To PhD or not to PhD

Respondents to Symmetry's survey about what it's like to earn a PhD in particle physics or astrophysics offer their views of the experience. In the mid-1980s, Nigel Smith was a graduate student at Leeds University. He was interested in the mysterious origins of cosmic rays, bursts of radiation that collide with our atmosphere and produce showers of high-energy particles. He was settling in to work toward his doctorate degree running an array of cosmic-ray detectors with his advisor in nearby Wes...