Science can be an isolating profession, even more so if you’re a postdoc working alone. ‘Notes from a Small Lab’ is my attempt to reach out into the ether and connect with the Bostonian and Global scientific community at large. Of course, I’m not entirely alone. I work alongside a research assistant but she’s currently away for a month, re-acquainting herself with friends and relatives in China after five years in the US. I have a PI who is wonderfully supportive and accessible but is also a clinician who no longer does bench work. Our little lab collaborates with a number of other labs and luckily the main collaborator for my work is also in the Longwood Medical Area (LMA). Nonetheless, it was a bit of a shock when I arrived here from a large, well established lab at Oxford a little over a year ago.
So why did I take this position, my first postdoc, in such a small lab? Firstly, the work seemed interesting; I think that’s the most important prerequisite for any job regardless of the field. Secondly, in the telephone interviews my potential PI seemed to be someone with a lot of good ideas but who wasn’t averse to listening to the ideas of others (obviously, I checked his publication record too!). Thirdly, after coming from a large lab in which the PI is already well known in the field, I thought it would be useful for my career to be part of a relatively new lab, to hopefully play a key role in establishing the lab and to learn and participate in the various stages of establishing and expanding a laboratory. Finally, the whole BIDMC/Harvard thing wasn’t exactly a turn-off!
I plan to use this blog to post science news that I find interesting in the hope of stimulating interest and discussion, and also to flag resources that I’ve found particularly useful myself. In addition to musings on the generalities of postdoc life I plan to offer any insights that I think I may have pertaining to transitions from the UK to the US and also, as time goes on, transitions through the various stages of the research career path. I hope that you enjoy reading it.
Hi Joanne,
I’m also postdoc in very small and very new lab. We just started 5 months ago from 0. My boss got lab. and moved from MIT. We have 3 members so far.
But i think we have advantage in this small group establish everything by self and get a great experience. You’re right.
And i’m really care about life in this tiny lab and eager to get our own team’s result.
I wish good luck to you!
Thank you for your comment and good wishes. I wish you all the best with your research and hope that things go well with establishing the lab.
Hi Joanne, I am a researcher working in the Boston area too, also (in part) on mitochondria stuff. My focus is more on the long term regulation (months or longer), in particular how neurons regulate the number of mitochondria to be “just right”.