Draper is a distinguished research and development organization renowned for its innovative solutions in national security, space, and biomedical sectors. With a legacy of ground-breaking advancements, Draper is at the forefront of harnessing technology to solve complex global challenges.

The Research Scientist position at Draper requires a blend of cutting-edge technical expertise and problem-solving acumen. As a Research Scientist, you will be driving pivotal projects that span various scientific domains, contributing to impactful research and development. The role demands a deep understanding of advanced scientific concepts and the ability to apply them to real-world issues.

If you're aspiring to join Draper as a Research Scientist, you’ve come to the right place. This guide by Interview Query will navigate you through the interview process, typical interview questions, and offer essential tips to help you succeed. Let's dive in!

Submitting Your Application

The first step is to submit a compelling application that reflects your technical skills and interest in joining Draper as a Research Scientist. Whether you were contacted by a Draper recruiter or have taken the initiative yourself, carefully review the job description and tailor your CV according to the prerequisites.

Tailoring your CV may include identifying specific keywords that the hiring manager might use to filter resumes and crafting a targeted cover letter. Furthermore, don’t forget to highlight relevant skills and mention your work experiences.

Recruiter/Hiring Manager Call Screening

If your CV happens to be among the shortlisted few, a recruiter from the Draper Talent Acquisition Team will make contact and verify key details like your experiences and skill level. Behavioral questions may also be a part of the screening process.

In some cases, the Draper Research Scientist hiring manager stays present during the screening round to answer your queries about the role and the company itself. They may also indulge in surface-level technical and behavioral discussions.

The whole recruiter call should take about 30 minutes.

Technical Virtual Interview

Successfully navigating the recruiter round will present you with an invitation for the technical screening round. Technical screening for the Draper Research Scientist role usually is conducted through virtual means, including video conference and screen sharing. Questions in this 1-hour long interview stage may revolve around Draper’s specific research domains, problem-solving capabilities, and technical methodologies.

In the case of research-focused roles, take-home assignments regarding data analysis, experiment design, and result interpretation are incorporated. Apart from these, your proficiency in statistical techniques, programming skills, and scientific acumen may also be assessed during this round.

Depending on the seniority of the position, case studies and similar real-scenario problems may also be assigned.

Onsite Interview Rounds

Followed by a second recruiter call outlining the next stage, you’ll be invited to attend the onsite interview loop. Multiple interview rounds, varying with the role, will be conducted during your day at the Draper office. Your technical prowess, including research methodologies and scientific modeling capabilities, will be evaluated against the finalized candidates throughout these interviews.

If you were assigned take-home exercises, a presentation round may also await you during the onsite interview for the Research Scientist role at Draper.

Quick Tips For Draper Research Scientist Interviews

• Know Your Draper Projects: Draper questions are standardized and revolve around their current research projects. Be sure to familiarize yourself with Draper’s recent publications and ongoing projects to effectively discuss how your expertise can contribute.
• Be Methodical: Draper’s research-oriented roles assess your ability to conduct systematic and scientifically sound experiments. Brush up on your knowledge of scientific methodologies, hypothesis testing, and data interpretation.
• Embody the Innovation Spirit: Draper values innovative and cutting-edge research approaches. Practice responding to behavioral questions with answers that highlight your innovation experiences and your alignment with Draper’s core mission and values.

Typically, interviews at Draper vary by role and team, but commonly Research Scientist interviews follow a fairly standardized process across these question topics.

• Identify all duplicate values in a list of integers. Given a list of integers, identify all the duplicate values in the list. Assume that the list can contain both positive and negative numbers, and the order of the list does not matter. A number is considered a duplicate if it appears more than once in the list. Return a list of the duplicate numbers.

• Select the top five most expensive projects by budget to employee count ratio. Write a query to account for duplicate rows in the employee_projects table and select the top five most expensive projects by budget to employee count ratio.

• Create a subquery or common table expression to find the top 3 ads and perform various joins. Create a subquery or common table expression named top_ads containing the top 3 ads by popularity and return the number of rows resulting from different join operations with the ads table.

• Find employees who joined before their manager. Find the names of all employees who joined before their manager using the employees and managers tables.

