Biomedical science is no longer primarily conducted by brilliant individuals running their own labs and writing paper after paper using the same methodology that they have perfected over the course of their training and career. Even the seemingly simplest of projects likely requires use of another lab’s equipment or model, or utilizes multiple Core facilities and services. Some may see this approach as diluting the importance of each contributing author, but in fact it enables a far greater influence and benefit of any one individual’s work.
There are many reasons why successful scientists collaborate:
– It’s a chance to learn new scientific approaches and access new techniques, models and equipment.
– You can greatly expand your publication record. Although a series of middle author manuscripts won’t make or break a tenure package, it certainly demonstrates a collaborative scientist who fits well within the local research community. Tasks that seem routine to one lab may represent a critical control for a manuscript from another group and earn a spot on the authorship list. Likewise, engaging other people and their specialty area will allow you to level-up your own work and submit more compelling stories to stronger journals.
– Reading and editing the work of other people is a great way to learn better writing skills for manuscripts, grants and posters. Many useful style tips and tricks can also be gleaned from the way other people edit our own work. Once we leave the trainee state the opportunity to have someone thoroughly red-line our work diminishes and it is a gift when it happens. In academia, editing is how we show that we care!
– You can share the highs and lows. An academic career entails a lot of rejection and it can be hard not to internalize a rejected paper or a triaged grant. Writing and submitting with other colleagues that you know to be brilliant can help to convince you that a poor score really may be due to the vagaries of the review process rather than a personal attack or judgement. Two (or three) heads are better than one in planning a new line of attack and the celebratory champagne also tastes better when shared.
There are several ways to increase your collaborative reach:
– First, do your research. Find local experts and contact them directly. Invite them (or a trainee from their lab) to present data at your lab meeting, or offer to present something to their group. Be clear about what you need and what you will offer in return such as authorship, funding, or future joint grant applications – particularly if what you are asking for might be costly in time or research funds.
– Graduate students and post-doctoral fellows are a great way to expand your reach. Serving on committees will introduce you to work that is going on in other labs and you may be able to offer your own expertise to enrich their projects.
– Internal seminars are a great place to meet new colleagues. Ask questions of the speaker afterwards, introduce yourself, and find your shared interests.
Some collaborations may only last as long as it takes to get a manuscript published, whereas others may last for years. But remember, if the grant application is successful you will be stuck with that person for years so a functional working relationship is just as important as the science itself. And sometimes, just sometimes, a simple scientific question results in manuscripts, funding, and friendship.
More Resources
Connecting Through Poster Sessions
If you’re like your correspondent, the very word “networking” sends a trickle of terror down your spine. Even the thought of mingling at a conference fills you with dread. But take heart! “Networking” doesn’t have to be a four-letter word. As Devora Zack admits, while it might never be fun, it can become doable if, instead of trying to mold yourself into an extrovert, you approach it like an introvert. In this snarky and entertaining guide, Zack details a method that focuses on traditional introvert strengths like planning, listening, and following up, while giving you permission—indeed, ordering you—to recharge by taking plenty of breaks (alone, please) in order to increase the quality of the connections you make.
The disclaimer: I am in my third year as a PI in the US. Start-up is still fine, but diminishing rapidly. I have limited trainee attendance to one conference per year, and I require that they have an abstract accepted in order to attend. I make exceptions for invited talks and funder-mandated conference attendance. My trainees include trainees at the postdoc and graduate student level. Some of my trainees are very new to conference attendance; others are old pros with a network at certain meetings. This is my approach for picking conferences for trainees, so your needs and goals for your trainees may be different.
The disclaimer: I am in my third year as a PI in the US. Start-up is still fine, but diminishing rapidly. My main occupations right now are writing papers, waiting on data to complete said papers, supervising my team, and furiously applying for more money to run my research program. My teaching load is small, my lab largely self-sufficient, and I am comfortable supervising via Slack. My personal life can accommodate travel without much hassle. This is my approach for picking conferences; yours may be different.
Ask for time: The most important thing to do when you receive your offer letter is to say thank you and then promptly ask for more time to evaluate it. You need to sit down, identify what is missing, what needs negotiating, and if what is being offered is enough.
5. Take some damn notes. I’m a fan of the steno notebook because they are small enough to fit in a bag easily and sturdy enough to write on You. Will. Not. Remember. Everything. Rain Man. Write it down.
