What is a PhD hat?
The German PhD hat has become a POLIMA tradition
One of the joys of being part of a multi-cultural research group is to be introduced to different cultural and academic traditions. In POLIMA we are currently 17 employees from 8 different nationalities.
In December, the Danish traditional Christmas lunch with pork roast and marinated herrings was spiced up with Chinese Tea Eggs, Portuguese Bacalhau and Greek Pastitsio.
Another tradition brought to POLIMA is the German PhD hat. The PhD hat has a shape that resembles the American graduation hat. However, the German PhD hat is a colorful hat made by your fellow research colleagues. On the flat board on top of the PhD hat are creative decorations, photos and artefacts depicting the interests, the character, and the personal journey of the PhD student. After passing the defence, the doctoral candidates received the PhD from colleagues. 