• Write a function to rotate a matrix by 90 degrees clockwise. Given an array filled with random values, write a function rotate_matrix to rotate the array by 90 degrees in the clockwise direction.

• - How do we select the best 10,000 customers for a pre-launch of a new show on Amazon Prime Video? You are working as a data scientist at Amazon Prime Video, and they want to test the launch of a new show on 10,000 customers first. How would you go about selecting the best 10,000 customers for the pre-launch?

• - What would the process look like for pre-launching a TV show on Amazon Prime to measure its performance? Describe the steps and metrics you would use to pre-launch a TV show on Amazon Prime and measure its performance.

• - How would you evaluate the results of an A/B test on an eCommerce checkout page for free shipping? You ran an A/B test on an eCommerce checkout page to see if surfacing free shipping increases conversions. The control group had no specification of free shipping, while the experiment group did. How would you evaluate the results and determine if the test was successful?

• - How would you conduct an experiment to test displaying ETA as a range instead of a direct estimate at Uber? A PM at Uber is considering a new feature to display ETA as a range (e.g., 3-7 minutes) instead of a direct estimate (e.g., 5 minutes). How would you conduct this experiment and determine if the results are significant?

• - How would you decide whether Google should build a game feature for Google Home? You are tasked with pitching a new feature for Google Home. A co-worker suggests building a game feature. How would you go about deciding whether Google should build it?

• - How would you measure the effectiveness of giving extra pay to delivery drivers during peak hours at a food delivery company? You work at a food delivery company and need to measure the effectiveness of giving extra pay to delivery drivers during peak hours to meet consumer demand. How would you measure this?

• What is the difference between Logistic and Linear Regression? When would you use one instead of the other? Explain the key differences between Logistic and Linear Regression. Describe scenarios where each method is more appropriate to use in practice.

• How would you explain what a p-value is to someone who is not technical? Explain the concept of a p-value in simple terms to a non-technical person. Use analogies or everyday examples to make it understandable.

• What is the difference between Logistic and Linear Regression? When would you use one instead of the other in practice? Describe the differences between Logistic and Linear Regression. Provide practical scenarios where each method would be appropriately applied.

What is the average salary for a Research Scientist at Draper?

Q: What is the interview process at Draper like?

A: Draper’s interview process typically involves an initial screening call with HR, followed by multiple rounds of technical interviews, and concluding with an onsite visit. The interviews are designed to assess your technical skills, research capabilities, and cultural fit with the team.

Q: What kinds of projects do Research Scientists work on at Draper?

A: Research Scientists at Draper work on a variety of cutting-edge projects, spanning fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, materials science, and bioengineering. The projects are often interdisciplinary, aiming to solve complex, real-world problems.

Q: What qualifications are required for a Research Scientist position at Draper?

A: To be considered for a Research Scientist position at Draper, you should have a PhD or equivalent experience in a relevant field, strong technical and analytical skills, and a proven track record of research. Experience with specific tools and technologies pertinent to the role will also be advantageous.

Q: What is the company culture like at Draper?

A: Draper fosters a collaborative and innovative company culture that emphasizes continuous learning and professional development. The environment is supportive of interdisciplinary collaboration, encouraging employees to push the boundaries of technology and science.

Q: How can I prepare for an interview at Draper?

A: To prepare for an interview at Draper, you should conduct thorough research about the company, familiarize yourself with their projects and technological focus, and practice technical questions using Interview Query. Also, be prepared to discuss your past research experiences and how they relate to the role you are applying for.

Embarking on the journey with Draper as a Research Scientist promises a stimulating and rewarding career. Draper stands as a leading innovator in technology and engineering, offering the environment to push the boundaries of your scientific expertise.

If you want more insights about the company, check out our main Draper Interview Guide, where we have covered many interview questions that could be asked. We’ve also created interview guides for other roles, such as software engineer and data analyst, where you can learn more about Draper’s interview process for different positions.

At Interview Query, we empower you to unlock your interview prowess with a comprehensive toolkit, equipping you with the knowledge, confidence, and strategic guidance to conquer every Draper interview question and challenge.

You can check out all our company interview guides for better preparation, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Good luck with your interview!