• Question: What is the hardest thing you have had to answer?

    Asked by anon-241531 to Ross, Natalia, Martin, Gabriela, Ellie on 18 Mar 2020.
    • Photo: Ross Alexander

      Ross Alexander answered on 18 Mar 2020:

      would it be a cheat to say this question? We have has so many good questions this past 2 weeks it is hard to pick just one.

      In my work i get asked hard questions all the time from students. Sometimes i have to just say i am not sure but i will try and find out.

    • Photo: Martin Johnsson

      Martin Johnsson answered on 19 Mar 2020:

      I can’t pick a single question from memory, because if I’m honest, my memories of the event are a little hazy.

      Background: when you get your PhD degree, there is some kind of defense where you get to present your work and answer questions from experts. It is sort of an oral exam. Formats vary between different systems and countries. In Sweden, where I did my PhD, the defense is public: your family, friends and colleagues come and listen to you answer questions from an “opponent”, an invited expert, and the examination committee.

      My opponent was really good, and we had a constructive (but still stressful!) discussion. I can’t really remember much of the questions, but lots of them were quite hard to answer, about chicken biology, the future of the field, etc. I’m sure one of those was the hardest I’ve had to answer 🙂

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