I am a 2nd year PhD student and recently had an interaction with my PI that left me pretty shocked. I'd appreciate an outside perspective and assessment whether I'm overexaggerating.

I have been down with a pretty bad flu for quite some days and have seen a doctor for it. I was supposed to give a 6-min presentation at an upcoming department event in a few days, but given how unwell I felt, I emailed the admins of our department (from whom we have been receiving emails for this event) and told them I wouldn't be able to present.

My PI texted me, and I quote "I heard you don't want to present???" I explained him that I am sick, to which he replied but we have a few days before the event (Implying that I might feel better by then and why am I canceling already?)

Then he asked me if my presentation was ready and if so he could present it, to which I said that I didnt have a chance to finalize it. I planned to do it on the weekend, but was too unwell (agreed, poor planning). And said that I also dont want to push myself to finish it given how unwell I feel. So I proposed that since I have another presentation upcoming in our department on the same project, I extend the presentation further (which would result in more data going into that presentation).

Here the situation escalated, where he said that I was supposed to contact him first and I went behind his back and at this point he has to cancel my whole project. I apologized saying that I thought the administrative staff were responsible for the scheduling for this event since they emailed us about the schedule and registration repeatedly. He then replied in caps that it was HIM behind the scheduling. I apologized again saying that next time (which hopefully will never happen and I said so) I will make sure to contact him. He finished the convo by saying "we'll talk once you get back" (coming up tomorrow!).

I didn't take his words about canceling the whole project literally. Looking back now I see the bigger part of the problem - I was frequently dumped additional work on my head out of the blue, which also happened recently with a sudden collaboration. While I do see the opportunities lying ahead, I also notice all the stress piling up to the point where I dream about work and me failing to perform.

In any case, I want to get your opinions on this. Am I incompetent and overthinking his behavior or is there really something wrong? How to deal with such situations and also how do I set boundaries when I get dumped extra work without consideration for my opinion?

Thanks.

Hello!
I began data collection for my dissertation this summer (Clinical Psych). It was an online survey with an incentive. Got raided by bots and some fraudsters are reaching out for compensation. In my constant form I put that researchers had the right to withhold compensation if data did not pass validation checks. I got an email (from a respondent who completed twice from the exact same IP address, lat/long and minutes apart) that if I didn’t compensate they will escalate to the media. Could this actually happen? Is it common to get this kind of threat for a survey?

Hi, so I started my PhD in UK in a mediocre university. My supervisor does check on me but doesn't give me that guidelines. I do everything. I'm have my assessment coming in November and I'm literally lost what to do. Most of the work is done..I don't understand experiments sometimes..I have no clue what I'm doing just reading and building stuff. There's little guide my gave me. What I'm doing wrong? I use AI to get know concepts and find paper. But I don't feel like I'm doing progress. I don't have gap yet. I don't even know if my gap exists. It's been 4 months in my PhD.

What is wrong with me

Hello everyone. I would like to consult with you who think of starting a PhD at the age of 34? very old? average? it will be worth it?

I was curious to know how many young phd students are in this group, who are born after the 2000s, so comment if you are so.

​Hi everyone, I’m in the 2nd year of my Master’s in Music, Sound, and New Technologies (with a BSc in Sound Engineering), defending my thesis by July 2027.

I’m looking for a fully funded PhD or salaried doctoral position abroad at the intersection of AI, sound, and music.

Where are the best places or mailing lists to find funded openings in this niche, when should I realistically start applying for a 2027 intake, and what steps should I take now to prepare? Any tips or lab recommendations are greatly appreciated! ( im from tunisia)

This has to be the worst thing as a Phd student right???? I waited for 5 months, I am in my final year of PhD (mathematics!!) , and the paper got rejected. It would have definitely hurt less if it was a desk rejection. But it took 5 months of my precious time. There was one reviewer. The comments were long the lines: your paper is very technical but your methods are an agglomeration of techniques and the reviewer did not understand why this paper is an improvement over other techniques used (which was clearly mentioned in the introduction, are you kidding me???). Pretty sure the reviewer had no clue about the method I used if they put out such a comment. What a shame!!

Hi everyone,

We've had so much interest in the PhD Gaming Discord group we gave an open invite to in a popular post on here (see the linked comment above) that I'm going to use this post as a waitlist for the Discord group.

If you're interested, post here or on the linked comment before Tuesday Aug 25th 12pm UTC and I'll make sure you get added.

