SUBREDDIT: r/needadvice
TITLE: Following my passion: working with the forefather of a field (x-post from AskReddit)
POST: Alright Redditors, I need your help.

After spending the majority of my life interested in applying principles from my various studies to human interactions, I discovered a field that directly studies that interest. Basically, I found my passion on a chance video from ted.com (yay for the interweb).

First, I caught hold of a phrase in a video about advertising - Behavioral Economics. Then I researched it, read everything I could about it, contacted professors at local colleges, and even spoke to the forefather of it himself - Dan Ariely: 

It's been a few months since we spoke, but I want to pursue a Ph D. in Behavioral Economics. I also want to continue my career. So, my questions/comments:

1) I believe that creativity and effort most often allow individuals to side step standard 'sacrifices' for what they want. You're welcome to say that it cannot be done or that I clearly don't want it enough if I won't give up my career, but realize that I'm only interested in solutions, not road blocks. I will read your comments but I won't bother arguing and it's unlikely to change my mind.

2) I want to perform a study of Behavioral Economics as it applies to my field, process automation. I have a pretty clear picture of the studies I would like to pursue, what I am seeking is advice on how best to present them to Dan to sell him and/or other behavioral economics professors into agreeing to allow me to pursue and publish remotely and/or as a part of my greater job function.

3) How to actually knock out prerequisites, work remotely from the institutions I want to be associated with (Dan is at Duke, I live in Houston and my research would be best carried out here)? have any of you heard of Ph. D's being granted to people doing research in industry? I've researched it and found examples, but I have no clear indicators whether it's feasible and/or common in Economics.

I'll be around until about noon CST if anyone has more detailed questions, I know I left a hell of a lot of detail out.

Thanks!

CD
TL;DR: 
I have a chance to work with some of the smartest people in the world, help me close the deal, plan successfully, and execute on it. I promise I'll share the research with Reddit if I succeed at funding it.