How to Create Your Research Interests Document #

The document I used for this can be found here: My Research Interests

You need a document that describes your research interests, preferred methods, and advising preferences. This is different from a standard Statement of Purpose - it should focus on helping the AI understand what matters to you in a PhD advisor.

How to create your research interests document:

  1. Take any existing documents representing your research interests such as Statement of Purpose, research biographies, personal statements, papers you've written, papers that interest you (cut down in token length probably) etc.
  2. Upload those and the template below and have a conversation with Claude, ChatGPT, or another frontier model in an interview format with follow-up questions
  3. Ask the AI to help you produce a 'Research Interests' document that follows the template below
  4. Make sure it covers: research goals, topics, methods, advising style, and lab environment preferences
  5. This should focus on what you want to research and what matters to you in an advisor - somewhat different from a verbatim Statement of Purpose
  6. Obviously, read it and edit it to make sure it's accurate and well-structured, or you can write it from scratch if you prefer
  7. Save the result as markdown (.md), text (.txt)

Example prompt to start the conversation:

I'm applying to PhD programs and need help creating a "Research Interests" document that will be used by an AI agent to evaluate whether professors would be good advisor fits for me.

I've attached my Statement of Purpose and [other relevant documents]. Please interview me in a conversational style with follow-up questions to help me create a comprehensive Research Interests document similar to the template below.

The document should cover:
- My primary research interests and specific topics I want to explore
- Technical methods, algorithms, and research methodologies I want to work with
- My relevant background and experience
- Papers or researchers that inspire my work (if applicable)
- What I'm looking for in a PhD advisor and lab environment

Please ask me questions one at a time, dig deeper based on my responses, and then help me compile everything into a well-structured markdown document following the template format below. The goal is to clearly articulate what I want to research and what matters to me in an advisor - this may be different from my formal Statement of Purpose.

Research Interests #

[Describe your primary research area and the specific topics you want to explore during your PhD. Be specific about the problems you want to solve, the domains you're interested in, and what excites you about this area.]

Example topics to cover: - What broad research area are you interested in? (e.g., machine learning, human-computer interaction, systems, theory) - What specific sub-areas or problems within that field? - Are there particular application domains you want to focus on? - What questions or challenges motivate your research?

Methods and Approaches #

[List the technical methods, algorithms, frameworks, or research methodologies you want to work with or learn during your PhD. The agent will look for professors who use these approaches.]

Example methods to list: - Specific algorithms or techniques (e.g., reinforcement learning, causal inference, natural language processing) - Research methodologies (e.g., user studies, theoretical analysis, large-scale experiments) - Tools or frameworks (e.g., simulation platforms, specific ML architectures) - Evaluation approaches you're interested in

Background and Experience #

[Briefly describe your relevant background, previous research experience, or projects that have prepared you for PhD work. This helps the agent understand what skills you bring and what direction you're headed.]

Optional sections: - Previous research projects or publications - Relevant work experience - Technical skills and tools you're proficient with - Specific courses or training that shaped your interests

Key Papers or Inspirations #

[Optional: List 3-5 papers, researchers, or projects that inspire your research direction. The agent can use these as reference points when evaluating professor fit.]

Format: - Author(s). Year. "Paper Title." Venue. - Brief note on why this work interests you or how it relates to your goals

What You're Looking For in an Advisor #

[Optional: Describe what you value in a PhD advisor and lab environment. This can help refine the evaluation criteria.]

Examples: - Collaborative vs independent research style - Preference for theoretical vs applied work - Interest in interdisciplinary collaboration - Importance of funding, lab size, or publication cadence

How This File Is Used #

The research agent:

  1. Reads this entire file at the start of each professor evaluation
  2. Extracts your research themes, target methods, and preferences
  3. Uses this information to score professors across 7 categories:
  4. Research Alignment: How well does their work match your interests?
  5. Methods Overlap: Do they use the techniques you want to learn?
  6. Trajectory & Venues: Are they publishing recently in quality venues?
  7. Advising Capacity: Are they taking students?
  8. Lab Environment: What's the lab culture and student outcomes?
  9. Funding: Do they have active grants?
  10. Program Fit: Is their department/program the right fit?
  11. Generates a scored report

The more specific you are in this file, the better the agent can evaluate fit.