The ‘most successful PhD student ever’ doesn’t seem to exist
A certain Sebastian Roy Osumanu is reputed to be the most successful PhD student at the UvA ever. But there’s a problem: no-one at the UvA has any idea who he is.
Multiple Ghanaian news sources have reported on Osumanu, who supposedly received a UvA doctorate in financial economy on 1 September in addition to no less than five PhD awards. These, according to major news website Pulse, included ‘Best Economics Researcher, Best Graduating Student, 2017 Research Award, 2017 Millennium Doctorate Best Male award and The School of Business Honor’.
Gowns
The UvA, however, claims to have no knowledge of him: ‘We don’t know anything about this,’ says a spokesperson. Osumanu appears to be wholly absent from UvA systems. The UvA states: ‘He wasn’t registered as a student or PhD student, let alone as a recipient of a doctorate. Moreover, the UvA academic year hadn’t even started by 1 September 2017. Nor do our PhD students wear gowns when defending their thesis.’
Responding on Ghanaian news website Pulse, Osumanu insists that his claims are genuine, saying that Pulse will soon deliver proof of his doctorate. When asked about the photoshopped pictures of his ceremony he responded: ‘I don't know where those pictures came from. I was even shocked to see those pictures in the public.’
