When Dr Hadri Yusof and Dr Eryse Seth decided to pursue their PhDs simultaneously, the parents of a then three-year-old toddler knew they had their work cut out for them.
Not only did they have to juggle parenting, but they also had to balance their respective careers and rigorous research work.
Last month, the 34-year-olds completed the journey they started in 2021, graduating hand in hand from the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences at Monash University Malaysia in Bandar Sunway, Selangor.
Hadri, who focused on neuroscience and drug delivery, graduated with a PhD in Pharmacology, while Eryse, who brought a patient-centred lens to her research in medical technology, earned a PhD in Medical Technology.
Reflecting on their choice of tertiary institution, Hadri, who was teaching at a local university while juggling his wedding photography and videography business, shared that Monash had offered them an international research environment without being too far from home.
Eryse, who was working in healthcare market research, recalled how the offer had felt like a “rare and meaningful opportunity”.
Both had secured the varsity’s Graduate Research Excellence Scholarship, which eased the financial pressure of stepping back from full-time employment while raising a child.
The hardest challenge, both agreed, was less about the research itself and more about the weight of juggling everything else.
Hadri’s second year proved particularly challenging.
A blood-brain barrier model he was developing kept failing due to contamination – setbacks that sent him travelling back and forth to Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang to work alongside a more experienced collaborator.
Eventually, he abandoned the model entirely and changed course as he balanced the demands of raising a growing child at home and managing a business that depended on him.
Eryse faced equally demanding moments. Her research involved conducting in-depth interviews with epilepsy patients – a process she had never navigated before.
She drew on her supervisory team and the guidance of a clinical psychologist she met at a summer school organised by her supervisor, learning how to ask questions with sensitivity and listen with genuine intention.
On the technical side, she also had to pivot when a wearable device study generated early data that was largely unusable.
“I didn’t want to get it wrong.
“The patient stories kept me focused and gave me a renewed sense of purpose,” she said.
Through every frustration, the couple had each other’s support, sometimes working side by side on their research.
Their daughter, Matilda, now seven, grew up with the PhD journey woven into her life, accompanying them to conferences and international research visits made possible by the university.
Today, they are settling into the road ahead as each finds their footing in an evolving world.
Eryse has returned to a full-time role as a research manager in syndicated healthcare.
She described it as “coming full circle”, as the PhD had deepened the analytical and empathetic skills needed to better understand patient outcomes and industry decisions.
Hadri, meanwhile, is channelling the leadership and communication skills developed during his doctorate into his business. He is also exploring opportunities in medical affairs and scientific communication, bridging the two worlds he has worked across.
Asked about their defining memory of the PhD journey, both pointed to the same moment – not a milestone in the lab or a breakthrough in the data, but the instant they walked out in their graduation robes to meet their family.
For Hadri and Eryse, the graduation ceremony marked a joyful end to one of the most demanding chapters of their lives.
“We were rushing to get our robes on, and the moment we stepped out in our robes and bonnets to meet our family is a memory I will never forget.
“In that moment, the late nights, frustrations and self-doubt all faded and turned into relief and joy,” Eryse recalled.
For Hadri, the day held meaning beyond academics.
It felt like a shared accomplishment, shaped by everyone who had been part of the journey along the way, he shared.
