Imperial College London Researcher Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 27 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Candidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at Imperial College London.
Imperial College London
Postdoctoral Researcher
Entry Average Positive experience No offer 1 round
Interview process
Panel
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical
I met with a panel of lab members and the principal investigator. They asked me behavioral and technical questions, including about my motivation, a short use case, and clinic-related topics. The whole thing was just one 20-minute interview before they made their decision.
Confirmed questions1 question
- What is your motivation for joining this lab?
Imperial College London
Postdoctoral Researcher
Mid Difficult Positive experience Accept offer 1 round
Interview process
Panel Offer
Interview formats
Technical Behavioral
The interview was super simple. It lasted 20 minutes and I met with a panel of 4 PIs. They didn't ask for a presentation. There were multiple rounds of questions covering related subjects, and they specifically probed my deeper knowledge. No further interviews were scheduled, but I got a positive response a few days after.
Confirmed questions2 questions
- Were there questions about the specific topic and tasks relevant to the job?
- Did they ask questions that tested your deeper knowledge beyond the immediate scope?
Imperial College London
PhD Researcher
Entry Difficult Neutral experience Accept offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Presentation Panel Group Onsite Background check Offer
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical Presentation Group
We were given a scientific paper a week before the interview day. Around 60 candidates were invited for the interview day where they had 6 panels of 3+ supervisors interviewing candidates individually throughout the day. They asked a couple of questions about us/why we wanted to do a PhD etc and then moved on to details about the paper. In the afternoon, there was a poster session of the 8 projects available where you could speak to the supervisors and then a 'Pizza party' with current PhD students. During this time you had to give a preference list of 3 PIs/projects and that evening you got an email about whether you were through to have 1:1 interviews with your selected supervisors the next day.
Confirmed questions1 question
- What is your motivation for pursuing a PhD?
Imperial College London Researcher Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from Imperial College London interview reports.
“What's the hardest part about doing a PhD?”
Read reports →“What draws you to Imperial College for your PhD studies?”
Read reports →“What motivates your desire to pursue a PhD?”
Read reports →“What are your reasons for wanting to undertake a PhD?”
Read reports →“Can you tell me about the most impactful result of your research to date?”
Read report →“Is there a particular research focus that you find interesting, and what makes you want to research that area?”
Read report →“What makes you want to study these particular topics?”
Read report →“In what ways is your research related?”
Read report →“How do you handle reasoning when you're under pressure?”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 27 Imperial College London interview reports.