r/PhD is a subreddit with 269k members. The most common kinds of discussions are pain & anger and advice requests, and the community frequently discusses phd, looking for, research, advice, and struggling, and they frequently recommend/review tablet, ai tools, and coding language.
The goal of this community is to support PhD seekers and holders globally, fostering a thoughtful space for shared experiences, challenges, and growth. We aim to create a space for those navigating the journey of a PhD, offering support and insight from those who have been through it
Popular Themes in r/PhD
#1
Pain & Anger
: "Academia is terrible there is no future in it at all it's all bad and there is no good"
15 posts
#2
Advice Requests
: "revenge dress recommendations that are suitable for phd defense?"
11 posts
#3
Solution Requests
: "I broke my collarbone with 4 months left before submitting and need help"
1 post
#4
Self-Promotion
: "Built something to replace awful expensive academic software. Charging for it feels wrong but so does not charging"
1 post
#5
News
: "[US SCIENTISTS] Proposed rule change would remove peer review from US science funding decisions - take action to comment!"
1 post
Popular Topics in r/PhD
#1
Phd
: "The Phd is becoming a luxury few people can afford"
263 posts
#2
Looking For
54 posts
#3
Research
: "Supervisor didn't have any Research question for me, and now calls my Research "engineering""
54 posts
#4
Advice
: "Bf just told he is sacrificing his life timeline because of my PhD"
51 posts
#5
Struggling
46 posts
#6
Supervisor
: "Poor supervision pushes early postdocs out: 30% reported issues concerning their Supervisor’s behaviour as one of the leading reasons why they leave academia"
28 posts
#7
Frustrating
22 posts
#8
Career
: "What would your Career growth trajectory look like if you didn't have a PhD?"
20 posts
#9
Defense
: "revenge dress recommendations that are suitable for phd Defense?"
16 posts
#10
Advisor
: "my Advisor is having a mid-life crisis, need advice"
15 posts
Products Discussed in r/PhD
Tablet
23 reviews
#1
Ipad
4.3★ from 4 reviews
#2
Samsung
5.0★ from 4 reviews
#3
Surface
4.0★ from 3 reviews
Ai Tools
17 reviews
#1
Afforai
5.0★ from 2 reviews
#2
Quillbot
4.0★ from 1 review
#3
Semantic Scholar
5.0★ from 1 review
Coding Language
12 reviews
#1
R
4.3★ from 6 reviews
#2
Python
4.4★ from 5 reviews
#3
Prism
5.0★ from 1 review
Flair Used in r/PhD
#1
Seeking advice-personal
: "Caught my PI making out with another woman (NOT HIS WIFE)"
41 posts
#2
🐸 🎉FROG TIME🎉🐸
: "Finally free ✨"
34 posts
#3
Seeking advice-academic
: "This is 100% my own words and research and now i'm terrified"
33 posts
#4
Vent (NO ADVICE)
: "It’s finally over"
27 posts
#5
Memes
: "I think that everyone got betrayed once."
18 posts
#6
Seeking advice-Social
: "What are some of the worst examples of PhD underemployment you’ve ever heard of?"
13 posts
#7
Getting Shit Done
: "Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Starting a PhD"
12 posts
#8
News
: "Poor supervision pushes early postdocs out: 30% reported issues concerning their supervisor’s behaviour as one of the leading reasons why they leave academia"
4 posts
#9
Big Decision Energy
: "Saying goodbye to academia"
4 posts
#10
Publishing Woes
: "I’m about to have my first ever article published"
3 posts
Member Growth in r/PhD
Yearly
+66k members(32.6%)
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About
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This page gives a focused view of r/PhD, including current member size, discussion patterns, product reviews, and related communities to explore.
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Last updated: June 15, 2026