Just wondering if anyone has encountered discrimination on the basis of age when applying for a PhD. Is there still hope of an academic career if you're over 30 when starting a PhD?

I will be 31 when I apply so I hope that your arbitrary threshold is wrong!

I didn't intend to set a threshold. I'm just going on feedback from some academics and students that studentships are harder to get if you're a mature student because of the lengthy postdoc process that follows it before lectureships are available. Age discrimination isn't justified as far as I'm concerned.

There is always hope, I will apply know I'm 38.

Hi Helen

Don't lose your heart. I am 37 and doing my final year PhD in Brunel. My colleage is 41 (I think) and doing his second year.

I have just accepted a PhD and I'm going to be 28 this year. I have been in research for around 4 years. I just look at it as a research career turned unside down i.e Instead of doing a PhD first and them gaining work experience for my CV, I did it the other way around. I hope my future employers understand this when I look for post doc work!

supervisors are usually happy to have mature students (they usually have more experience ) but theysometimes think that they will not get funding for a mature student. It maybe up to you to make allay these fears. Remember to sell your best attributes; your not a fresh graduate but you have more experience of working with people , lab skills etc. A lot of my colleagues are doing the same thing for me as they realise the value of a PhD in research.You are not original! In fact I think findaphd.com should run a special on mature students!

Thanks Jame's. My problem is that I deviated from research for 10 yrs after graduating, although I did gain experience in diagnostic labs for 2 yrs.I've had to spend a lot of time justifying working abroad and patient care work.

I'm 52 and I'm currently trying to find a university department where I can do my PhD !

Have the FindAPhD Team got any comments on mature entry to do a PhD? Is it harder to secure studentships and postdocs if you have done some other jobs before research?

I can only comment on this for people wishing to do a PhD in the sciences (I am not sure about other areas). If you have no lab experience, then it will certainly be difficult, if you are currently working in a research environment then things should be easier. Applying for such a job, in a university may be a good first step if you have been away from science for a number of years.

As with any change of career you will at times run into discrimination. Prejudice about employing older post-docs is sometimes more understandable. Some university pay grades make it expensive to employ older post-docs, giving the supervisor a choice between a 25 year old post-doc on a 3 year contract or a 35 year old for under 2.5 years (there may well be ways around these problems, but you will need to find somebody who is prepared to take them on). After your first or second post-doc you may be too old to qualify for many of the highly prized research fellowships. You should speak to people in your specific subject area about career prospects.

I started my PhD when I was 34 and my partner was 38 when he started his. I am in a Business School and he is in Sports and Exercise. It was not difficult at all, expecially as my partner had a 2ii, but we also had Masters degree and we are teachers. Go for it if it is sometime that you really want to do.

I am 43 and in final year of funded phd studentship. I teach pt at uni but have not been selected for interview in the 3 academic posts I have applied for.Is age the problem or lack of publications

I am running 41 and at present working as assistant professor in gastroenterology in Chittagong Medical College.I want to do PhD.Please tell me what chance do I have and where.