Thesis Defence - Anonymity in Open Scientific Publishing

On July 8, 2026, I defended my undergraduate thesis at Institut Teknologi Bandung. It marked the end of a full year of work, difficult deadlines, and more than a few burnouts.

Thesis

Indonesian: Mekanisme Anonimitas Berbasis Model Triple-Blind Peer Review Untuk Mengurangi Bias Identitas Dalam Sistem Publikasi Ilmiah Terbuka Berbasis Distributed Ledger Technology

English: Anonymity Mechanism Based on the Triple-Blind Peer Review Model to Reduce Identity Bias in DLT-Based Open Scientific Publication Systems

My work explored how a triple-blind peer review model could help reduce identity bias in an open scientific publishing system built on distributed ledger technology. I worked through the problem, analysis, and resulting design carefully, aiming to make the reasoning clear from the initial problem through to the final result. There were still gaps, but I was satisfied with what I had built, and I was grateful that the work was appreciated.

A long and difficult year

The thesis took a full year of work. At several points, I was so focused on meeting deadlines and making the result as complete as I could that I fell into a two-day sleep cycle. Looking back, I can see how perfectionistic I became. It was exhausting and led to burnout, but that same attention to detail also pushed me to make the work coherent and carefully reasoned.

Waiting for the result

Before the defence, I was more nervous than I had ever been. After presenting, I had to wait outside the room while the examiners discussed the result. Those minutes felt especially long.

Waiting for the result

After the defence

I was relieved and proud to have reached the end of the journey. This photo was taken in Ruang Sidang 11 after the defence, together with my thesis supervisor, Dr. Phil. Eng. Hari Purnama. I am sincerely grateful for his guidance throughout the work.

After the defence in Ruang Sidang 11

For Dad

My father passed away the year before I graduated. He had dreamed of having a son who could enter ITB and graduate from there. Reaching this day felt like that dream had come true, and I wish he could have been there to see it. This achievement is for him.

For Dad

Looking back

The defence was the culmination of an unforgettable experience: a demanding year, a result I could stand behind, and a milestone that meant more to me than I can easily put into words.

I also wrote a short reflection about the ideas behind the thesis: When Silence Isn't Neutral: Rebuilding Trust in How We Judge Science.

A moment after the defence

A graduation day at ITB

I am also grateful to all the friends who stayed by my side throughout university. Their company, encouragement, and shared memories made the difficult parts easier and the good moments even better.

With my friends from Informatics