#ThesisDefended

Last July 17th, 2025, I successfully defended my thesis which marked the end of my PhD journey. The whole defense lasted for about 1.25 hours, which was composed of a 20 minute blackboard talk (no slides nor handouts!) and about 80 hours of questions not just about my dissertation but also general questions about astrophysics. I had to prepare for my defense in a span of about 1.5 months by reading lots of papers and books, reviewing all the basics of astrophysics, and recalling the latest news not just in my field but also in other fields in physics. I would say that all my preparation was worth it, because I was able to answer about 80 percent of the questions my panelists gave me, except for a few ones that I have never really encountered in my whole life.

Proudly waving the Philippine flag in front of my musings on the blackboard while wearing my "graduation hat"! Still confirming though whether I am the first Filipino PhD graduate under The International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) on Astrophysics at the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich...

After the "grilling part" of my defense, I went out of the room while my panelists were deliberating for my grade. I was surprised with my colleagues and Filipino friends who took the time to visit me in my institute. My colleagues prepared a "graduation hat" for me, full of my memories in the institute. This has been a tradition in our institute because most universities do not have commencement exercises for PhD graduates, so we have no chance of wearing a graduation gown. My colleagues even created a scale model of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) and a black hole with all its components like the broad line region (BLR) and the jets!

My heart was very full that day!

Look at all the details of my "graduation hat"! Now I'm worried how can I bring this back to the Philippines...

I have a very long list of people to thank. First and foremost, my official supervisor, Reinhard Genzel, for giving me the opportunity to work with the most brilliant astrophysicists in the world who have access to world-class instruments and techniques. I am also grateful to Taro Shimizu, my project supervisor, who have served not just as my mentor but also as a stable foundation as I traversed the uncertain journey of being a PhD student. I also thank the GRAVITY-AGN group (Ric Davies, Jinyi Shangguan, Eckhard Sturm, Dieter Lutz, Yixian Cao) for always guiding me and supporting me in whatever I do. I extend my deepest gratitude to all my colleagues at MPE, all young and old, for being with me through the joys and sadness of it all.

Reinhard Genzel (left), me (center), and Taro Shimizu (right)

Lastly, I am forever thankful to my "family" in Munich: Ate Steph Kleßinger was the very first Filipino who I have met in Munich. If not for her, I would not be able to meet the rest of the Filipino community in Munich. She is the most generous and kindest person I've ever known. She is blessed with such a patient and caring husband, Uli, who is also a father to their two kids, Maxi and Julia, who are just walking bundles of joy and mischief. Because of Ate Steph, I also got to meet Nay Mylene and Tay Alex Wollboldt, my "parents" in Munich. Their unbreakable bond and unwavering service for Christ became such an important example for me to imitate and live by. They have guided me through the years and I would not be here if not for them. Unfortunately, Tay Alex was not able to join me in my defense because of work, but he joined in our dinner afterwards, so he's forgiven!

Nay Mylene (leftmost), Ate Steph with Julia on her arms (second from the right), Uli (rightmost), and Maxi (below Uli) as we visited the integration hall where our institute is building MICADO, one of the instruments at the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT)

I still have to thank all the rest of my colleagues at MPE and my Filipino friends in Munich, and so a big farewell party is on the works for that. For the time being, I'll enjoy my one-week vacation as I travel around Germany and visit the big cities I have not visited yet!