Yesterday I passed my viva with minor corrections. So, it’s official, I finally have my ‘ticket to the club’ and can use the title ‘Dr’!

I feel very fortunate to have had my research examined by Katie Hampson and Barbara Tschirren, legends in the field of disease ecology. We discussed my research for 4.5 hours, and could have easily talked for double that time.

Although COVID meant everything was held virtually, this did not stop the celebrations afterwards. I came downstairs and was greeted with party poppers, cake, champagne, gifts and a wall of friends (too many to fit on one screen). It was an over whelming experience, but I was glad to be able to celebrate my success with leading scientists in my field and all the people that have been part of my PhD journey.

In case you are interested, you can read a summary of my PhD research here and my thesis can be found here.