PhD candiate Kevin Williams has passed his viva voce PhD exam, on the topic of “Data and Type Optimization in Virtual Machine Interpeters”. Kevin returned to Dublin from his job at INRIA Rennes as a research engineer to take the exam. The examiners Prof. Koen de Bosschere of Universiteit Gent and Dr Mike Brady of TCD were vary happy with the work, and recommended that the PhD be awarded subject to minor corrections.