Can you really do a PhD from nine to five? Nature readers weigh in0

• SCIENCE, Science / Health, Science Mission Directorate, scientists, Space, Space Communications & Navigation Program, Space Launch System (SLS), Space Telescope, space-x-ipo, SpaceX
• July 6, 2026

Credit: Monty Rakusen/Getty In April, Nature published advice from PhD candidates and PhD holders who had achieved the unthinkable: doing their PhD from nine to five, more or less. In response to a follow-up survey in the Information about nature In the newsletter, 20% of 6,046 past and present doctoral students said they spent up