PI not replying to email?

[Vidoory]

Hi everyone, 

 

I'm looking for some advice and input on what this situation could mean. I was accepted into the PhD program of my choice a while ago, and went in for "interviews" with some of the PIs whose research interested me and who I wanted to do rotations with a week ago. There was this one particular PI whose research I loved, and I also thought our meeting went really great (and I mean like one of the best interviews I've ever had type thing). Even though he didn't specifically say anything about me doing a rotation in his lab, he did describe potential projects for next year. I felt great about that meeting at the time, and sent him a thank you email the day after our meeting to reiterate my interest in his research, but have not heard back from him after a week. Just to clarify, he is not a super busy PI that might just not have time to reply to emails, but only newly established. Although there are a lot of other amazing researchers in this program who I would be considered lucky to work with (most more prestigious), I can't help but feel a little depressed because I find this PI's research truly exciting, and have already read so much into the topic just for my own interests. Do some PIs just not reply to thank you notes/emails (even though I did phrase my last sentence as more of a question of whether I could do a rotation in his lab), or do you think maybe our meeting really didn't go as well as I originally thought? I have had my fair share of interviews in the past, and all of the ones I was successful at had quick replies to my emails, and even one who reached out to me without anything done on my part, that I'm feeling a little hopeless at the moment. Also, do PIs normally invite students to do a rotation in their lab at the first meeting, or is this something I should have brought up? I'd appreciate any input! Thanks!

[Humulus_lupulus]

You may consider sending a follow up after giving it another week. You never know, something could have happened in his personal life or he could have just honestly passed over it.

[Vidoory]

You may consider sending a follow up after giving it another week. You never know, something could have happened in his personal life or he could have just honestly passed over it.

 

Thanks for the quick reply! Do you think that would be a good idea though, because it's not really a requirement to reply to thank you emails? I just don't want to seem pushy, and since it was just an email thanking him for his time, I'm not even sure what I can say in the followup. It's not like I can thank him again....

[Taeyers]

I sent 2 thank you emails after interviews and didn't get a reply to either. Then I contacted both professors requesting to do a rotation, and the request was promptly approved by both. My bet is that he didn't think a reply was needed after seeing that it was a thank you email. Just try again and be direct

[Tairy]

As a chronic overthinker, I think you're overthinking it. Not everyone thinks it's necessary to respond to things like that, especially if the content of it was basically just "thanks" without anything specific to respond to or something.

[Vidoory]

Thanks for the feedback guys! Yes, I think I definitely was overthinking it and he probably just didn't feel that it was necessary to reply. I try not think too much most of the time, but just couldn't help it this time since I haven't wanted something this much in a while haha