hundred day phd recap

The first 100 days of my PhD are over. Time for a recap.

One of the biggest realizations so far: a PhD is much less about working on one clear topic. I am working on multiple projects around AI and decision-making simultaneously. Designing experiments, working with data and AI models, discussing theory, and writing. Keeping these projects separate while having flexibility to pursue all of them and accepting that research is difficult to plan has probably been one of the biggest adjustments.

At the same time, I got the opportunity to take over as teaching assistant for a course, giving me a very different perspective from the other side of the classroom.

And, unexpectedly this early into my PhD, I am currently supervising four Bachelor’s and Master’s theses. Helping the students turn either their or my idea into a thesis has become one of my favorite parts of the job.

So, after the first 100 days, the PhD has been exciting: researching, teaching, supervising, juggling projects, and figuring out what to do next. Still a lot to learn. Luckily, there are a few more than 100 days left.