An interesting read (along with the sister article pointed out by tom_b, linked in the original). It is relevant for me as within about a year I will leave my c

An interesting read (along with the sister article pointed out by tom_b, linked in the original). It is relevant for me as within about a year I will leave my current position as a postdoctoral scientist. I consider myself more heavily weighted towards the "domain specialist" and "probability/statistics" foundation, but would still be considered a data scientist by many. The article is concerned with making academia more attractive so as to stop off loss of data scientists to industry, but I am also wondering whether or not there might be some fit within industry that has perks like those in academia. So I will try to ask for some advice, as someone with an open mind towards both academic and industrial position, but with no experience in the latter... In applying for position in industry what sort of strategies are there to maximize time allocated to discretionary research/independent projects/etc. Lets say I am willing to work a maximum of 60 hours a week, and that I have some idea in mind for a minimum salary (I dare not say the actual number). How can I negotiate a contract where 10-15 of those hours go towards personal projects that might be only loosely aligned with the firm's objective? Is this even possible for someone just starting out? For example, could I take a pay deduction? Or should I just think about reducing the total number of hours I work for the company? Does anyone have experience applying for research grants within industry (of small to medium size)?