I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at D. E. Shaw Research in Jan 2017
Interview
Phone: Had a great hour long conversation with a researcher about previous experiences, plus some technical questions.
Onsite: Most interviewers seemed fine, but definitely had a weird experience overall. One interviewer came in 10 minutes late, clearly had not read my resume (and was not interested in reading it even when I offered him a copy) and asked me technical questions that obviously were totally unrelated to my experiences. I'm sure they do great work but based on the experience things seemed somewhat disorganized. Also definitely felt like some people had big egos. That being said, your mileage may vary since I only did 4 one hour interviews plus lunch, and maybe I just had a bad interviewer or two.
Mostly discussed my past research experience with multiple staff scientists / scientific associates. They also asked a couple of hypothetical questions that are somewhat related to my research projects, and shared information on their own projects.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What new information did my previous research project bring?
I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at D. E. Shaw Research (New York, NY) in Jan 2019
Interview
Round 1: phone interview with questions about previous work and some technical questions.
Round 2: onsite interview full day interviewing with the team. Questions ranged from personal to technical to questions about previous work.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a previous project you are proud of.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at D. E. Shaw Research in Jan 2017
Interview
Recruiter call me directly. They were recruiting biology-oriented employees, while I am seeking a CS-related position, so it ended up with merely a technical conversation rather than an interview, I think. Unsurprisingly I was not offered a on-site interview.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why does their exist some protein that denature at low temperature?
Why, then, do most protein denature at high temperature?
What are the dominating thermodynamic driving force?