit frustrated about when I first started was the lack of an actual PhD project of my own. I basically jumped from project to project as I was required due to my skillset. In retrospect, this diversity in projects equipped me with a pretty nice versatility that now allows me to adapt to almost anything (field-related) I want to do in the future.

If I were to start the PhD again, I would probably dedicate more time to studying stuff, as experimental life doesn’t always allow you to actually study and properly understand what you are implementing, which leads to potentially subpar results sometimes.

Identity and Purpose

My motivation for doing the PhD was, and still is, simply my passion for the field. I enjoyed doing what I did during it, and I still enjoy doing it after finishing (as I am still working on the same topics more or less). Working in quantum-safe technologies did change how I approach some personal projects, as being aware of all the stuff happening in the cryptography world (which was pretty much unknown to me before) kind of opened my eyes and made me become a bit paranoid about the things I use and how I use them. I would say, however, it was a change for the better.

Finally, I would personally consider my PhD a success. Just by looking at the list of publications, one might assume that is the case, but I would say that, by itself, that is not the relevant point. I managed to work on several topics, exploiting my personal skillset properly on most of them, while also constantly improving. The nice results are just the cherry on top.

Looking back

I would say now I am a bit more tolerant of frustration after experiencing several extremely frustrating moments and pushing through. At this point, I am a bit more selective with what I tackle. I am not looking to do 13-hour workdays anymore, so I try to avoid ultra-ambitious short-term projects that will, at the end of the day, exhaust me again.

As a small summary, I am very happy and proud of what I did during this period, and would probably do it again, albeit with some minor changes.

By Matías R. Bolaños