Juggling the Responsibilities of a New PI

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Juggling the Responsibilities of a New PI
Sean D. Stocker, Ph.D. Assistant
Professor Department of Physiology University of
Kentucky College of Medicine
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Previous responsibilities as a graduate student
and/or postdoctoral fellow

• Graduate Student Responsibilities
• Research
• Classes Milestones
• (qualifying exams, dissertation defense)
• Family life

• Postdoctoral Fellow Responsibilities
• Research
• Family Life

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As a new PI, you are likely to have a number of
responsibilities that include

• Graduate Student Responsibilities
• Research
• Classes Milestones
• Family life

• New PI Responsibilities
• Research
• Teaching
• Mentoring
• Departmental / University Service
• Professional Service
• Family life

• Postdoctoral Fellow Responsibilities
• Research
• Family Life

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As a new PI, you are likely to have a number of
responsibilities that include

• Quality science and quality projects
• Motivator
• Lab Organizer solid framework allows
  experiments to be done easily and smoothly
• Administration letters of recommendation,
  IACUC issues, human resources
• Grant Writer / Fund Raiser
• Publicity publishing papers, giving talks at
  conferences
• Recruiting
• Mentoring
• Scientific direction for your lab
• Teaching Responsibilities
• Department and Institutional Service
• Professional Service (journal reviewer, grant
  reviewer, etc.)

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Be proactive Develop a plan for your career and
laboratory

• Construct a Mission Statement
• A mission statement is a summary of goals and
  inspirations
• Write these sentences on paper
• Flexibility
• Develop a Five-Year Plan
• This plan consists of goals you would like to
  accomplish over the first 5 years of your career
  as a PI
• What position would you like to be in?
• What kind of space and financial support should
  I have?
• What kind of funding you would like to have?
• How large would you like your lab to be?
• Would you like to remain in the same field?

• Key These statements will help provide
  direction for your career, help select the right
  institution for you, and help prioritize your
  responsibilities and duties once you are there

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Research Responsibilities

• Solutions
• Plan early be proactive
• Develop a Mission Statement Plan
• Have a VISION for your laboratory identify
  specific GOALS
• Short-Term (1-4 weeks) complete an
  experiment, phone calls, etc.
• Mid-Term (6-12 months) publish a paper
• Long-Term (3-5 years) faculty promotion
• Identify your financial, space, and support
  needs

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Research Responsibilities

• Solutions
• Plan early be proactive
• Develop a Mission Statement Plan
• Have a VISION for your laboratory identify
  GOALS
• Short-Term (1-4 weeks) complete an
  experiment, phone calls, etc.
• Mid-Term (6-12 months) publish a paper
• Long-Term (3-5 years) faculty promotion
• Identify your financial, space, and support
  needs
• Negotiate time with postdoctoral advisor to
  collect preliminary data for grants
• Negotiate protected research time at new
  institution
• Devoted laboratory time on weekly basis
• Invest time into training personnel
• Identify a research mentor

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Teaching Responsibilities

• Identify teaching strengths and weaknesses
• Negotiate balance between teaching and research
  time
• Protected Time
• Transition period
• Identify teaching responsibilities
  expectations early
• Sit in on similar lectures by fellow colleagues
  in the department
• Obtain lecture notes from previous years
• Ask a senior faculty member to evaluate your
  lectures
• Identify a teaching mentor

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Departmental, University and Professional Service

• DEPARTMENTAL and UNIVERSITY SERVICE
• Admission committees
• Search committees
• IACUC
• University Senate
• Course director and/or organizer
• PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
• Journal reviewer
• Grant reviewer
• Involvement in scientific societies

• Key Identify service committees and/or roles
  that can benefit you

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Find a Research and/or Teaching Mentor

• Why does a new PI need a mentor?
• A mentor can share their prior experiences and
  prevent you from making similar mistakes
• A mentor can provide advice for a variety of
  situations
• (how to mentor graduate students, authorship
  issues, grant writing strategies, teaching
  strategies / styles, university service, etc.)
• What do you want in a mentor as a new PI?
• Success, admiration, and respect
• Connections
• Caring
• Integrity
• Identifying a mentor
• Some institutions have formal mentoring
  programs for new PIs
• A collaborator within the same department?
• Multiple mentors
• Research vs teaching
• Colleagues at similar career stage

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Time Management

• DEFINE YOUR GOALS (research, teaching,
  service, and personal life)
• Long-term 3-5 years (e.g. faculty promotion)
• Intermediate-term 6-12 months (e.g. publish a
  paper)
• Short-term 1-4 weeks (e.g. completion of an
  experiment, making figures, phone calls, etc.)
• PRIORITIZE
• Urgent and important (health crisis, impending
  grant deadline)
• Not urgent but important (talking with lab member
  about ideas)
• Urgent but not important (reading a colleagues
  research summary)
• Not urgent and not important (busywork, talking
  with a sales rep.)
• KEY Develop some way to prioritize tasks

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Time Management

• DEFINE YOUR GOALS (research, teaching,
  service, and personal life)
• Long-term 3-5 years (e.g. faculty promotion)
• Intermediate-term 6-12 months (e.g. publish a
  paper)
• Short-term 1-4 weeks (e.g. completion of an
  experiment, making figures, phone calls, etc.)
• PRIORITIZE (Develop a way to prioritize tasks)
• LEARN TO SAY NO
• ESTABLISH DEDICATED TIME FOR TASKS
• lab research vs grant writing vs mentoring vs
  teaching
• EFFICIENCY! EFFICIENCY! EFFICIENCY!
• Make use of short periods of time

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As a new PI, you are likely to have a number of
responsibilities that include

• RESEARCH
• TEACHING
• MENTORING
• DEPARTMENTAL and UNIVERSITY SERVICE
• Search and/or admission committees
• PROFESSIONAL and/or SOCIETAL SERVICE
• Journal and/or grant reviewer
• Scientific societies
• FAMILY LIFE

• Two Final Pieces of Advice
• Document everything!
• Faculty Activity Profile - as responsibilities
  change, make sure your time and effort is
  reflected on paper

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Two References That Every Early Career
Investigator Should Have
Making the Right Moves A Practical Guide to
Scientific Management for Postdocs and New
Faculty Burroughs Wellcome Fund and Howard
Hughes Medical Institute. Available online at
http//www.hhmi.org/labmanagement At the
Helm A Laboratory Navigator By Kathy Barker
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Feel Free to Contact Me
Sean D. Stocker, Ph.D. Assistant
Professor Department of Physiology University of
Kentucky College of Medicine Contact
Information 800 Rose St. MS-508 Lexington, KY
40536-0298 Phone [phone] Email
sean.stocker_at_uky.edu