Doing Phd Thesis while working in industry

[gurumaster8899]

Is it possible to work on your Phd thesis while working in industry....like working in an R&D lab while working for you thesis?

[noojens]

Yeah, it's possible. For example, people occasionally complete the last few years of their PhD (the research component) working at a place like IBM Watson Lab. It's not super common though, and it requires either you or your advisor having strong connections to a company that performs basic research (of which there are few).

[twocosmicfish]

It is certainly possible - I have two guys sitting near me who are doing that very thing! You just have to negotiate the conflicts between your academic and job responsibilities. For our guys it is not uncommon for them to take a year off from work towards the end to nail down their research, but some work through either full or part-time.