The phrase "pursuing a PhD" is correct and commonly used in written English.
It refers to someone who is actively working towards obtaining a Doctor of Philosophy degree. Example: "She is currently pursuing a PhD in neuroscience at a prestigious university."
There are other reasons given for pursuing a PhD, let's call them the more pragmatic reasons.
Kanter: At the moment I'm continuing my studies in medieval history by pursuing a PhD at King's College London.
He is pursuing a PhD in psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London "I'd been to London a few times as a tourist, but living here is completely different.
He moved to Munich and enrolled at the university there, later pursuing a PhD thesis on the novels of ETA Hoffmann.
Meanwhile, she is in her third year of a psychology degree, and wants gradually to change her career to lecturing on sex work, advising police forces, possibly pursuing a PhD.
He is pursuing a PhD in psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London "I always wanted to be a researcher and realised I'd have to study abroad for cutting-edge training.
The most-requested donor is of Colombian-Italian and Spanish ancestry, is "very attractive, with hazel eyes and dark hair," and, Ms. Bader adds, is "pursuing a Ph.D".
Marler studied botany at University College, London (B.Sc., 1948; Ph.D., 1952), before pursuing a childhood passion for ornithology at the University of Cambridge (Ph.D. in zoology, 1954).
My own sister, a corporate trainer with an M.B.A., and my husband, an electrical engineer pursuing a Ph.D., are cases in point.
IBM's research arm, which initially hired Gentry as a summer intern while he was pursuing a Ph.D., imagines another application of that homomorphic cryptography: securing its much-vaunted "smart" infrastructure projects.
"Nanotechnology is an incredibly interesting and broad field," says Verreet, who is now pursuing a Ph.D., working on organic solar cells at the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium, where he also earned his master's degree.
