Mohsen Ghafoorian, the Ph.D. student I supervised since 2013 graduated on March 8.
Mohsen was there when I was diagnosed with MS, when the disease progressed and I had to stop supervising four other Ph.D. students, and when I was diagnosed with brain cancer last year.
It was a great pleasure to be the first one to address Mohsen after he received his title in an official ceremony. Not only did Mohsen perform excellent scientific work. Some days my MS made me slow, sometimes my speaking was slurred, or my thinking clouded. On these days I felt inadequate as a supervisor, but Mohsen never made me hesitate to ask for an explanation, and he always took time to discuss ideas. I left our meetings with a great feeling, a sense that I did contribute, that I was heard, and that my opinion was valued.
For now, Mohsen was my last student. Hopefully, in the future, I will be able to co-supervise a new Ph.D. student.
I’am sure of that! You are doing so much better and looking so much stronger…