disappointing :/

e-mail to check portal

First AD, not the best options

Had interview with PI 2 weeks ago and was told they had one other candidate.

unofficial offer from the department; was contacted by a PI I didn't mention in the application after the result came out

Email from PI following initial interview in January (not comfortable with sharing initials, sorry)

Field primarily AI. Undergrad in ECE abroad; domestic MS (expected) in ECE, not from UMD; I had zero ties with the PI before the interview. 2 first-author conference presentations (both poster), 1 second-author in a smaller venue not directly related to my academic interests. Interview was late Jan to early Feb; The PI hinted he likes my diverse background (my CV spanned several subfields of AI as well as some ECE-related topics; the PI also seems to be interested in multidisciplinary research) and one of my recommendation letters. The interview gave me a better insight into the exact breadth of the topics the PI is interested in; turns out our topic fit was *significantly* better than I had guessed back in December. Thrilled to be offered this opportunity!

Interviewed twice. Verbal offer given a week ago.

Email to check status.