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How money, politics and technology are redefining the PhD experience in 2025

Nature’s global survey of 3,785 doctoral students shows satisfaction has recovered from pandemic lows, but harassment and inadequate supervision remain widespread.
By
  1. Linda Nordling

    1. Linda Nordling is a freelance journalist in Cape Town, South Africa.

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Conceptual illustration depicting students differing journeys towards a PhD.

Illustration: Antonio Rodríguez

In May and June, Nature surveyed 3,785 PhD candidates from around the globe, exploring everything from supervision practices to workplace concerns. The results, published today, offer a window into how today’s doctoral researchers are adapting to the rapidly changing circumstances in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It’s a mixed bag: candidates report feeling happier overall, but serious problems persist.

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Nature 646, 247-250 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-03149-7

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 18 November 2025: An earlier version of this article misstated the percentages of PhD students who reported experiencing discrimination or harassment during their studies in both the text and the graphic ‘Problematic behaviours plague many PhD students’.

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