Hi all, I know there is allot of grievances on PhD candidature here. Thought I would throw mine in there as well. I am doing a PhD in electronic/Software engineering. I have two publications in high tier journals already. I have two months left of my candidature.

About a year ago, my supervisor came to me with a concept to apply with to my research topic, so I applied it, extended it substantially with some of my ideas and from my informal tests is performing much better than state of the art, now I am formalizing test and writing my third journal paper (about 40% complete). But this has been a hard year, I got married, honeymoon, had a child, my mother died, had three interstate weddings I was involved in and moved house; as a result I have had much time away from the office. My supervisor seemingly being supportive of my work and life, I finally got around to present my work to him and turns out because I have not showed him any formal results he has given the the original concept to a new promising PhD student and he is trying to force me to hand over all my source code, and writing to the other student for their thesis, two months before my thesis is due and wants me to write about something completely different in another topic which doesn't even fit with the story of my thesis. More over, my original research topic which I introduced to our laboratory when I first started and this work has the potential for high impact, it is something I was darn proud of, passionate about and would be happy if that's all I did with my life. However, this new topic he is pushing me into has no practical applications and no one will ever to read it.

I am already a successful app developer, and I don't need a PhD to run my company. I was only doing a PhD to make a significant contribution to the progression of humanity.

[ Continued ] Sorry ran out of space.

Anyway, I haven't considered the last 4 years a complete waste as I have made publications. Here is my predicament. I still have many ideas about my original research topic and I am passionate, experienced and highly motivated to keep publishing in this area with or without a PhD in my own time. I don't need specialized equipment for my experimentation. Getting a PhD would be a bonus, but I am considering divorcing my supervisor and setting up my own research facility, applying for grants and get ethics clearance etc. I want to know if it is possible to self publish in top tier journals and also somehow get a Doctorate without an institution or a supervisor?

Because as it stands my Supervisor has taken away my passion for the gain of another preferred student. He has taken away the reason I was there in the first place. So, why should I continue to waste my time under him for another year or so, when I know I am capable to compete with him on that topic.

As it stands to get my PhD I will have to re-write my thesis, and re-conduct tests on something far less significant not even remotely related to my original topic, all my hard work was pointless.

Sorry for the confusion by"self publish" I mean sole author.

Perhaps you can discuss with the other student about the situation... What if similar situation may happen to this student later?

However, to be fair to the supervisor, have you done something else that did not please you sup as well? Then negotiate or discuss with him? But you may let him know that you do not really need the degree... He may worry about the situation more than you.

You have already published two good papers. So you need not rush for publication now, but further develop it such that it is essentially your work.

You can't be awarded a PhD without a sponsoring institution.

Thanks TreeofLife that is good to know. And MeaninginLife I don't think I have done anything to dis-please the professor, I thought we were friends and we were helping each other out. Anyway, it is a real shame he has responded like this as now I have no interest in seeing my PhD through with him, or on the new topic, my heart will not be in it. Oh well, such as life. For now I will leave his supervision and go back to my 6-figure income, haha.

I will finish writing my last two journal papers in my own time, and see if I can find a new supervisor and institution that will back my ideas in the new year.

You could always try for an alterntive formate thesis - PhD by publication. You still need to be affiliated to an institute but you don't submit a thesis with a supervisor you submit your publications to be considered as worthy as Phd. Something to think about.

Wow! Really feel proud for nomad!
Firstly, it is not quite right that all the work done by a Phd candidate belong to the university or supervisor.
Worst still, if the supervisor is unethical...

Anyway, by publishing these two papers you may later get copyright or even patent.
Otherwise, everything simply belong to the university. Good decision.