So you’re attending someone’s Ph.D. defense

Your friend or loved one has reached a critical milestone: the dissertation defense (as it’s called in America, viva or viva voce in other countries) and you want to be there to be supportive. This is great and will almost certainly be appreciated by the soon-to-be doctor.

Every university is different, and even some departments within the same university differ. Defenses in my department are public and have to be advertised for a set period. Mine was at a tax-funded university, where any member of the public may show up. A few friends, coworkers, family members, and faculty from another department were there in person for mine. My advisor set up a Zoom session that at least one friend and another family member joined. Someone I didn’t recognize — and who turned out to be a former coworker when we chatted after everything was done — also attended. His son, a former student of mine, let him know about my defense. This former coworker also shared that he was planning to start grad school soon.

Having one or more friendly faces in the room will probably be comforting. Taking time out of your day to attend this important presentation will mean a lot.

Maybe you’d like to take it a step further and participate in the defense. Commonly in the U.S., members of the public asking questions is completely fair game. If this is the case at the defense you attend, the advisor or committee chair will open the floor to questions from the audience. Below are a few suggestions for asking a question.

Come up with one question relevant to the material presented from the dissertation.
If you don’t know the person’s field, do you know someone who does and whom you trust?
- But always be careful parroting “foreign-language” phrases because they may be intended to embarrass you or your friend.
Don’t worry about your question being too simple. A gift of a question will be appreciated because you cared enough both to attend and to be an active part.
Make your question supportive. Do not derail the defense. Absolutely do not try to show up or stump the candidate.
Let’s say you do know the field. Even if your one question and maybe one follow-up request for clarification don’t get the answer you’re looking for, say “Thank you” and shut up or express interest in a future collaboration.

After the public portion concludes, the chair will ask the audience to excuse themselves so that the committee may ask questions and have a discussion with the candidate. After that, they will send the candidate out so that the committee can deliberate. Sometimes the committee will stretch this part out to make the candidate sweat, but then, assuming all went well, they’ll open the door with big smiles and greet the former candidate with “Congratulations, Doctor Bacon!” — or likely a less tasty moniker.

From there, it’s time for an academic party with smiles all around, enjoying refreshments, and taking pictures with the new doctor, committee, and others who may have attended to record the special day and the huge accomplishment.

If you’re looking for personalized gift ideas, any office materials with Dr. So-and-so on them will be great: pen, paperweight, desk nameplate, and so on. You might purchase a picture frame with name and date — remember the Dr. honorific! — to hold a snapshot from the big day. If you can get hold of typeset pages or figures from the dissertation or other publications and frame them, that would be a special, meaningful gift.

Local customs vary. Direct your specific questions to the candidate, the advisor, or the department office.

So you’re attending someone’s Ph.D. defense

Further Reading