The Business of Running a Research Group: Alumni Edition
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Our annual mini-course designed for future faculty!
As part of our 10th Anniversary line-up of special events, this mini-course will feature alumni panelists, visiting from across the country to address some of your most pressing concerns as you consider the practical aspects of starting your own lab. Each of the four 90-minute moderated panel discussions will focus on challenges that every new faculty member faces as they transition from postdoc to primary investigator. If you’re considering a research career in academia, don’t miss this opportunity to glean insight from the “wish-I-had-known” moments of our alumni guests.
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Course Dates:
Friday, May 3rd, 1 – 5 pm, including snacks and dinner
Saturday, May 4th, 10 am – 2 pm, including breakfast and round-table lunch discussions
Location: University of Chicago campus, in-person. Register for details.
Moderator
ABBY STAYART, PhD
Senior Director, UChicago myCHOICE
University of Chicago Committee on Genetics, PhD 2012
Participating Faculty
PIPER BELOW, PhD
Professor, Genetic Medicine
Vanderbilt University
UChicago Committee on Human Genetics, PhD 2011
HWAN KIM, PhD
Assistant Professor, Microbiology and Immunology
Stony Brook University
UChicago Committee on Microbiology, PhD 2011
UChicago Department of Microbiology, postdoctoral scientist 2019
VANESSA LEONE, PhD
Assistant Professor, Animal & Dairy Sciences
University of Wisconsin Madison
UChicago Department of Medicine, postdoctoral scientist 2020
SIGRID NACHTERGAELE, PhD
Assistant Professor, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Yale University
UChicago Department of Chemistry, postdoctoral scientist 2020
KENDALL NETTLES, PhD
Associate Professor, Integrative Structural and Computational Biology
University of Florida Scripps Institute
UChicago Committee on Cancer Biology, PhD 2003
RACHEL STEINHARDT, PhD
Assistant Professor, Chemistry
Syracuse University
UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, postdoctoral scientist 2018
ANDREW TRUMAN, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
University of North Carolina, Charlotte
UChicago Department of Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology, postdoctoral scientist 2015
ERICA WESTERMAN, PhD
Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
University of Arkansas
UChicago Department of Ecology & Evolution, postdoctoral scientist 2016
Session Content
Friday, May 3rd, 1 – 5 pm (including snacks and post-event dinner)
Session 1: Negotiating and budgeting your start-up package
Sample questions from previous years:
- How can an applicant determine was is a “reasonable” budget and what needs to be included?
- Did you overlook or underestimate anything as you forecasted the budget for your early years?
- Did you do any negotiating and, if so, for what?
- What was your strategy for spending start-up funds?
- What were your initial sources of funding?
Session 2: Grant writing, submission, and management
Sample questions from previous years:
- What University resources exist to help obtain and maintain funding?
- Do you have a process that you’ve developed that helps you get from writing the first words through to the end?
- Is there anything proactive you can do when your grant gets rejected?
- How do you manage the money if you have multiple grants?
- What is the most challenging logistical aspect of working in your field and what must every early-career academic consider?
- University Research Administration staff will be present to share information about their role in assisting faculty with grant management.
Saturday, May 4th, 10 am – 2 pm (including breakfast and round-table lunch discussions)
Session 3: Time management, planning, and staffing your research group
Sample questions from previous years:
- What were your major priorities during the 1st year of your faculty appointment?
- What was the greatest difference in your time management strategy as a postdoc and as a new PI?
- Do you have any implicit or conscious time-management strategy that you feel has been important to your success?
- How much say do you have about which course/s you teach? What percentage of time do you spend teaching vs researching?
- What did you consider in staffing your early research group?
Session 4: Lab management, culture, and mentorship
Sample questions from previous years:
- How is your lab culture and function structured with regards to lines of reporting and group dynamics?
- To what degree are you involved in the daily functions of your research group?
- Have you sought formal mentor or group management training?
- What are some of the warning signs that it’s time to part with a student or employee?
- What interpersonal skills have been more important than you anticipated?
- What is your least favorite part of running a research group?