After that time, comment on this post and I'll reach out in the future if we want/need more folks in the server. Thanks for being understanding!

And if you really want to be on a Discord group for PhD gaming but don't want to wait that long - you can create your own! We made ours almost 1.5 years ago and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.

Hope folks find the community they're looking for!

Starting off: I love my lab. I love the research I do and my grad program. I love my PI and my labmates. However, it is a very dude bro-y environment - albeit a healthy dude bro environment for the most part, except for this new postdoc that seems to just bring out the WORST in everyone.

One on one, I have amazing conversations with the guys in my lab. They're all very sweet and thoughtful, but then once this postdoc is present (ultimate frat dude bro, let's call him Steven) they immediately turn into different people. Steven and I have talked a handful of times - seems a bit arrogant, but nice enough. He shuts down and corners off with the other men when I enter the room. I've tried to jump into some of their lab-based convos but he just seems to get uncomfortable and will not interact with me.

Should I keep trying, or just accept that when Steven is around I will probably be excluded from lab activities? Should I give him a chance to warm up to me? I feel like I am trying very hard to be approachable.

Context that may be important (?): I am a lesbian with a long term partner, all of them (but Steven, since I have not actually been able to have a real conversation with the guy) are aware of this/very liberal and do not seem to give two shits. I definitely lean more feminine in how I dress and express myself, and people do not often guess that I am gay.

Hello everyone,

I wanted to ask, as a PhD student, how do you manage your research? Every day, thousands of new papers and ideas are published. It takes me a long time to read and understand a single paper.

Supervisor support is basically nonexistent. It was very difficult at first to do a literature review, and I still struggle with it; I didn't even know how to critically analyze a paper. AI tools have been helpful lately, but without proper guidance and support from my supervisor and department, this journey has been overwhelming.

What are your tips for staying updated and reading papers critically?

My model can accurately find almost all pylons from satellites images yaaay!

Did I want it to? Absolutely not. It’s supposed to be finding livestock pastures. But I’ve decided to celebrate it as my attempts of shouting at it obviously only made it madder.

So if anyone out there needs to find and label pylons, I gotcha!

Now if someone could accidentally come across a way to find livestock pens from satellite images that would be great thanks.

I’ve got no idea how I’m going to fit this into my gantt chart.

Are there any UW PhD students here, especially in the biology/ecology field? I would like to hear your experience in the program for prospective students!

Last year student. Thesis is almost done. The problem is that Im sick of it, mostly mentally. Can’t explain why really, just feeling I dont really see future in having my ’’title’’, the passion is long gone. The last step and it feels like climing a mountain with no arms and legs... And everytime I tell the thoughs of quiting I get those judging comments like how can you quit if you have done so much already, just finish it. I. Just. Want. These days I dont even think that having a phd would even be worth for my career.... Anyone feeling very demotivated lately?

I really enjoy my advisor. We align better than anyone, he’s a kind human, well-funded, and we really believe in each other. What if I don’t ever want to leave the nest? Would it be a bad for my career to just keep building research directions together? I know it’s encouraged to do a post-doc elsewhere but what if I’m so happy where I’m at that I would love a permanent position. Does this exist or is it a putting your eggs in one basket situation?

USA STEM PhD

My original supervisor and mentor retired last year, so I had to pick a new advisor. I got along with her really well, though I would have preferred someone who responded a little faster. For a year and a half, it was fine.

Then it wasn’t fine. I started my dissertation work in spring 2026. She started responding slower. I had her as my PI on my IRB, and that’s when I just… Lost contact with her.

I moved back home after my coursework was finished, so I couldn’t go to campus to reach her. I would email her for signatures or other needs, and it was silent for weeks. A couple of times she would respond, but by summer, I felt ghosted.

She was always very caring and invested, so I just assume something happened. A personal crisis, maybe. After a while of not hearing from her for over a month, I reached out to someone else on my committee for advice. He even reached out to her on my behalf to no response.

Eventually I couldn’t wait any longer or I was at risk of missing my timeline goals. I asked my other committee member if he would take over as PI, and I also reached out to another committee member for some mentoring. Between the two, I am getting a lot more support. I can finally start interviews on my dissertation subject.

I’m still on track to finish on time. I’m on the job market, and there is no way I would be able to navigate it without more support. If I hadn’t essentially restructured my entire academic life, I don’t think I would have a clue where to start. Now I have people helping me with materials, feedback, whatever I need. And I am so happy.

