Naman Merchant

Naman completed his undergraduate studies in India and joined Abertay in 2017 to pursue a Master's degree in Games Development. He was attracted to Abertay due to its international reputation for excellence in video games education and its consistent high rankings in the prestigious Princeton Review.

During his studies, Naman learned about the opportunity to pursue a PhD at the University and decided to apply.

In 2020, a couple of years into his doctoral journey, Naman was offered a full-time lecturer position at Abertay. While thrilled and honoured, taking on the role significantly increased his workload. Managing this newfound balance became crucial as he juggled lecturing during the day and committed himself to his PhD studies at night.

Despite the challenges, Naman found immense fulfillment in lecturing, and the experience complemented his PhD work.

He said:

Embarking on a PhD is an extensive and demanding journey, but it's undeniably rewarding in the end. I encourage future doctoral students to be open and connect with their peers; they're navigating the same journey and will provide invaluable support throughout the process.

Naman’s achievements during his studies include being selected to attend The Game Developers Conference in Los Angeles through the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and successfully publishing one of his games on the PlayStation Store. Notably, his game received recognition at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington DC, where he represented UKRI.

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