Post-PhD Reflections 

29 January 2026

I'm writing this from the South Island in New Zealand, where I am now starting to understand how to sit in my own tranquility/peace/silent effervescence and how to live a slow-er paced life. From this "solo" adventure, I have been able to reflect on the past year and look within myself to appreciate everything that has transpired... one glacier hike at a time. 

Although I am here as an award recipient and attendee of the quadrennial ICG-IAG 11th Conference on Geomorphology, I have managed to connect with the people, the land, old friends, future collaborators and myself more than I have ever anticipated. Coming here has allowed me to step away for even just a bit and look back.

2025 was a wild ride. From my last living grandparent passing away to getting engaged, and then defending my PhD thesis... I have learned A LOT along the way.

Much has happened and it feels as though I was driving a car so fast (over the speed limit for sure) that I am just now getting a chance to drive at my own pace and I am now actually getting to enjoy the view. How do you slow down after a PhD? Well, it's been taking me a few months to even process that I am PhinisheD and it's been quite an experience to get the grad student imposter syndrome mentality out of my head! The transition from PhD to postdoc was not as easy as I imagined it to be (cue the impostor syndrome, again). I am now learning to enjoy it, 4 months later... settle in, build confidence, and slowly step into the shoes of the independent, early career researcher that I am and actually OWN IT. 

I am closing one BIG chapter of my life and starting a new one -- I am so excited to see what comes next.

Very much just like a glacier, I am slowly carving my path through life with impact, advancing (and learning to unlearn/recede to some extent) at a slow but steady "glacier-pace".