Their Brilliant Careers - Beyond the history PhD

Since 2000 over 50 PhDs have been awarded by the Department of History at the University of Sydney (see a full list of thesis titles). The following information gives a snapshot of the careers of this group of graduates in early 2007.

Dr Andrew Beattie

Lecturer, German Studies, Institute for International Studies, University of Technology, Sydney
PhD 2005 Contested legitimacy after the Cold War: the Bundestag Commissions of Inquiry into the East German past

"After graduating with a BA with First Class Honours in German Studies and a major in History, I began doctoral work on Germany’s handling of its tumultuous twentieth-century history after unification in 1990. Specifically, I examined the work of a quasi truth commission which examined the history and legacy of the East German dictatorship, but also considered broader questions about Germany’s postwar past and contemporary Germany’s relationship to the Nazi period. My PhD was supervised by Dr Dirk Moses, and I spent a year conducting research in Germany, primarily based at the Centre for Contemporary Historical Research in Potsdam. During my PhD candidature in History, I gained a temporary and then tenure-track position in German Studies at the Institute for International Studies at the University of Technology, Sydney. During 2006-7, I am a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, where I am continuing to work on the politics of history and memory in contemporary Germany."

Dr Ebor Gabli

Assistant Fellow, Research Institute for Art History, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
PhD 2002 Museums, modern art and cultural policy in Hungary, 1896-1983

"I benefited hugely from my time in Sydney (1999-2002), since it gave me the freedom to pursue research on my own, without the pressure of coursework (as usual for PhDs in the US, for instance). Coming from quite far away abroad, I found a very liberal and helpful atmosphere at the Department. I specifically valued the dedication of my Supervisors as I had not been used to being given so much time and attention with regard to my dilemmas or the forthcoming chapters of the thesis. Whilst all this may sound as formal courtesy, I would like to expressly state that I may not have chosen scholarship as a career path without the methodological and intellectual armor gained in Sydney. Needless to add, the fully-funded grant I received throughout the three years was indispensable to this."

Dr John Fahey

Managing Director, Cynergex Group Pty Ltd
PhD 2004 Britain 1939-1945: the economic cost of strategic bombing

"I chose the University of Sydney for my thesis because I knew that it would demand from me much more than an institution that specialised in military history. At Sydney I was able to undertake work of substance on strategic bombing, a topic that underlines the way in which hope and belief can distort rational thought. This meant that I had to explain to nearly everyone what I was doing and what it meant. It also meant that I had to refine my ideas and to discipline myself to produce cogent arguments which drew on a wide range of approaches, philosophies and intellectual traditions, whether I found them comfortable or not. It was great!"