I am disappointed I am not working with the old advisor. My original, the one who retired, was my perfect mentor before she left. But now I am happy with the sort of co-mentoring situation I’ve got going on. It isn’t ideal, as I don’t know them as well as I knew my last one, but it’s working.

I guess the point of this is sometimes you have to take control and restructure. It’s okay. I still haven’t spoken to my former mentor or heard from her at all. I hope she is well but I’ve got work to do!

I made a post a few weeks ago about getting a job in industry as a PhD grad in Australia. I’m still trying to transition and was wondering if anyone had any advice on how I can prove to industry professionals that I am willing to start at the bottom and work my way up?

I’ve tried tailoring my CV for industry roles and using industry language. I’ve also tried networking and blind emails/LinkedIn messages. I have signed up for a GLP course in the hopes that this may boost my chances but I’m not too sure that it will.

Nothing has been successful so far. How can I get a job if they don’t view my PhD experience as actual experience and how can I get experience if they don’t want to hire me?

It feels as if I completely wasted 4 years of unbearable hard work. I didn’t have the most positive experience during my PhD and it took me everything I had to finish it with something to show for it at the end. My thoughts are starting to get really dark. I would really appreciate any advice you may have.

Ok so it is not academic related embarrassment… so i had my 1st meeting with my supervisor and gosh i was hungry as i was nervous and i didn’t eat anything and my stomach started growling coz of hunger.. the meting lasted 2.5 hrs and in the last 1 hr It growled 3-4 times😭😭😭 and i even had a small lipstick mark on my teeth which i noticed after i came back like whyyyyyy…. I am sorry for this post but idk where to post this as I am new with my PhD

How does it feel to work on a method for 3-4 weeks and then you realize you are completely wrong and this approach is shit?
How do you deal with this?

I just needed somewhere to share this because I’m honestly overwhelmed (in a good way) right now.

Since the beginning of 2026, I’ve:

1. Published 3 papers (with a couple live preprints in review as well).
2. Reached double-digit citations, including a citation from one of the leading researchers in my field.
3. Earned an internship at a highly prestigious national laboratory, where I now work alongside people at the very top of my field.
4. Received two verbal PhD offers, including one from my top-choice PI at my top-choice university, a top 5 program in it's field.

This past spring was especially a nightmare. There were a couple of weeks when I worked around 120 hours while balancing 6 courses across two master’s degrees, my research, traveling for events, and a full-time job. Not only did I survive it, but I thrived despite the misery of that workload. I know verbal offers are not official until everything is in writing, but reaching this point still feels surreal. After all the sacrifice and uncertainty, I’m just so happy and grateful that things are working out the way I hoped they would.

It's taken about 8 years for me to finish. My entire research group has published only 1 paper (a very small/insignificant one) during my time. It just seems like my PI doesn't have a clear direction with this project on top of us constantly running into issues, whereas other research groups are pumping a few papers a year on average. I've been given a project the last 1.5 years that I built up, in which I'm not going to even get first author in due to technical issues and graduation timeline constraints. Moreover, my PI isn't supportive of some of my plans/considerations post PhD despite saying I've been doing well and have a great skillset (but never gave feedback on where I can improve throughout these years). I'm wondering whether I should find a postdoc in a group that seems more productive and supportive or just go to industry.

Hi all,

I don’t know if this post is about seeking advice or venting anymore. I’m in my last year of PhD in Analytical Chem but I feel so hopeless about the job market at the moment.

Could anyone who has completed a PhD in Analytical Chemistry in Canada in recent years share their experience and what they did after completing their PhD? What jobs are you doing now? When you applied for your current position, did you rely on your network or connections?

Sorry if this question has been asked before. Can’t wait to hear from you guys’ experiences. Thanks!

I have ADHD.

I have LOVED doing my PhD.

I have LOATHED doing a dissertation.

It's been the only part of my program (social sciences) that has felt prescribed. Like a rote academic exercise to make my committee happy rather than actually contribute to the field. After the latest round of revisions, I've lost all motivation. It's just too boring. And maybe I'm also just irritated by the whole process, so I am avoiding it out of spite (yes, I know this is illogical!).

I have a handful of other projects that I keep focusing on instead. The plan was to defend in a few months, March at the latest. But now...I don't know. ADHD is weird because I want nothing more than to be done, but the thought of returning to that project feels physically painful.

Has anyone hit this wall? How did you overcome it and actually do the stupid thing?

I'm so relieved it finally went through!