So, you’ve got a PhD interview coming up—congrats! You’ve been invited to present in front of a team of professors, lecturers, and researchers. The interview isn’t just about proving your intelligence (your CV already does that); it’s about demonstrating enthusiasm, motivation, and whether you’d be a good fit for the team. What’re some of the do’s and don’ts, and how is it different from any other job interview?
This guide brings together advice from current and former PhD students—Beth, Joe, Agathe, and Josh—who have been through the process and know what works. Each of them have shared their insights to help you feel confident and prepared for your interview. Let’s dive in!
1. Show Your Enthusiasm and Motivation
A PhD isn’t just a continuation of an undergraduate degree—you’re signing up to years of research, problem-solving, and perseverance. Supervisors want to know you’re motivated enough to push through when experiments fail, data doesn’t make sense, or your research hits a dead end.
Instead of focusing on your most impressive grades, talk about:
- Why you’re excited about this research area
- What drew you to this specific project
- How your past experiences (academic or industry) have prepared you
If you’re coming from industry, use that to your advantage! You’ve had time to develop skills like project management, teamwork, and problem-solving—these are hugely valuable in a PhD setting.
Beth’s advice: Ultimately, anyone with the right qualifications or experience can apply for a PhD. What separates you from other candidates is your passion. Make sure you only apply to projects you genuinely care about – supervisors can spot fake enthusiasm from a mile away! It’s important that you show that you are self-motivated and won’t be looking for too much direction from your supervisor – your PhD will be your responsibility.
2. Read Up on the Project (But Don’t Go Overboard)
It’s important that you have some insight into the project with ideas of how you might approach the problem and what the key research challenges will be. You don’t need to become an expert overnight, but you should:
- Read the project listing carefully—be ready to discuss how your skills align
- Look over a few relevant papers, talks and news articles (including your potential supervisor’s recent work)
- Understand the main takeaways rather than the deep technical details
Joe’s advice: Don’t limit yourself to just the supervisor’s papers – mentioning one of their articles shows interest, mentioning 9 makes you seem obsessed (in a bad way!). Reading too many of your supervisor’s papers and regurgitating them without truly understanding them is a big mistake. You don’t need to understand all the content, just the main takeaways of the article.
Josh’s advice: Don’t lie! It’s okay to say no and be honest. A PhD will take three to five years, so you need to make sure it’s the right fit for you too. And don’t show off! If you’ve read something to prepare but it doesn’t naturally come up, you don’t have to force it into the conversation.
3. Know What a PhD Actually Involves
You might be surprised how many people apply for a PhD without fully understanding what they’re getting into. Supervisors want to see that you know the basics, like:
- What a literature review is (you’ll do a lot of reading!)
- How PhDs are assessed (it’s not like a taught degree)
- That research can be unpredictable, and flexibility is key
This isn’t just another job—it’s a long-term commitment that blends independent research with learning. Show them you understand that!
Beth’s advice: Be confident in your answer to ‘why do you want to do this PhD?’ – this is one of the most important questions you could be asked! This not only involves showing your enthusiasm, but demonstrating that you understand exactly what you’re committing to in terms of effort, finances and outputs.
4. Be Confident Talking About Your Experience
Expect to be asked about:
- Your CV and previous projects (especially your master’s thesis or industry experience)
- Your technical skills (coding, lab techniques, data analysis—whatever is relevant)
- How you handle challenges (because research will test your patience!)
They’re not trying to catch you out—they just want to know what you bring to the table. If you worked in industry, highlight transferable skills like time management, teamwork, and communication. These are just as important in a PhD as technical expertise.
Agathe’s advice: Look through your past experience and identify projects you’ve worked on that are particularly relevant to your PhD topic. This could be similar research, or a project that helped you develop a technical skill that you plan to use often during your PhD. You’d be surprised at what might be relevant!
5. Talk Like a Person, Not a Textbook
A PhD interview isn’t a conference presentation. Don’t feel like you have to overuse academic jargon—talk naturally! Instead of drowning in technical terms, focus on clearly explaining your interest and experience. If they want more detail, they’ll ask.
Think of it as a chat about science, research, and collaboration. If you’re easy to talk to, that’s a big plus—they’ll be working with you for years!
Agathe’s advice: Be yourself! A PhD is often more personal than a job and a supervisor will want to assess how you are as a regular person. And remember, you’re also assessing them! They could be the best professor/researcher in the world, if the vibe doesn’t fit or you clearly don’t get along, it could make for a miserable PhD. Also, if your interview is online, make sure you have a strong WiFi connection!
Beth’s advice: Academics are human too! Try not to be too intimidated by them or their expertise during the interview. You just want to get to know each other.
Joe’s advice: This is a chat to see how well you’d work together, not a formal conference paper. Don’t try to “sound like an academic” by talking about your hypotheses and variance and impact factors – you (hopefully) don’t talk like that in the office, so talk casually but confidently about yourself.
Josh’s Advice: Don’t panic if you’re asked any brain teasers—interviewers care more about how you approach the problem than whether you get the right answer. They want to understand you better.
6. Ask Questions (It’s an Interview for You Too!)
You’re committing three to five years of your life to this group—you should have questions! Some good ones to ask:
- How big is the research group? (Small teams vs. large labs offer different experiences)
- How often do they meet? (Regular check-ins or more independent?)
- How much flexibility will you have in shaping the project?
One thing not to ask? Funding for international conferences (yet). Focus on the project first—those opportunities come later.
Beth’s advice: A great question to ask is whether you can speak to a current PhD student or postdoc in the group. They’ll give you the real perspective on what it’s like to work there.
Final Checklist: PhD Interview Prep
✅ Read up on your potential supervisor’s recent work (but don’t memorise everything)
✅ Be confident in explaining why you want to do this PhD
✅ Know your CV well—you’ll be asked about past experience
✅ Show enthusiasm and drive—PhDs are about persistence!
✅ Understand the wider research context (skim a few papers/news articles)
✅ Prepare a couple of questions to ask at the end
✅ Check your WIFI if it’s a remote interview!
Final Thoughts
Your PhD interview isn’t about proving you’re the smartest person in the room—it’s about showing you’re curious, motivated, and ready for the challenges of research. Go in prepared, stay confident, and remember: they already think you’re qualified. Now it’s just about seeing if it’s the right fit—for both of you.
Good luck—you’ve got this! 🚀
She Codes the Cosmos 
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