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From where I'm standing, R&D in a company is a good place for your ambition, especially if the company's of the freer culture, like Valve or Google (where you get to/have to spend X% of your time on side projects). Google X sounds like something for long-term research, if that's what you want. Then again, you can be your own R&D and build something to sell, earning yourself the finance and pleasure at the same time. As for national laboratories... Have you thought of working abroad - say, in Europe? I'm sure people there would appreciate having a Ph.D. with a different perspective on things.