\begin{acknowledgements}


    The journey of a PhD student is a long and demanding one. % winding?
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    It can be invigorating, daunting, fulfilling, frustrating, empowering, demoralising---and that's just over the course of a single supervision meeting.
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    As I stand, finally, within reach of the finish line, I am immensely grateful to all of the wonderful people who have supported me along the way.
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    There are too many to mention individually, so to anyone I may have missed, to all the friends, family, colleagues, and mentors who have helped me over the years: thank you.


    First and foremost, my sincere thanks to my supervisors, Nick Hawes and Bruno Lacerda.
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    They were exceedingly generous with their time, wisdom, and guidance---always encouraging about my next great idea, always patient when inevitably it took me longer than planned to deliver on it.
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    The many hours spent discussing ideas in front of the whiteboard in Nick's office were truly some of the most enjoyable and rewarding of my DPhil.

    Funding for my DPhil came from the AIMS EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training and the AWS Lighthouse Scholarship programme, and I am grateful for the incredible opportunities that their support has afforded me.
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    I also acknowledge the use of the University of Oxford Advanced Research Computing (ARC) facility, which provided computational resources generous enough to spare me from the dreaded ordeal of optimising my code.
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    Thank you to my friends in the AIMS CDT, and most of all to Wendy, our superstar of an administrator, for consistently going the extra mile to look after us all.


    The work life of a PhD student can be isolating, but fortunately that was not my experience.
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    For that, I thank my fellow GOALS students, past and present: Charlie, Marc, Anna, Mohamed, Michael, Matt, Clarissa, Lara, Branton, Alex (the other one), Carl, An, Michal, Alex (the other, other one), and Roland.
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    Thank you all for fostering such a great work environment; it was a genuine privilege to work alongside such a lovely, brilliant group of people.
    % I hope that, despite my departure, the group will be able to maintain a healthy ``Alex ratio'' for years to come.
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    I was fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with Matt on some of the work in this thesis, and I remain in awe of his ability to get stuff done blazingly fast under tight deadlines.
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    I must also commend Charlie and Anna for setting an unreasonably high bar with their reading group baking efforts.

    Moving halfway around the world amidst a global pandemic was a daunting prospect, and I feel fortunate to have had the community of the Exeter College MCR to welcome me to Oxford during those turbulent times.
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    My thanks to Tom, my college dad, for candidly sharing his experiences as MCR President, and having a valiant crack at talking me out of running for the role myself---I'm glad I knew what I was getting myself into.
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    Thank you to my housemates, Emma, Mat\v{e}j, and Chloe, for the many shared meals and living room chats, which were always welcome ways to unwind after long days of work.
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    Thanks also to my friends from Sydney (Max, Janek, Romaan, Joel, Calida, Justin, and more!) for not forgetting about me---your support over the years is massively appreciated, and it is always a joy when our paths do cross.


    Staying physically active and spending time outdoors throughout my DPhil has been invaluable to me, bringing much-needed balance to my life and preventing the walls from closing in around me when my stress levels crept up.
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    I am indebted to all of the amazing people who have helped me to discover new sporting passions over the last four years.
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    I'm grateful to the University Parks parkrun team, for giving me something to look forward to each and every week---particular thanks to Amy and Kieran for helping me to discover the joys of parkrun volunteering.
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    Thank you to my friends from the Oxford Uni Triathlon Club (OUTriC) for their camaraderie and support; discovering triathlon has been a highlight of my time in Oxford, and I've now completed (and enjoyed!) events that would have been unthinkable to my younger self.
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    My thanks also to the Headington RoadRunners; I feel very lucky to be part of such a friendly and welcoming community.


    Behind everything I have achieved over the years has been the steadfast love and support of my family.
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    I thank my cousins, Vinil and Ash, the role models who inspired many of my interests over the years, and my uncle Anil.
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    I thank my Oma, Maria, for the love, encouragement, and food that she has provided me with over the years.
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    I am grateful also to my late grandfather, my Opa, Bill: although he never saw me move to Oxford for my DPhil, the journey started long before that---he taught me from an early age to appreciate the privilege of education, and I have carried that lesson with me all the way.


    My heartfelt thanks to my partner, Bronya, for her kindness and understanding through my busiest periods, and for her enthusiasm in celebrating my successes with me.
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    My life is immeasurably better for having her in it, and I'm excited to see where the coming years will take us.


    I reserve my final thanks for my parents, Andr\'e and Sadhana.
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    They have always encouraged and supported me in whatever I chose to do, even when it meant moving halfway around the world.
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    The opportunities that I have been fortunate enough to have are the result of their hard work and sacrifices, and for that, I am forever grateful.

\end{acknowledgements}