Keep up the great work.
Good luck with your PhD grant application. I know they can be a pain to get.
Also well done for getting into the top 19. It is well deserved.
As for the Steemcleaners issue I think that paying in SP makes sense for the reasons you mention and also to encourage long term investment in the platform by taking the SBD out of the equation.
People can still power down if they really want to remove their rewards and sell.