PhD graduate overcomes profound personal loss and global crisis to achieve academic success
Dr Ebenezer Veerasingam, from Sri Lanka, is graduating today with a PhD, having completed his research during a global pandemic while navigating personal loss, economic upheaval and the challenges of studying far from home.
Dr Ebenezer Veerasingam, from Sri Lanka, is graduating today with a PhD from the School of Arts, English and Languages at Queen’s University Belfast, following a journey marked by personal loss and sheer determination.
Ebenezer began his PhD at Queen’s in October 2019 with the support of a prestigious scholarship. His PhD examines Sri Lankan diasporic literature within a postcolonial framework, focusing on how these works articulate the complexities of migration, identity and belonging.
But just a few months into his studies, the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything to a standstill. Unable to return home, and with his fieldwork postponed indefinitely, Ebenezer faced a devastating loss.
As he explains:
“The unthinkable happened during lockdown – my beloved father passed away. Being the only child to my parents and trapped by travel bans, I could only grieve from afar, watching the funeral through a screen. Alone in the UK, the quiet support of my cousin’s family became my only refuge in what was truly unimaginable sorrow.”
Eventually granted special permission to return to Sri Lanka, Ebenezer spent two weeks in quarantine before reuniting with his mother and beginning to grieve in person. His return offered a brief moment of relief, but it came during a time of national economic crisis.
Ebenezer describes this period:
“The value of my scholarship plummeted while libraries remained closed, and the financial pressure of tuition fees and daily living costs began to mount. The academic dream that once felt so clear to me was now buried under stress, isolation, and uncertainty.”
Despite these challenges, there were also moments of joy. In 2021, he married his fiancée, Tharshini, after a five-year engagement.
But tragedy struck again a year later:
“In August 2022, our newborn son sadly passed away due to post surgical complications, his life claimed amid Sri Lanka’s crippling healthcare crisis and medicine shortages. It was a loss no parent should endure.”
Through immense grief and adversity, Ebenezer remained committed to his studies. He and his wife moved to Belfast, where she took up work with Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland (HSCNI), supporting the family while he completed his research. He also found strength in the support of his family, friends and a dedicated supervisory team at Queen’s, who helped him navigate the most difficult periods of his PhD.
Reflecting on his experience, Ebenezer says:
“Pursuing a PhD can be demanding in the best of times, but doing so during a pandemic, economic crisis, and personal loss was something I never imagined. The support of my family, friends, and the Queen’s community helped me keep going.”
Today, Ebenezer graduates with a PhD after one of the most challenging periods of his life. His story reflects a deep resilience in the face of personal difficulties and the support networks that help make it possible to overcome them.
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