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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Student earns doctorate from Bristol 52 years after starting PhD | Student earns doctorate from Bristol 52 years after starting PhD |
| (3 months later) | |
| Dr Nick Axten began his PhD in America in 1970 | Dr Nick Axten began his PhD in America in 1970 |
| A student has finally been awarded his doctorate more than 50 years after starting his PhD. | A student has finally been awarded his doctorate more than 50 years after starting his PhD. |
| Dr Nick Axten, 76, started his thesis on mathematical sociology at the University of Pittsburgh in the US in 1970. | Dr Nick Axten, 76, started his thesis on mathematical sociology at the University of Pittsburgh in the US in 1970. |
| But after five years he returned to the UK with the PhD unfinished. | But after five years he returned to the UK with the PhD unfinished. |
| The University of Bristol conferred him a Doctor of Philosophy in front of his wife Claire Axten and 11-year-old granddaughter Freya. | The University of Bristol conferred him a Doctor of Philosophy in front of his wife Claire Axten and 11-year-old granddaughter Freya. |
| He had been awarded a prestigious Fulbright scholarship, but said his research had been "exceptionally difficult". | He had been awarded a prestigious Fulbright scholarship, but said his research had been "exceptionally difficult". |
| "Some problems are so great it takes the best part of a lifetime to get your head around them. They need a long hard think," he said. | "Some problems are so great it takes the best part of a lifetime to get your head around them. They need a long hard think," he said. |
| "This one has taken me 50 years." | "This one has taken me 50 years." |
| Dr Axten's research is a new theory for understanding human behaviour. | Dr Axten's research is a new theory for understanding human behaviour. |
| It is based on the values each person holds, which Dr Axten believes has the potential to change the view of behavioural psychology. | It is based on the values each person holds, which Dr Axten believes has the potential to change the view of behavioural psychology. |
| Dr Nick Axten at Leeds University in the 1960s | Dr Nick Axten at Leeds University in the 1960s |
| Now a dad of two and grandfather of four, he started his undergraduate degree in Leeds in 1967. | Now a dad of two and grandfather of four, he started his undergraduate degree in Leeds in 1967. |
| "It was still flower power and there was a revolutionary feel. It was the time of the Vietnam War, Paris, Prague and student sit-ins," he recalled. | "It was still flower power and there was a revolutionary feel. It was the time of the Vietnam War, Paris, Prague and student sit-ins," he recalled. |
| "Jack Straw was president of the Students' Union in Leeds. Sociology and psychology were suddenly boom subjects. I went to study them because I wanted to understand people." | "Jack Straw was president of the Students' Union in Leeds. Sociology and psychology were suddenly boom subjects. I went to study them because I wanted to understand people." |
| Dr Axten, of Wells, Somerset, said he loved his time as a mature student at the University of Bristol between 2016 and 2022. | Dr Axten, of Wells, Somerset, said he loved his time as a mature student at the University of Bristol between 2016 and 2022. |
| "All of the other philosophy graduate students were around 23 but they accepted me as one of their own," he said. | "All of the other philosophy graduate students were around 23 but they accepted me as one of their own," he said. |
| "They are clever people full of ideas and I loved talking with them - especially at the pub in the afternoon." | "They are clever people full of ideas and I loved talking with them - especially at the pub in the afternoon." |
| During a varied career Dr Axten lived all over the UK and was creator and principal author of the school teaching programme Oxford Primary Science. | During a varied career Dr Axten lived all over the UK and was creator and principal author of the school teaching programme Oxford Primary Science. |
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| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Wells | Wells |
| Bristol | |
| Gloucestershire |