The nine-to-five PhD: mere myth or an achievable goal?

3 min read Original article ↗
  • CAREER FEATURE

Can you squeeze your graduate programme into a 40-hour working week? These 13 current and former PhD candidates reveal their top time-management tips.

By

  1. Laura Woodrow

    1. Laura Woodrow is a freelance writer in London and guest editor of Nature Briefing: Translational Research and Nature Briefing: Cancer.

A stylised illustration depicts a person seated at a desk beneath a lamp, interacting with scientific tools and data visuals. The desk includes a magnifying glass over a puzzle of a clock, laboratory glassware, a molecular model, and a calendar‑style chart with a maze. Abstract symbols, arrows, and geometric shapes float in the background, visually linking the elements and representing data analysis, research processes, and problem‑solving.

Illustrations: Lena Tokens

The nine-to-five PhD is an ever-elusive goal: many candidates aspire to it but few end up achieving such an impressive work–life balance. Nature’s 2025 global PhD survey found that 50% of respondents, who were self-selecting, identified a culture of long work hours at their university. This fuels dissatisfaction, and those who spent more than 60 hours a week on their PhDs were significantly more likely to report that they felt dissatisfied with their doctorates (21%) than were those who spent 30 hours or less (16%).

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Nature 653, 315-317 (2026)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00509-9

Interviews have been edited for length and clarity.

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References

  1. Glorieux, A., Spruyt, B., Minnen, J. & van Tienoven, T. P. Stud. Continuing Educ. 47, 155–173 (2025).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Read, H., Pugh, A., Riley, B. & Bramley, G. A Review of the Economic and Social Value Produced through Funding PhD Students (National Civic Impact Accelerator, 2024).

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