• Question: On average, how many hours do you work a day?

    Asked by bobzi to Gunther on 13 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Matt Gunther

      Matt Gunther answered on 13 Jun 2012:

      Well, being a PhD student it really does depend on what you’re doing. More often than not I’m in for eight hours a day but if we’re using any high-tech equipment, chances are I’m in for a lot longer in order to get the best results!

Comments

  • Photo: Alison

    Alison commented on :

    It really depends on how much work there is to be done. A “normal” working day is at least 8 hours. I do a lot of teaching so some times of the year are particularly busy, like exam periods where there is a lot of marking to get done in a short space of time. At these times you can work very long days and weekends. When I did my PhD (which is a research degree that you can do after your first 3 years at university), I regularly worked 9 or 10 hour days. As Matt says, sometimes you need to get on a particular piece of equipment that is only free for a short period of time. Or you might be doing a long experiment that cannot be stopped in the middle!!!