A Practical Guide to Scientifıc Management for Postdocs and New Faculty and New Postdocs for Management A Practical Guide to Scientifıc Making the Right Moves Making the Right Moves Faculty and New Postdocs for Management A Practical Guide to Scientifıc Making the Right Moves A Practical Guide to Scientifıc Management Making the Right Moves for Postdocs and New Faculty Beginning academic scientists face a variety of challenges in setting up their A Practical Guide to laboratories. Good research skills are only one part of the formula for success. Scientifıc Management for They have to hire and lead a research team, find grant support, publish, teach, mentor—and all the while work toward tenure. This book helps new Postdocs and New Faculty investigators think strategically and “make the right moves.” Making the Right Moves is a collection of practical advice, experiences, and opinions from seasoned biomedical investigators Burroughs Wellcome Fund and other professionals. Based on presentations and discussions from a course developed by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, it is a valuable resource on scientific management for any tenure-track laboratory researcher at a university or medical center, as well as for scientists pursuing other career tracks. BWF HHMI 1-04-001-5K Making the Right Moves A Practical Guide to Scientifıc Management for Postdocs and New Faculty Based on the BWF-HHMI Course in Scientifıc Management for the Beginning Academic Investigator Burroughs Wellcome Fund Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Triangle Park, North Carolina Chevy Chase, Maryland © 2004 by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Burroughs Wellcome Fund All rights reserved. Permission to use, copy, and distribute this manual or excerpts from this manual is granted provided that (1) the copyright notice above appears in all reproductions; (2) use is for noncommercial educational purposes only; (3) the manual or excerpts are not modified in any way; and (4) no figures or graphic images are used, copied, or distrib- uted separate from accompanying text. Requests beyond that scope should be directed to [email protected]. The views expressed in this publication are those of its contributors and do not neces- sarily reflect the views of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute or the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. Also see http://www.hhmi.org/about/copyright.html. Project Developers: Maryrose Franko, Ph.D., and Martin Ionescu-Pioggia, Ph.D. Editor: Laura Bonetta, Ph.D. Managing Editor: Patricia Davenport Production Manager: Dean Trackman Designer: Raw Sienna Digital Writers: Joan Guberman, Barbara Shapiro, and Marion Torchia Copyeditors: Cay Butler, Linda Harteker, and Kathleen Savory Indexer: Mary E. Coe 21 T.W.Alexander Drive 4000 Jones Bridge Road P. O. Box 13901 Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815-6789 Research Triangle Park, North Carolina http://www.hhmi.org 27709-3901 http://www.bwfund.org Contents Preface vii Acknowledgments ix Contributors xi Introduction 1 Chapter 1 Obtaining and Negotiating a Faculty Position and Planning for Tenure 5 Obtaining a Faculty Position 6 Negotiating Your Position 14 Planning for Promotion and Tenure 20 Resources 26 Chapter 2 The Scientific Investigator Within the University Structure 27 Organization of a “Typical”University 27 Organization of a “Typical”Academic Health Center 30 People You Should Get to Know 31 Faculty Governing Bodies and Committees 31 Support Facilities and Services 32 Responsibilities Beyond the Laboratory 35 Special Challenges for Physician-Scientists 38 The Scientific Investigator and the Outside World 39 Resources 40 Chapter 3 Defining and Implementing Your Mission 41 Crafting a Mission Statement for the Lab 41 Setting Expectations for Yourself 44 Setting Expectations and Communicating Them to Others 48 Resources 57 Appendix 1: Performance Review Form 58 Appendix 2: Performance Feedback Checklist for Managers 60 Chapter 4 Staffing Your Laboratory 61 Getting Started 61 Recruiting Applicants 63 Screening Applicants 65 Interviewing Applicants 67 Evaluating Applicants 72 Making the Offer 74 Managing Your Laboratory Staff 74 Asking Staff to Leave 75 Resources 78 Appendix:Telephone Interview Outline 79 BWF HHMI iii Contents Chapter 5 Mentoring and Being Mentored 81 What Is Mentoring and Why Is It Important? 81 A Mentor’s Responsibilities 82 Strategies for Effective Mentoring in Your Lab 84 Different Mentoring Needs 87 Mentoring Individuals Outside Your Lab 89 How to Get the Mentoring You Need 89 Gender and Culture Issues 91 Resources 92 Chapter 6 Time Management 93 Strategies for Planning Your Activities 93 Managing Your Time Day to Day 95 Special Issues 99 Resources 102 Chapter 7 Project Management 103 What Is Project Management and Why Is It Important? 