How to survive a thesis defence

Joe WolIe
School oI Physics
The University oI New South Wales, Sydney
This document is an appendix to
How to write a thesis
O The thesis deIence or viva is like an oral examination in some ways. It is
diIIerent in many ways, however. The chieI diIIerence is that the candidate
usually knows more about the syllabus than do the examiners.
O onsequently, some questions will be sincere questions: the asker asks because
s/he doesn't know and expects that the candidate will be able to rectiIy this.
Students oIten expect questions to be diIIicult and attacking, and answer them
accordingly. OIten the questions will be much simpler than you expect.
O In a curious relativistic eIIect, time expands in the mind oI the student. A Iew
seconds pause to reIlect beIore answering seems eminently reasonable to the
panel, but to the deIender it seems like minutes oI mute Iailure. %ake your time.
O or the same reason, let them take their time. Let them Iinish, or even elaborate
on, the question.
O The phrase "That's a good question" is useIul. It Ilatters the asker and may get
him/her onside, or less oIIside; it gives you time to think; it implies that you
have understood the question and assessed it already and that you have
probably thought about it beIore. II absolutely necessary, it can be Iollowed by
a bit more stalling "Now the answer to that is not obvious/straightIorward..."
which has some oI the same advantages.
O on't try to bluII your way out oI a question. II someone has asked a simple
question, and you answer with a torrent oI jargon, or reIer to some complicated
equation, the other observers will probably conclude that you haven't answered
a simple question with a simple answer. Now this may be both true and
honourable: some simple questions cannot be answered simply. However, iI
you have to resort to complexity, you could begin by translating the question
into your terms, deIining them as you go, and, when you think you have
answered, at least make an attempt to rephrase it in the language oI the
question.
O II the nightmare ever did come true, and some questioner Iound a question that
put something in the work in doubt... mind you this is thankIully very rare....
then what? Well the Iirst thing would be to concede that the question imposes a
serious limitation on the applicability oI the work "You have identiIied a
serious limitation in this technique, and the results have to be interpreted in the
light oI that observation". The questioner is then more likely to back oII and
even help answer it, whereas a straight denial may encourage him/her to pursue
more ardently. Then go through the argument yourselI in detail - showing
listeners how serious it is while giving yourselI time to Iind Ilaws in it or to
limit the damage that will ensue. In the worst caese, one would then think oI
what can be saved. But all this is hypothetical because this won't happen.
O What usually happens is that the examiners have read the work typically twice,
and looked closely at some parts that interested them most. These are usually
the good bits. The examiners have standards to uphold, but they are not out to
Iail you. (Administratively, it is a lot more complicated to Iail you than to pass
you!) In general, they Ieel good about the idea oI a new, Iresh researcher
coming into their area. You are no immediate threat to them. They have to
show that they have read it and they have to give you the opportunity to show
that you understand it (you do, oI course). And they usually have a genuine
interest in the work. Some oI them may Ieel it is necessary to maintain their
image as senior scholars and Iounts oI wisdom. Judicious use oI the "Good
question", "Yes, you're right oI course", "Good idea.." and "Thanks Ior that"
will allow that with a minimum oI Iuss and a maximum oI time Ior champagne
drinking.
O II one oI the examiners is real nasty, your thesis deIence is probably not the
best place and time in which to do anything about it, except perhaps Ior
allowing him/her to demonstrate his/her nastiness clearly and thus to establish
the support oI the rest oI the panel. II you want a major dispute, save it up Ior
when you are on even ground, unless you are very, very sure oI yourselI and
think that you have nothing to lose.
O Be ready Ior a 'Iree kick'. It is relatively common that a panel will ask one (or
more) questions that, whatever the actual wording may be, are essentially an
invitation to you to tell them (brieIly) what is important, new and good in your
thesis. You ought not stumble at this stage, so you should rehearse this. You
should be able to produce on demand (say) a one minute speech and a Iive
minute speech, and be prepared to extend them iI invited by Iurther questions.
o not try to recite your abstract: written and spoken styles should be rather
diIIerent. Rather, rehearse answers to the questions: "What is your thesis about,
what are the major contributions and what have you done that merits a Ph?".
O Your viva is important. It is worth rehearsing it. Write down some questions
(including nasty ones) and give them to a couple oI trusted Iriends or allies.
Have them ask you these questions, in as realistic a setting as you can manage,
then answer, pretending that they are your jury, not your Iriends. Your Iriends
can take notes about your style: they may have helpIul advice. More
importantly, however, you get to practise your answers and to rehearse giving
them.
O inally, a very important distinction. I wrote above: Take your time. This is not
the same thing as 'Keep calm'. Most oI us simply wouldn't be able to keep calm
in this situation. urther, being excited or a bit nervous is actually helpIul: with
extra adrenaline, you can think more quickly. No, you don't want to be so
nervous that you Ireeze up, but on the other hand, don't be scared because you
are nervous: recognise that a bit oI nervousness is a good thing. However, in
spite oI your nervousness, remember to take your time: don't rush.
O Now read the Iirst two bullet points again. Good luck!
Opinions expressed in these notes are mine and do not necessarily reIlect the policy oI
the University oI New South Wales or oI the School oI Physics.
How to write a thesis

oe Wolfe / Wolfeunsweduau/ 61-2-9385 4954 (U% 10, 11 Oct-Mar)
The University oI New South Wales
School oI Physics