Developing a Thriving Research Program
As you begin an academic career in the geosciences, you may face many new challenges, including (probably) getting your own research program up and running. This involves many components, addressed on the pages below.
Jump down to Planning Your Research Program * Funding Your Research * Collaborating With Students * Setting Up Your Lab and Obtaining Equipment * Carving Out Time * Publishing Your Work: Strategies for Moving Forward
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Photo of the student research symposium at Wittenberg University, Ohio, held in the science building atrium. Courtesy of Ruth Lewis.
General resources
- Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty is a book about managing your research program. Click on the title to see the table of contents; you can then download it, if you're interested, in whole or in part.
- For a down-to-earth guide to setting up and managing your new lab, read At The Helm: Leading Your Laboratory, by Kathy Barker.
- Career Trends: Running Your Lab is a free booklet, available from Science Careers when you set up a free account (the link above will direct you to do so). It includes advice on managing people, time, projects, and budgets.
- The EarthCube Early Career group is an online community "where graduate students, post docs, young professors and other young researchers can exchange experiences and ideas."
Planning Your Research Program
Make the transition from graduate student to faculty researcher. Build and expand on your research experience, creating your own research niche.
Funding Your Research
Learn the secrets to successful grant writing. Discover sources of funding you may not know about.
Collaborating with Students
Recruit students to work with you and create the conditions that will lead to their (and your) success.
Setting Up Your Lab and Obtaining Equipment
Get the equipment you need, set your lab up, and establish procedures to maximize your productivity and minimize your stress.
Carving out Time
While you can't put more hours in the day, you can probably use the hours you have more efficiently. Learn how successful new professors do it.
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