EMBL Phd Student Interview Questions
& Process

So I interviewed at the EMBL outstation in Grenoble. Everything was in English, so you gotta be good at it and explain your research super clearly. My big tip: have your 3-minute elevator pitch ready about your Master's project and its biological relevance, all in English. You'll say it a lot, and nailing it makes a great first impression. The EMBL interview is a two-step thing. First, a panel of group leaders from various EMBL sites will grill you on your background and some basic science stuff, usually related to your research. For me, since I studied kinases, most questions were about that and my expressed interests. If you pass that, you move to the next tier to meet the recruiting group leaders and hear about their projects. The second stage is another 30-minute chat with the recruiting leaders and another non-recruiting leader. It's a back-and-forth where they ask you stuff and you get to ask them whatever. I was really set on one project and mentioned it in my application. My background fit well, and I got the vibe they really read the applications beforehand.

As a physicist, I applied to the cell biology and biophysics unit. Around 2000 people apply each year, and about 150 get interviewed, with about 50 ultimately selected as PhD students. After my application was initially screened, I was invited for an interview. The interview has two main parts. The first is an initial assessment where 4-5 professors from different units, like Developmental Biology and Structural Biology, evaluate candidates based on their background and expertise. Although I'm a physicist, I encountered many biology questions covering topics such as gene expression, DNA basics, transcription, mitochondria and the electron transport chain, and microscopy. Following this, there are one-on-one interviews with various professors, where the goal is to convince them to accept you as their PhD student.

The interview process had 2 rounds plus a pre-screening. The pre-screening covered my previous project, my motivations for pursuing a PhD, and my definition of a successful PhD. They asked me to explain p-value, the gene to protein process, the purpose of multiple hypotheses testing, and what transcribes genes to mRNA. The onsite interview was at EMBL Heidelberg during an interview week. The admin staff were very helpful and made me feel welcome. On the first day, we heard project overviews from supervisors and toured the facilities and Heidelberg, followed by a networking event with PIs. The next few days were packed with interviews with various PIs. We had to submit our preferences on the last day. The main challenge was the tight schedule of interviews, but the PIs were very supportive and welcoming. Presentations weren't mandatory, but I prepared one, and there were many chances for follow-up questions. After the interviews, there's a lot of effort to find the best fit between students and PIs.