103 Getting Started 104 Planning the Project 104 Organizing the Project 117 Controlling the Project 118 Resources 119 Chapter 8 Data Management and Laboratory Notebooks 121 Day-to-Day Record Keeping:The Lab Notebook 121 Tracking and Storing Information 125 Finding the Right Data Management System for You 127 Resources 130 Chapter 9 Getting Funded 131 Understanding the NIH Funding Process 131 Preparing a Strong Grant Application 138 Resources 148 Chapter 10 Getting Published and Increasing Your Visibility 151 A Brief Overview of Scientific Publishing 151 Planning for Publication 153 Getting Your Paper Published 155 Increasing Your Visibility 158 Resources 160 Chapter 11 Understanding Technology Transfer 161 University Technology Transfer Offices 161 The Technology Transfer Process 162 Technology Transfer:The Legal Terms and Agreements 163 Sponsorship and Consultation 169 Conflicts of Commitment and Interest 171 Resources 172 iv BWF HHMI Contents Chapter 12 Setting Up Collaborations 173 The Varieties of Collaboration 173 Should You Collaborate? 174 Setting Up a Collaboration 175 The Ingredients of a Successful Collaboration 177 Special Challenges for the Beginning Investigator 179 Special Challenges of International Collaboration 180 When a Collaboration Is Not Working 181 Resources 181 Chapter 13 Course in Scientific Management: An Overview and Lessons Learned 183 Course Development 183 Synopsis of Sessions 186 Course Evaluation and Lessons Learned 191 Appendix 1: Focus Group Participants 198 Appendix 2: Model Laboratory Leaders 199 Appendix 3: Course Schedule 200 Appendix 4: Speaker Biographies 206 Appendix 5: Sample Session Evaluation Form 219 Appendix 6: Course Summary Evaluation Form 221 Index 225 BWF HHMI v Preface This manual is based on the “Course in Scientific Management for the Beginning Academic Investigator,” held in July 2002 at Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) headquarters in Chevy Chase, Maryland.This intensive course was sponsored and developed by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) and HHMI. About 130 current and former BWF and HHMI grantees attended. Participants were either newly appointed faculty in research universities or senior postdoctoral fellows looking for faculty positions. The idea for the course grew out of feedback that BWF and HHMI staff had solicit- ed over the years from the talented young biomedical scientists who had received research training or career development grants from the organizations.These begin- ning investigators described the challenges they faced in having to fulfill their research, teaching, administrative, and clinical responsibilities while simultaneously being expected to obtain grant support, publish, hire staff, and keep their labs running smoothly—all without formal management training.Their comments suggested that the grantees might have avoided costly mistakes and made better progress if they had learned to be managers as well as researchers before establishing their own laborato- ries. Because BWF and HHMI have similar missions—to advance medical science by funding scientific research and education—and have grant programs that support beginning biomedical investigators, a collaboration to establish this course seemed appropriate.The two organizations were already involved in the joint funding and development of the Career Development Center, which focuses on issues facing the beginning academic investigator. It is located at Science’s Next Wave Web site and operated by staff of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It took about two years for the course to take shape.To determine what specific information should be included, BWI and HHMI staff conducted surveys and focus groups with current and former grantees and senior scientists affiliated with both organizations.The final program covered a range of topics, from laboratory leadership and mentoring skills to getting published and time management.The course, which included a lively combination of plenary sessions, workshops, panel discussions, and opportunities for networking, received an exceptionally enthusiastic response. In the postcourse focus groups and surveys, participants said that a manual based on the course would be a valuable reference for them, for colleagues who could not attend the course, and for those wanting to develop their own courses on scientific management.This manual responds to their request. This manual is intended for laboratory-based biomedical scientists just starting out— advanced postdoctoral fellows ready to enter the academic job market and new facul- ty members in research universities and medical schools. Much of the material, how- ever, is also relevant to scientists pursuing nonacademic career paths.The