Life (or the lack thereof) in Academia. 'Piled Higher and Deeper (PHD)' is a live-action adaptation of the popular web comic strip by Jorge Cham. With humor and heart, the film follows the personal journeys of two graduate students as they struggle to find their place in the confusing (and often hilarious) world of high-stakes Academic research. Along the way, they learn that the academic journey is as much about finding truth in books and experiments as it is about finding truth in yourself. Filmed on location at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the film features real scientists and researchers (including two MacArthur 'genius' award recipients ).