PhD interview preparation

3 Mar
The following post is written primarily for those who are applying for a PhD project where the
funding is supplied by a research council, such as NERC. All PhD interviews are all different,
and this post definitely wont cover everything, but it should help you prepare for most
eventualities.

If in doubt, go smart but dont worry, you can spend the next three years wearing jeans and a
hoody. Photo credit: Alex France
On the day itself, the interview will probably be divided into three or four parts.
i) Meeting with the project supervisor. Being invited to interview is a good sign that the
project supervisor is keen to employ you; however, at this stage it is still possible for a project to
have several students vying for the same place. For this reason it is important you make a good
impression with your potential supervisor. It is also your opportunity to find out as much as
possible about the project. Ask lots of questions! This is not really part of the formal interview
process but you may be asked to demonstrate some practical skills (e.g., identification of
minerals in thin section). Academics can be sneaky like that
ii) Department tour and lunch. This part is usually conducted by current PhD students and so
offers a good chance to quiz them on important aspects of the department (e.g., social life and
extra-curricular activities). Remember to convey your enthusiasm for the project; the students
may well be asked to report back to the project supervisor at the end of the day. Dont be
alarmed if PhD students sometimes appear cynical and jaded this is considered normal
behaviour for 3
rd
years.
iii) A panel interview. The most important bit! At this stage, you are being formally assessed as
to whether you will be offered funding. The panel will probably consist of between two and four
academic staff from the department (this wont include the project supervisor) and can last
anything from five minutes to half an hour. The type of interview is usually quite different to a
normal job interview, both in the style of questioning and in the things youll be expected to
talk about. Be aware that the panel may not be experts in your chosen field, so dont assume you
will be bombarded with highly technical questions. Instead, these are the sort of things youll be
asked
About the potential PhD project
It is likely that that majority of interview questions will focus upon your overall understanding of
the project you are applying for. Before the day itself, try to read up on relevant papers (usually a
reading list is supplied with the project advert if not, ask your potential supervisor for one;
youll look ber keen). Take advantage of meeting the project supervisor and try to get to the
bottom of what youll really be doing. Its ok if the project isnt completely planned from start to
finish (this is your job) but the research question should be well thought out, and you should be
able to justify to the interview panel why it should be funded. Potential questions include:
Describe the project (long version)
Describe the project in two sentences
How would you describe the project to someone who sat next to you on a train, i.e., to
somebody with no scientific background?
How would you justify the purpose of this project to a taxpayer?
What are you going to be doing thats new? What about this project has never been done
before?
What do you expect to find out?
What are the potential pitfalls of this project?
What is your contingency plan if plan A doesnt work out?
What equipment will you need to use?
Will there be any fieldwork?
Will you need to apply for any extra funding?

One day this could all be yours! Credit: Jorg Cham (PhD comics)
About your masters project/dissertation/mapping project
Another big line of questioning will be about the biggest piece of research you have undertaken
to date, whether this be a masters or undergraduate dissertation, or in the case of BSc Geology, a
mapping project. The interview panel will be trying to find out how you coped with the pressures
of research, how you managed your time, and above all, if you enjoyed the process. Taking a
copy of your project along, or even just a couple of key figures, can help you to explain complex
ideas and demonstrates proactivity.
What did you do in your masters project?
What did you find out?
Did you have any problems? How did you solve them?
How did you manage your time? Did you meet your deadline?
How does it relate to the PhD you are applying for? (Remember that even if the subject is
unrelated, the process will be similar!)
What did you enjoy/dislike about research?
About yourself
In contrast to real world (non-academic) interviews, you may be surprised at how little you are
asked about yourself and your extra-curricular activities. You probably wont be asked to tell the
interviewers about a time when you worked in a team or resolved a conflict or
demonstrated leadership. This is all good stuff to keep in the back of your mind, but here are
examples of more typical questions:
Tell us about yourself
What do you enjoy about science?
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
What are your career aspirations?
Why are you interested in this project?
How do you cope with failure or setbacks?
What do you like doing outside of your studies?
About the university
Its wise to have a of background knowledge on the type of research being conducted in the
department you are applying to. Have a browse at their website and see what big impact papers
have been published recently, and check the university press releases to see if anything relevant
has been in the news.
Why are you applying here (over other universities)?
What do you know about the department?
What sort of research do we conduct?
Why are you applying to us now when you turned down an offer to study here at
undergradutate level? (thanks @hibbert_kate for this tip!)
Wildcard questions
Interviews conducted by senior academics always have the potential to go off-piste. If they ask
you a seemingly bizarre question (e.g., how many pubs are there in France?) then dont panic,
just work through the answer rationally in a way that demonstrates a logical thought process.
Some may even throw in a really challenging question to see if you can cope with being put
under pressure be prepared to admit you dont know something rather than making up the
wrong answer!
Tell us about an interesting paper you read recently
If you had a research budget of 100,000, what would you do with it?
If we give you the position, what do you think the rest of us should be doing with our
time, whilst you complete your PhD? (thanks to @GeomagJerk for sharing this)
What are the biggest unanswered questions in your field?
Describe *this* rock (usually restricted to geology interviews!)
How would you describe chemical potential to a child?
Do a rough calculation to show how thermal energy is transferred to a parcel of crust
descending through the mantle
Above all, be interesting (academics love a good theory or story), be confident, and be yourself.
If you know i) what the project is and ii) why you want the project, your answers will be more
coherent and your enthusiasm will shine through. Good luck!

You could probably paraphrase thisPhoto credit: Dani P.L.
Look out for the next post in this series: Youve been offered a PhD what should you do
now?

PhD Interviews
by Dr Nathalie Mather-LHuillier
Why do you want to do a PhD?
Why this PhD Project?
PhD interviews vary tremendously depending on the supervisor and/or the studentship concerned
and its not really for us to say exactly what you might be asked. It is likely, however, that you
will receive questions about your third year project, Masters dissertation, or any other research
experience you may have.
If you have been given details of any particular references then make sure you do your best to
read them. If you've not been given this info, then use the web to find relevant papers
(particularly those by your potential supervisor). You are not likely to be intensively examined
on these materials, but the supervisor will be looking to see that you were at least interested and
engaged enough to read them.
The other question you are likely to be asked is why you want to do a PhD in general and this
PhD in particular. You should think about the answers to these questions before you go to the
interview. Many people apply for a PhDs because they can't think of anything else to do. A good
supervisor will try to avoid these people.
Finally, remember to find out as much as you can while you're there. Try to speak to PhD
students working in your potential new lab / department and see if you like the atmosphere. Don't
be afraid to ask the PhD students about the quality of supervision. Three years is a long time to
be stuck with a bad supervisor or to work in an unfriendly environment.