PhD Thesis Acknowledgements

I recently completed the requirements for my doctoral degree, there are many people to thank! I copy-pasted here the acknowledgements I put in my thesis (with really minor edits because there are always typos).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My PhD story is not one without challenges, but I thoroughly enjoyed the entirety of the experience thanks to the support and love I received from so many people.

My sincerest gratitude goes to Dr Raj Prasanna, my primary supervisor, for being there every step of the way. He saw through my insecurities in engaging in socio-technical research and mentored me to develop skills and helped me gain confidence as a researcher. I will not be the researcher I am today without him.

I have been privileged to have a caring supervision team who gave me their time, energy, and enthusiasm. Each one had a unique way of providing guidance that made my work holistic. Dr Kristin Stock asked the challenging questions that made my research robust. I am grateful for her thought-provoking yet encouraging perspectives. Dr Emma Hudson-Doyle asked the ‘why’ questions, allowing me to see the bigger picture. I am thankful for her detailed, constructive, and reassuring feedback. Dr Graham Leonard grounded my research to practice by providing the opportunity to engage with the alerting research community in New Zealand. His guidance was instrumental in the development of my data-gathering methods. Professor David Johnston strengthened my work by giving me platforms to share my research with the national and international research communities. I am grateful for his constant support throughout my PhD.

My sincere thanks go to Deborah Smith, Marcus Bird, and Kevin Fenaughty for allowing me to learn from, and contribute to, the New Zealand Red Cross Hazard working group and the Common Alerting Protocol working group. My immersion in these groups shaped my perspectives on apps and alerting, and made me strive to do useful research. I also thank my survey respondents, usability inquiry interviewees, expert evaluators, and pilot testers—my PhD would not be possible without their participation. My PhD was funded by the New Zealand International Doctoral Scholarship and the Massey University College of Humanities and Social Sciences Doctoral Scholarship. I could not do the PhD without their generous financial support.

My special thanks go to the Joint Centre for Disaster Research (JCDR) community.  I would not have enjoyed this experience without the company of the PhD students who walked with me through the ups and downs of the PhD journey. My love to Dr Nancy Brown, Dr Mina Adhikari, Miles Crawford, Syed Yasir Imtiaz, Lisa McLaren, Ashleigh Rushton, Sara Harrison, Lesley Gray, Bruce Pepperell, Rangika Nilani, and Ayisha Shaik. My life in JCDR was also made vibrant with the presence of the staff, post-docs, interns, and visiting scholars. I want to acknowledge Dr Abi Beatson, Liza Hoefnagels, and Dr Noriko Imura for their care during their time at the centre.

It was challenging to be away from family while doing this PhD. However, I found different ‘families’ in New Zealand that sustained me. The Kia Maia International Student Hostel was my home for three years under the loving care of Rosemary and Graeme Wallis, and Naomi Afoa. I am grateful for the gifts of friendship from: Ye Tingting (Lindsay), Laura and Ed Holden, Pravin Thayaparan, Transi Phu, Naoto Shiota, Janice Liaw, and Teh Meng Hing. I also want to thank the New Zealand Focolare Movement, particularly to Miriam Vender, Philip Wakelin, and Cris Sebold. Not by deliberate intention but just by their loving presence they shone light in some of my darkest moments. I started practising aikido mid-way through the PhD, and I am thankful to Riai Aikido for providing me respite from academic life. My special thanks to Victor Sugijarta and Marceau Bole-Richards for their friendship off the mat. I am grateful to my ‘Stress-Free Living’ friends, Dr John Guilaran, Hanny John Mediodia, Jofferson Gonzales, Janeca and Gian Miranda, and Geo Robrigado, for opening a space for me to share both my joys and disappointments.

My deepest gratitude goes to my family in the Philippines. I am especially blessed to have loving and supportive parents, Lucas and Heddy Tan. I hope I have made them proud. My heartfelt thanks go to my twin sister, Martha Tan; though kilometres away, she has always been my shoulder to cry on and the person ever willing to listen to and laugh at all my jokes. Last, but not least, to Marion Olmillo: I am grateful for his enduring love through all these years.