PhD Interview @ IISc: questions asked

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My friends & I jotted down the questions that we were asked during the 2 rounds of our interview for PhD neuroscience at IISc. I also posted a video on YouTube ( scroll down) but that doesn't mention all the questions.
Some good places to stay nearby:
NestInn, Isnas residency and Akshara regency: all are within 1 km radius from D Gate of IISc. 

Here u go:
The horizontal lines separate the write-up by 4 of us:
________________
Some basic mathematics will be useful, I think 
Even candidates with no maths background are usually asked to plot simple graphs like y=x, y=x+7, y=x^2, etc 
And a few questions on probability & statistics 
Learn some of this stuff from YouTube, I suggest.

 They asked me mostly physics questions since I come from MSc physics background:
Round 1:
Gave me a matrix. What you say about the eigenvalues of this matrix without solving it? Can these eigenvalues be complex? 
What's radioactive decay? Can we predict the no. of nuclie remaining if we have just one piece of information, say the initial number, or rate of disintegration at a given time? 
You have mentioned that you are interested in visual illusions. Why do u think visual illusions happen? Does it happen at the level of perception or at both the sensation & perception level? 

Round 2: 
What would be the intensity distribution at the main focal point of a converging lens for rays coming parallel to the principal axis?
Make graphs, as fast as you can:
| x| + |y| = 1,
|x|^2 + |y|^2 = 1, (it's a circle)
lim n -> infinity |x|^n + |y|^n = 1 (it's almost a square)
Draw a diagram of a neuron. What's an action potential? How does it work?  What are ion channels? Can a neuron be modelled as an RC circuit? and follow-up questions (I made a mistake on R,C I guess).
-------------------
Friend 1: 
In the first round, they asked me a lot of basic neuroscience stuff (action potential propagation, neuronal structure) and a lot of probability-based questions. Something on set theory. 
In the second round, they learned more about my work and questioned me a lot on it. 

They also questioned me on stats and probability.
_______
Friend 2:
Mathematical functions and their graphs 
Somatosensory cortex and homunculus
Structure of a neuron - how dendrites, axons and soma vary
Ion channels 
Action potential
LTP LTD
correlation causation 
SSRI
————— 
Friend 3:
They asked me from maths, bio and statistics.
Maths- questions related to the graphs of a straight line and a parabola 
Bio - action potential 
Statistics- why variances equal in ANOVA, t test, paired t test, correction for multiple comparisons ( eg Bonferroni correction) 

Since I was working with fMRI, I was also asked questions about BOLD signal and diffusion.
______
Jyani:
My interview experience and the questions asked: 
https://youtu.be/PSw6eQh4ScM?feature=shared 


Here's whatsapp group for IISc freshers 2025:
Good luck, buddy!
(Welcome to Tata Institute!)

VKJ

"Why do certain configurations of matter cause that matter to light up with awareness?" Experiencing a few moments of Mindfulness amidst the chaos. suchabrieflife@gmail.com

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