If you're thinking about a PhD in chemistry, here's something worth knowing before you commit: a large new survey of chemistry doctoral students has found that a majority of them have seriously considered walking away from their research — not because they stopped loving science, but because of everything surrounding it.
The survey was carried out by the Young Chemists Network of the German Chemical Society, gathering responses from over 700 chemistry PhD students across a wide range of subfields and career stages. The headline number is hard to ignore: 61% of respondents said they had thought about discontinuing their studies.
It's not really about the chemistry
When researchers dug into why, the biggest reason wasn't failed experiments or difficult coursework — it was mental health. Nearly two-thirds of students who considered quitting pointed to mental health struggles as a major factor, followed closely by inadequate supervision. Heavy workload, a poor lab environment, and simply losing interest in the research project rounded out the list.
Four in five respondents said they regularly work more than 40 hours a week — and roughly one in six said they routinely exceed 50.
The supervision problem
A striking finding was how much a student's relationship with their supervisor shaped their entire experience. Over 40% of respondents reported real conflict with their supervisor, most often tied to workload and lab atmosphere. And nearly a third said they had personally experienced an abuse of power — being pressured to work outside normal hours, pushed beyond legal working limits, or publicly humiliated in front of colleagues.
A quarter of respondents also reported witnessing or experiencing discrimination in their research environment, most commonly related to gender, with a smaller share tied to nationality or ethnicity.
What actually seems to help
It's not all bleak. The same survey found a clear pattern: students who had regular, structured meetings with their supervisor, received constructive feedback, and were treated with basic respect reported far higher satisfaction — even under heavy workloads. Having a second supervisor, especially one from an entirely different research group, was also linked to better outcomes.
Off the back of these findings, the survey's organizers are pushing for real changes: mandatory leadership training for new supervisors, independent and confidential channels for students to report problems, and institutional policies that actually protect work-life balance instead of just paying lip service to it.
Why this matters if you're a student
If you're a chemistry student in Pakistan — or anywhere — weighing whether to pursue a PhD, this isn't a reason to give up on research. It's a reason to ask better questions before you commit: What does this supervisor's mentoring style actually look like? Do current students in the lab seem supported? Is there a second point of contact if something goes wrong? A PhD can be one of the most rewarding things you ever do — but only if the environment around the chemistry is as healthy as the science itself.