Ask HN: What is the best way for a software engineer to switch to research?

I am a software engineer living in Berkeley and I think more and more about research, and the way to get there is not clear in my mind. Should I study online? Go back to school? Get a job as a software engineer in a company that focuses on research?

here is my background:

- dropped out of school at the age of 18 to start my startup ( www.producteev.com ) - Learned the basics of AI at wit.ai - Worked at Apple on push notifications / iMessage

I would love to work in the energy industry for example, but I am open to other things.

Any advice is welcome.