– by Stefanie During my postdoctoral training in the U.S., I learned a tough but critical truth about what it took to succeed in academia: $$ funding $$. As a graduate student and even far into my postdoc, I used to think that having brilliant ideas alone would be enough. If I only express my…
by Robert Two weeks ago, Stefanie wrote that her department chair no longer wants to allow remote work. Last week, a news ticker announced that Amazon is eliminating the option of home office for all employees. And I can’t help but feel like this is a step backward… Before and during the pandemic, I worked…
As a research team leader, you’re constantly faced with obligations—it’s part of the game. But the real question is: which of these should you truly take on as responsibilities, and which ones can you approach with a bit more pragmatism? I divide them into three categories: Let’s start with your formal obligations as a PI:…
–Stefanie I’ll be honest–I don’t love annual faculty reports. I find them stressful even when I am doing well. They often trigger insecurities that most of the time have nothing to do with my current performance and more with my people pleasing tendencies and my need to meet expectations. If I get a whiff of…
As a mentor, my mission is to demystify the process of achieving scientific brilliance. This stems from my experience as a trainee when I thought that scientific brilliance is something you either have or not. For the longest time, it was a mystery to me how excellent science comes about. It was not until late…
by Stefanie It’s Time to Embrace Your Role When you prepared for your role as a faculty member, what did you focus on? If you only thought about research and publishing, I have news for you: that’s just the foundation. Research and publishing are crucial, but they’re far from the whole job. Your real challenge?…
by Robert Did you know that Changi Airport in Singapore isn’t just an airport? Alongside its numerous gardens, it boasts a butterfly farm, a massive indoor waterfall, a mirror maze, a four-story slide, and countless other attractions. Kids can join worm composting workshops, and passengers with longer layovers can even borrow bicycles for free to…
by Robert Here’s an uncomfortable truth: most of your problems aren’t going to just disappear. Even if you address them, take care of them, and find a solution that seems to make a noticeable improvement, they’re likely to stick around. Why? Because the root causes of many of your problems are beyond your control, whether…
by Robert Of course, I am not advocating for illegal activities here, but rather pointing out that the Hollywood cliché of a heist crew often mirrors a high-performing research team. Let’s start with the leader of the bank robbery crew. Typically, this person assembles the team, ensuring that all necessary roles are filled with individuals…
by Robert In a group coaching session of one of our postdoc programs, a very interesting question was asked: “If I, as a PI, want to be very present for my team, how do I prevent it from being perceived as intrusive, controlling, and merely supervisory?” A positive, supportive presence can improve team dynamics. I…