John Downs made his Wanganui parents proud when he received his PhD at the University of Melbourne in August.
Ted and Maureen Downs travelled to Melbourne for the graduation ceremony, which Mr Downs described as "a glittering affair".
Their son had already studied at the University of Auckland for four years, achieving a BSc in computer science, a BA in psychology, a BSc honours degree in computer science and a MSc in computer science.
His doctorate is in the specialised area of human-computer interaction and he is now lecturing at the University of Melbourne.
Neither of his parents are surprised by his academic success, as they say he showed an early interest in scientific knowledge.