Target PhD Labs

Summary: Curated shortlist of 20 labs for MS→Direct PhD applications (Fall 2026 start). Scored on research match, funding guarantee, advisor availability, placement record, and outreach responsiveness.

Scoring Rubric (1-5 each)

Criterion Weight Description
Research Match 30% Overlap with your interests: latent space, world models, diffusion, LLM reasoning, CV foundations
Funding Guarantee 25% Explicit multi-year funding (fellowship/RA/grant), not "competitive"
Advisor Availability 20% Taking students Fall 2026; reply rate to cold emails
Placement Record 15% Recent grads → top labs (DeepMind, FAIR, OpenAI, Anthropic, faculty)
Outreach Signal 10% Lab website invites emails; professor has "prospective students" page

Total = Σ(score × weight). Threshold: ≥3.5 for Tier 1, ≥3.0 for Tier 2, ≥2.5 for Tier 3.

Tier 1: Dream Labs (Score ≥3.5)

Lab / Professor University Research Match Funding Contact Status Notes

Action: Fill in 5 labs with deepest alignment. Priority: professors with recent papers in your target areas (latent diffusion, world models, efficient attention, visual reasoning).

Tier 2: Strong Match (Score 3.0-3.4)

Lab / Professor University Research Match Funding Contact Status Notes

Tier 3: Backup / Broad (Score 2.5-2.9)

Lab / Professor University Research Match Funding Contact Status Notes

Outreach Tracker

Professor Lab Email Sent Reply Call Scheduled Paper Attached Notes

Template: See wiki/templates/outreach-email.md (create if needed)

Application Package Checklist

  • CV — Auto-generated from wiki/resume.md
  • SOP — 1 page: research journey → specific lab fit → future vision
  • Research Statement — 2 pages: problem → your approach → feasibility → impact
  • Transcripts — Official, ready to upload
  • LoR — 3 confirmed (1 industry, 2 academic)
  • GRE/TOEFL — Completed if required
  • Portfolio — GitHub (2+ stars), PapersWithCode links, blog posts

Decision Framework (When Offers Arrive)

Factor Weight How to Assess
Advisor match (research, style, availability) 35% Talk to 2+ current students; read last 3 papers
Funding guarantee (years, source, conditions) 25% Get written offer; ask "what if grant ends?"
Lab culture & peer quality 20% Visit (virtual/in-person); Slack/Discord vibe
Placement record (academia + industry) 10% LinkedIn alumni; where do 3rd-year students go?
Location / lifestyle 10% Personal — only you can weight

Related Entities

Sources

  • personal-research: Self-compiled shortlist — scoring rubric & outreach tracker