Choosing a PhD Topic That Actually Matters

A strong doctoral thesis starts with a burning question, not an ambitious title.

Many scholars I mentor arrive with a topic already chosen — usually because it sounds prestigious. But a PhD is a multi-year commitment, and a topic chosen for prestige rarely survives the third year.

Instead, start with a real gap: something in your professional context that genuinely puzzles you, ideally one connected to Nepal's development needs. Research sustained by curiosity is research that gets finished.