It’s been quiet on the blog front for some time, mostly due to the small matter of finishing my PhD. On Friday the 20th June 2014 I successfully completed my PhD viva and I can happily say that I passed with minor corrections!

It’s going to be a while yet before my thesis is available online, and there are far too many thankyou’s to fit into a tweet. So I thought I would share the acknowledgements section of my thesis.

Over the long course of completing this thesis, many people contributed to this research project in innumerable ways, and I am grateful to all of them.

I should like, first of all, to thank the Provost Strategic Development Fund (PSDF) for its support in funding this PhD, one of the first ever doctoral awards for the UCL Centre for Digital Humanities (UCLDH), and without it I would not have been able to undertake this research. My heartfelt gratitude goes to Professor Melissa Terras, my academic supervisor and an extraordinary mentor and friend, who has been a constant source of inspiration. Not only did Melissa’s understanding of my ideas around this research often exceed my own capability to articulate them, but her advice, support and nit-picking has managed to guide my sporadic thoughts into a scholarly work. Moreover, I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have Professor Claire Warwick as my second supervisor. I would like to thank Claire for her support during the undertaking of this research. I am thankful not only for her shrewd and insightful remarks but also for reminding me to believe in myself when things got too overwhelming.

Both Melissa and Claire also gave me the opportunity to learn important research and networking skills during my time on the Linksphere project and throughout my time at UCLDH which proved indispensable when carrying out my own work. Because of both of these fantastic mentors, I have developed the abilities and skills to question myself, my research, and to focus on achieving to the highest standard.

My case studies were possible only through the vital support and documentation provided by their host institutions, and I am especially indebted to the individuals within and outside those organisations who gave their time, advice and encouragement. I am grateful to all the museum staff and management at The Grant Museum of Zoology, Imperial War Museum London and Imperial War Museum North who offered information and hospitality while I was conducting my fieldwork and gathering data. At the Grant Museum I owe a particular debt to Jack Ashby, but would also like to thank Mark Carnall for his input and advice. This thesis could not be completed without the assistance of Carolyn Royston and Jeremy Ottenvanger from Imperial War Museums, and to Jane Audas and Tom Grinsted whose good humour and friendship got the Social Interpretation project off the ground.

I am especially indebted to the individuals within UCL Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis who without whom QRator wouldn’t exist. A huge thank you goes to Steve Gray, for being the best developer I know and for sharing my eccentric sense of humour. Additional thanks go to Dr Andy Hudson Smith who provided me with helpful comments for my work as well as an external perspective which proved invaluable.

My great tower of strength throughout this research has been my friends and my family, who have given me love, help, and an important sense of perspective. Most of all, I thank my parents whose support and encouragement throughout has been never ending. Their words of wisdom and constant supply of love, support and reassurance has made me who I am today. Finally to my soon to be husband, Matt, whose patience and sacrifices so that I can complete this work have been vast. I would like to dedicate this thesis to him, my biggest critic, best friend, supporter and proof-reader and with whom this whole adventure began.