u/mitjoshi256

I’m a final-year PhD student preparing for a postdoc interview, and the PI has asked me to give an oral presentation on my dissertation research to his research group over Zoom before moving forward with the in-person interview.

He gave me some flexibility to either:
Present multiple projects from my PhD, or
Focus on selected projects that best highlight my strengths and research interests.

How did you decide what parts of your PhD work to present?
How much detail is appropriate for a ~30–45 min research presentation?
Should I present my dissertation as one coherent scientific story, or present 2–3 separate projects?
How much time should I spend on background vs. experimental design/results?
What level of methodological detail do PIs and lab members usually expect?
How aggressively should I prepare for questions about experimental limitations, controls, doses, model selection, and alternative interpretations?
Should I include future directions, and if so, how much?
What are the “killer questions” I should be prepared for?
Any tips for presenting your PhD work to a PI and their lab rather than to your thesis committee?

Thanks.

Over the past few months, I've cold-emailed around 25 PIs, mostly in the US, whose work closely aligns with my research interests. I personalized each email, attached my CV and cover letter, and followed up when appropriate.

So far, I haven't received any positive offers. A few PIs replied, but the common theme was funding issues. Some said they liked my background but aren't recruiting because of the current funding crunch. Others mentioned they are waiting for grants to be reviewed before hiring anyone.

This has made me question whether I should continue investing my time in searching for a US postdoc or start focusing on industry R&D positions instead.

For those who have gone through the postdoc application process recently:

• Is applying to only 25 labs simply too few in today's environment?
• Is the funding situation really this bad, or am I doing something wrong?
• Should I keep applying to more labs (US, Europe, Australia, etc.), or is it more practical to pivot to industry?
• Has anyone here been in a similar position and later managed to secure a postdoc after an initial wave of rejections?

I'm not looking for false reassurance—I genuinely want to understand the current reality. If the academic job market is this difficult, I'd rather adjust my plans now than keep waiting for something that isn't likely to happen.

Before scheduling any official interview, he wants to have an informal Zoom conversation to discuss how his lab fits my research background and what my long-term career goals are.

For those who’ve gone through this, what questions should I expect? Should I prepare a short overview of my PhD project, future research ideas, and a 5–10 year career plan? What are PIs usually trying to learn from these conversations?
Any advice would be appreciated.