By Alexandra Norelli and Maggie Coffey

An interview with a principal investigator (PI) should be a two-way process.  As potential students, we expect to be interviewed before being selected for a graduate position.  But it is important to interview the PI to determine if the position is a good fit for both of you.  Having a good PI and student relationship from the start is key to a successful graduate degree.  Asking  a few hard questions to start off can ensure that success!  

What ____ opportunities would I have in your lab? Fill in the blank with what you want out of a degree  For example: conference, teaching, publishing, outreach, field work, or grant writing.  

This is an easy weed-out question because some labs might not provide the training you want.  Many modeling-heavy groups will not leave their computer desk, and some labs with lower funding may not be able to travel or attend conferences.  If you pride yourself on teaching over research, a teaching assistantship would make more sense than a research assistantship.  Think about what you want to get out of the graduate program and ask the PI directly if they can provide it.  

What is the funding model for your PhD/MS students?  

I know it can be scary to talk about money early in the process but funding is key to getting a position and keeping a position.  If the PI’s response is vague, they may not understand how their students are funded which may mean you will be doing extra work with the business/graduate student office.  If there response is detailed, be sure to identify any limitations (# of credits per semester, required teaching time, # of years funded vs. not funded, travel/conference funding).  

How long did your last MS/PhD student take to graduate?  

If their students take more than 3 years for an MS or more than 5 years for a PhD you should be cautious and identify why.  Currently, prospective students should be more understanding because the pandemic hurt a lot of long-term projects so students may have needed more time to graduate.  If students are staying for more than the usual amount of time, check if they were fully funded, had to drop down to part-time, or were finishing with no assistance from the university.  

What is your leadership and/or advisement style?

To understand if you will work well with a PI you need to know what advising style fits with your learning style or work habits.  Sometimes, you might even want a PI that has a different style from yourself that you can learn from.  Key terms to look for: Hands-on vs. Hands-off, Micromanaging, Work-life balance, frequent or no lab meetings. 

Where are former students employed? 

This one is straight forward, if the students are gainfully employed in your field that’s a great start!  If they’re all academics and you want to go into government, it might not be the lab for you.  If all of them left the field or very few succeeded, you might want to consider a different PI.  

We hope that these questions help you dig a little deeper into a lab’s culture and better understand your possible PI.  The next best step is asking similar questions to the PI’s current students.  If this post generates enough interest we will be sure to follow up with more questions to ask current students!