Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Riley L. Ham!

Riley L. Ham, BerGSAS im Programm Ancient Philosophy and History of Ancient Science | Foto: Laura Viktualia
Riley Ham, the topic of your dissertation is “The Divine Method: Collection & Division in the Philebus”. Why did you choose this topic and what did you hope to find out?
I honestly wanted to work on something else, namely the sophist Prodicus. After my interview I was asked whether I’d consider working on something else, which I happily agreed to. I suggested Platonic metaphysics and epistemology, which led me to Collection & Division, and Jonathan Beere told me he’d love to supervise a dissertation on the Philebus. I said I’d let him know the next day, read the dialogue for the first time during those hours, and agreed to the plan. My expectations were much like Michelangelo’s idea of sculpting: the material will show me what shape the project ought to take.
You were a doctoral student in BerGSAS and you have successfully completed the program “Ancient Philosophy and History of Ancient Science (APhil/HistAS)”. In your experience, what are the benefits of a structured PhD program?
There are several benefits to such a program. First off, it means that there are other people who are working on similar topics, meaning there are people with whom you can discuss your work and people who can give you meaningful feedback. Second, it offers a framework for your project, giving a loose structure of deadlines that you can use to make sure you steadily progress. Finally, it offers a lot of opportunities for things such as an Auslandssemester, language courses, workshops on academic skills and support for dissertation writing.
What do you take away from your time as a doctoral student at BerGSAS?
That I am capable of a lot, very good with deadlines, love working independently, take great joy in writing, and that my health and chosen family are more important than any academic title could ever be.
What advice would you give to students who are about to begin their PhD program?
First, consider whether a PhD actually suits you. If you did not like writing your master’s thesis, do you really want to be doing that as a full-time job? Second, please regularly show your supervisor and/or colleagues your work, even if it’s just short bits. If you don’t do this, you might end up having to toss months of work because you went down a path that turned out to be a dead end. Third, start writing immediately, making notes of your ideas and what you’re reading in such a way that you can use those notes in a year or two, rather than having to redo all the work you did back then.
During the “Berliner Antike in der James-Simon-Galerie“ event on the 21st of November, you and other recent PhD graduates will receive your official PhD certificate. What do you plan to do next?
I started a duale Ausbildung in September, at the Bruno-Lösche-Bibliothek in Mitte. This will give me working experience and the title of library technician. I think it is a field where I’d greatly benefit from my academic skills and can directly contribute to society. It is a lovely mix of working with people and working with books.
OpenEdition schlägt Ihnen vor, diesen Beitrag wie folgt zu zitieren:
teamredaktion (18. November 2025). Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Riley L. Ham! Berliner Antike*-Blog. Abgerufen am 9. April 2026 von https://doi.org/10.58079/1560b





