Dr Hanugra Aulia Sidharta ST MMT with his wife Dr Diah Risqiwati ST MT after the handover of degrees at the 131st ITS Graduation

ITS Campus, ITS News — As though guided by one heart and one soul, Dr Hanugra Aulia Sidharta ST MMT and Dr Diah Risqiwati ST MT successfully graduated together as doctors at the 131st Graduation Ceremony of the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Sunday (13/4). The husband and wife couple from the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Intelligent Electrical and Informatics Technology (F-ELECTICS) ITS chose to grow together and strengthen each other amidst the heavy academic struggles they went through.

The wife, who is familiarly called Kiki, said that she first started her doctoral studies at ITS in 2019. Meanwhile, her husband, Hanugra, followed a year later in the same department. The couple, who were supervised by Prof. Dr. Ir. Mauridhi Hery Purnomo MEng, have different research fields; Kiki focuses on signal processing, and Hanugra on image processing. “Even so, we can go through it together,” she said with a smile.

However, the journey taken by this couple from Malang was far from easy. In 2021, Hanugra experienced a condition where the retina detached from the tissue (retinal ablation) in his right eye. A year later, his left eye experienced the same thing. Seven operations and two years of healing made their study period seem to be shrouded in fog. “I assured my husband that even if he had difficulty seeing, I would be his sense of sight,” said Kiki, recalling that time.

Dr Diah Risqiwati ST MT (third from left) and Dr Hanugra Aulia Sidharta ST MMT (second from right) during the Doctoral Promotion Session of the ITS Electrical Engineering Department

Through those hardships, Kiki stood by Hanugra as both his partner and a devoted companion. She wrote, narrated, and supported every step he took—from reading journals to preparing for his candidacy presentation. ‘In the lab, we were even nicknamed Habibie and Ainun,’ said the Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) lecturer with a laugh.

Armed with effort and the conviction that ease surely follows hardship, the struggle of this couple—who married in 2009—finally bore sweet fruit. At the beginning of 2023, the two of them received a research grant to the Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) in Japan. Not only that, their scientific work also gained international recognition. Both Kiki and Hanugra published two international journal articles each—one indexed in Q1 and another in Q2. Not only did they graduate together, but they had also defended their doctoral dissertations on the very same day.

Dr Diah Risqiwati ST MT and Dr Hanugra Aulia Sidharta ST MMT at Japan to conduct joint research

From Hanugra’s perspective as a husband, navigating married life alongside academia is about commitment and balance. According to him, the trials of life that constantly come and go will feel even more difficult if faced alone. ‘Because studying is more than just research and learning; it also strengthens us as individuals,’ said the lecturer from the Informatics Engineering study program of Universitas Binus Malang.

More than just academics, the story of Kiki and Hanugra is a tale of trust, perseverance, and love that stands the test of time. Like crossing a storm with closed eyes, their journey through their studies was guided by a ray of light. ‘For us, this graduation is not only an academic achievement but a symbol of success in overcoming life’s challenges together,’ Hanugra said, smiling at his wife.

The struggle of this doctoral couple during the 131st ITS Graduation reflects support for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) number 4, which focuses on quality education. The various challenges they faced show that education can be achieved by anyone, under any circumstances, through collaboration and inclusivity. (ITS PUBLIC RELATIONS)

Reporter: Aghnia Tias Salsabila