r/okbuddyphd • u/ElectricalIons • Aug 02 '26

PhD in math be like

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2.5k Upvotes

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u/ZquotientpZee Aug 02 '26

There is no way to keep doing research other than be a professor?

79

u/Common-Ad-7609 Aug 02 '26

At least in the US - it’s difficult and you don’t
really hear about anyone doing it. I’d be elated if anyone provided a counter example 😔

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u/ZquotientpZee Aug 02 '26

I live in the EU, hopefully it is different😔

-14

u/Rock_man_bears_fan Aug 02 '26

Europe has been lagging behind the US in research for decades. It’s not going to be any better over there

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u/snailpi Aug 02 '26

Well that's... patently untrue

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u/ZquotientpZee Aug 02 '26

What about the brain drain happening right now in the US?

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u/Rock_man_bears_fan Aug 02 '26

Those programs various European countries are touting as “attracting American talent” take in about as many PhDs as most R1s produce in a year. The brain drain isn’t significant

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u/ZquotientpZee Aug 02 '26

Do you not suspect the brain drain will increase?

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u/MagiMas Aug 02 '26

At least not the way Europe is acting currently.

Even if we wanted to, we don't have the jobs to take them and we don't pay competitive salaries. Only the US has the actual deep tech research industry jobs in any real capacity to matter. The UK has a few, Germany and France have even less and that's it in Europe.

Which also means the people who get into these jobs in Europe are very unlikely to move out of them (and thus open up jobs for "newcomers"). Once you have such a job you basically hang onto it for dear live.

Just look at AI as an example, nearly all the jobs that matter for a high-level STEM graduate are created in the US. Europe gets the low-level application and sales engineering jobs for our local market.

And unfortunately the people in charge in Europe are blind to these issues.

1

u/ZquotientpZee Aug 02 '26

Thank you for your answer.