Don't assume that you read everything while preparing your dissertation - check out the latest and in press publications. As you prepare for your defense, don't make the mistake of navel-gazing at your own dissertation. 2. To prepare for the actual PhD defense, some argue that you don't need to do anything at all. It has been more than a year since I started studying for my PhD. Once I got calmer, everything went much better. Hints for PhD Defenses. Depending on the university, you will either land... Perspectives, opinions and debates: a recommendation guide for joint projects, your details are prefilled for job applications. Preparing the oral presentation Rehearse the presentation – use an audience (colleague or a recent grad) Get feedback from audience Adjust the presentation to fit time available – better to be less than 20 minutes in rehearsal The defense Stand up is usual – sitting down is acceptable Let's talk today about the very end of the PhD journey: your defense (or viva, if you are in the UK). For grad students, the PhD thesis defense presentation marks the end of an arduous journey. Just like in your qualifying exam, there is no shame in saying “I don’t know” or “That is the focus of future studies.” Giving an answer that you makeup on the spot or haven’t thought through can be way worse. All academic and business writing simply has to have How To Start Phd Thesis Defense Presentation absolutely perfect grammar, punctuation, spelling, formatting, and composition. Don’t leave your presentation prep until the last minute. I am working on a joint project between the Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and the Utrecht University (UU). And why does everyone fear failing their thesis defense? Don't forget how important and valuable this day is for all of you in your stress for preparing for the actual defense. If you’ve gotten to the point where you are doing your PhD thesis defense presentation, you are in a pretty good spot. Cheesy, I know. Ask for advice from a post-doc who recently defended to see if you thought everything through. A chair is appointed for each PhD oral defense to monitor and promote fairness and rigor in the conduct of the defense. As you can see above, there is still a lot to prepare before your presentation. How to Prepare for the Oral Defense of Your Thesis/Dissertation | … Defenses consist of four parts: first, the candidate introduces themselves, then presents a summary of their work, interrupted and … In the end, you did your research over the past few years, and nobody knows your work as well as you do. Besides your stress levels on the day itself, make sure that you are rested prior to the defense. Since you’ll be summing up over 5 years of research in about 45 minutes, there are a lot of opportunities to get lost in the weeds. You will need to support your talk with a suitable presentation to illustrate what you are talking about. Remember, no one on the planet Earth has spent the past 5 years engaged in the same research projects you have or thought about it in the same way you have. Here are some guidelines you may want to consider as you prepare for your Oral Defense: Create a PowerPoint slide for each of the following topics, unless your chair or the university provides a list of topics: Unless for weddings and perhaps special birthdays, there are not that many occasions where you can have that many of your loved ones together, to celebrate you and your success. Make sure you have a solid foundation to answer such questions. These chapters make for perfect breakpoints in your talk and should form the meaty, data-heavy chunks of your talk. Below are some tips to consider. Writing the introduction to your thesis is a great exercise for determining what information can help you do this, but think simple and be concise. Moreover, your defense will depend on your committee, so preparing for your defense by keeping your committee in mind is essential. Your defense will start with a speech meant to inform the audience of your research; how you conducted it, what you found, and of course what it actually means for your field. All this practice in the years prior to your defense will make you better prepared for the big day. Trim the extra fat off some of these sections: keep the data that is essential for each chapter/section and don’t include extraneous data. Give your presentation for PhD defense several times to your friends so that you are totally comfortable with what you are doing. 5 Thesis Defense Myths: Your Committee is NOT Out to Get You - … I'll be giving a 30-min public talk as a part of my PhD defense next month. That guy knows how to defend a thesis! Prior to your defense, make sure you read these papers again to refresh your memory, and to address possible questions about the foundations of your work. Tips For Preparing a Successful PhD Thesis Defense Presentation. Add a story to your presentation. Immediately following the end of your presentation, most research institutes and universities typically have time for non-committee members to ask questions about your work. I am an ex-academic research scientist with 12 years of experience in molecular biology, microbiology, and immunology. Dr. Rebecca Zak successfully defends her PhD dissertation at Brock University. Every time your present your work, you will have practiced and sharpened your presentation and presentation skills a bit more. Know where you will present, and which tools are available in the room. Knowing how to write a presentation proposal is very different from the actual doctorate research proposal. For more information about chair responsibilitie… Last week, I watched a friend, Aaron Feldman, defend his PhD thesis. For instance, Aaron’s thesis project was focused on the optimization of a semi-synthetic organism, which uses two synthetic nucleotides to form a third base pair, giving it an expanded genetic code. 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