Can PhD students take a semester or two to study abroad, similar in nature to a sabbatical? I know that it is common for professors to take sabbaticals and conduct research at other institutions, but I was wondering if this is something that is available to PhD students as well?
I ask because there is a professor at another university that I would like to collaborate with at some point in Australia (I'm coming from Canada) who works in my field of interest. I think that given the interconnection between research areas may have a direct benefit to my own dissertation or other research projects, but at the same time it could be easily just become a distraction from the dissertation.
I'd be curious to know if this is something that could happen while working on my dissertation (assuming proper discipline can be maintained to balance priorities) or if it is something that requires patience for later on in ones career?
For context, the field would be in mathematical biology / applied mathematics / bioeconomics / wildlife resources (from a math / modelling perspective)
This is really commonplace in my field (computer science). I spent every summer of my PhD interning somewhere.
I think that this is ultimately up to you and your advisor to figure out, as well as for your university/the host university to agree to (universities have rules regarding how much time you need to be on campus, and about double enrollments). If it's one semester then it should probably be fine. I don't know about the standards in other fields, but spending a whole year away is less commonplace (I would probably not agree to it myself as an advisor).