Before interviewing at a grad school, how much background research should I do into its research groups? I was recently invited for on-campus Interviews at Austria‘s top graduate school. I picked 5 Group Leaders, of which 3 will eventually conduct the interview.

Naturally, I’ll be prepared for any and all questions regarding my previous thesis, internships and classes.

Questions:


How much reading should I do about the research of the groups I’m interested in?
Can I expect detailed questions regarding their latest publications, etc.?
My experience interviewing was in the US, so it might or might not apply to you in Austria.

None of the schools where I interviewed expected me to know the details of their latest work. I read a few of their recent papers so I had some idea what the groups did and I could have an intelligent conversation with professors and other students. It seemed to go well.

Good luck!