Questions to Ask in a Postdoc Interview
Questions for a postdoc interview, covering which grant funds the position and for how long, authorship, whether you can take a project with you, where past postdocs ended up, group size and time with the PI.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What project would I be starting on, and is it funded already?
Why ask it
Ask which grant pays for you and when it ends. A position funded from a grant with eighteen months left is a two-year job however the advertisement is worded.
How long is the appointment, and what determines renewal?
Why ask it
Get the review point and who decides. A post renewed annually on soft money behaves very differently from a committed three-year appointment.
How is authorship decided in this group?
Why ask it
Ask specifically about first and last author on work you lead. Groups with no stated norm tend to settle it in favor of whoever has more power at the time.
If I develop a project here, can I take it with me?
Why ask it
This decides whether you leave with your own research program or with someone else's. Ask before you spend two years on the idea, not after.
How often would we meet, and what does that usually look like?
Why ask it
A weekly one-to-one and a monthly group meeting are different levels of access. Ask current members what actually happens rather than what is on the calendar.
Where have your last few postdocs gone?
Why ask it
This is the most informative question available. A pattern of faculty positions, industry moves, or people leaving research entirely each tells you something concrete about what this post leads to.
How big is the group, and how is it split between students, postdocs and staff?
Why ask it
A large group means less PI attention and more mentoring duty for you. Ask how many people the PI currently supervises directly.
Would I be supervising students, and how is that recognized?
Why ask it
Supervising two students is real work that will not appear in the job description. Ask how it shows up in authorship and in the reference letter you will eventually need.
How quickly do you usually return drafts?
Why ask it
Turnaround on manuscripts governs your publication rate, which governs your next job. Ask a current group member for the honest number rather than the intended one.
What equipment, computing or core facility access comes with the position?
Why ask it
Ask what is shared and how long the queue is. Access on paper to an instrument with a six-week booking list is not access.
What does the position pay, and does it follow a published scale?
Why ask it
Most postdoc salaries sit on an institutional or funder scale, so the useful detail is which step you start on and whether the PI can top it up from other funds. A PI who does not know the scale has not looked at the budget line you are on.
Is there money for conference travel, and how much?
Why ask it
Ask for the amount and whether each trip needs approval. Conferences are how postdocs become known, and travel is often the first budget line cut.
Would you support me in applying for my own fellowship?
Why ask it
A PI who actively helps with fellowship applications is investing in your independence. One who would rather keep you on their grant is telling you something about the next few years.
What are the expectations around hours and being in the lab?
Why ask it
Ask what evenings and weekends actually look like. Answers about passion instead of hours generally mean the hours are long.
How is data organized, and what happens to it when people leave?
Why ask it
A group with documented practice is one where you can build on earlier work. Without it, you will spend your first months reconstructing something that was already done.
What has not worked in this line of research?
Why ask it
A PI who can describe a failed direction in detail is being straight with you, and it can save you from repeating the attempt.
What teaching or grant writing could I do, and what is expected?
Why ask it
Both help a future faculty application and both consume research time. Ask which are available, which are compulsory, and whether either is paid separately.
Who else would I work with, inside and outside the group?
Why ask it
Collaborations shape your publication record. Ask whether the named collaborators are currently active or historical, since websites rarely distinguish the two.
What happens if the project does not work?
Why ask it
Ask whether there is a second direction and whether the funding permits switching. Postdocs derail most often on a single project with no fallback.
What visa, relocation or housing support is available?
Why ask it
Ask who handles the paperwork and how long it has taken recently, because it affects your start date and sometimes your ability to travel during the post.
What should I know about working with you that I would only find out later?
Why ask it
Some PIs answer this with real self-knowledge. If the answer is nothing, ask a current postdoc the same question when the PI is not in the room.
Assessing a Postdoc Position
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Ask the Group, Not Only the PI
Get time alone with current members
Ask for a conversation with a postdoc or senior student without the PI present. If that is not offered, ask for it directly, and treat a refusal as an answer in itself.
Ask the same three questions of everyone
Draft turnaround, meeting frequency and what happens when a project stalls. Consistent answers across the group mean the group is well run; contradictory ones mean the experience depends on who you are.
Contact someone who has left
Former members are usually candid and easy to find through old papers. One email asking what they would want to know before starting is often the most useful thing you do.
Get These in Writing Before Accepting
- The funding source and the end date of the grant paying your salary
- Appointment length, renewal conditions and notice period
- Salary, and whether it follows a published scale
- Travel and research budget available to you
- Any teaching or supervision that is expected rather than optional
- Whether you may take a project or dataset with you when you leave
- Visa sponsorship details and who files the paperwork
Common Pitfalls
Choosing on the strength of the topic alone
An exciting project in a group where drafts sit unread for months produces fewer papers than an ordinary project in a well-run group. Weigh the supervision as heavily as the science.
Not asking where previous postdocs went
It is the closest thing to an outcome measure available, and most PIs will answer it. A group that cannot name any recent destinations is worth a second look.
Assuming independence will be granted later
If the answer about developing your own line of work is vague now, it will not become clearer once you are on the payroll. Ask for an example of someone who did it here.
Treating the offer letter as the full agreement
Authorship norms, project ownership and travel budgets rarely appear in it. Confirm those by email so there is a record you can point back to.