Transi'oning:  Post-‐Doc  to  Inves'gator  

Nicole  A.  LaRonde    Associate  Professor  

University  of  Maryland  –  College  Park    Department  of  Chemistry  and  Biochemistry  

Ribosome Biogenesis

Structural Biophysics

Inhibitor Design

Biochemistry

Structure-based design and screening

In vivo and in vitro inhibition

assays

In vitro and in vivo functional

characterization

Introduc'on  

First  Steps!  Get  Informa'on  •  Talk  to  your  mentors.  •  Think  about  and  design  your  new  research  projects.  

•  Learn  about  grant  funding  opportuni'es.  •  Read!  Lab  management,  Lab  setup,  mentoring.  •  Talk  to  people  at  your  new  ins'tu'on.  •  Talk  to  sales  reps.  •  Talk  to  incoming  students.    •  Learn  about  teaching  responsibili'es  and  resources.  

Some  Resources  Lab  Setup  and  Management  •  HHMI  Early  Career  Scien'st  resource  page:  hNp://www.hhmi.org/programs/resources-‐early-‐career-‐scien'st-‐development.  Check  out  “Making  the  Right  Moves”  and  “Entering  Mentoring”  •  “Academic  Scien'sts  at  Work”  by  Jeremy  Boss.    Teaching:  •  Teaching  centers.  •  “A  brief  summary  of  best  prac'ces  in  College  Teaching”  Tom  Drummond.    Challenges  faced  by  faculty  of  color:  •  hNp://teaching.uncc.edu/learning-‐resources/ar'cles-‐books/best-‐prac'ce/

instruc'onal-‐methods/best-‐prac'ces-‐summary  •  “The  Black  Academic's  Guide  to  Winning  Tenure—Without  Losing  Your  

Soul”  Kerry  Ann  Rockquemore  and  Tracey  Laszloffy  

   

Next  steps:  Planning  

•  Plan  your  projects  for  the  first  few  years.  •  Plan  your  teaching  schedule  and  course  design  strategies.  

•  Plan  your  'me  management:  You  are  your  best  hands  in  the  lab,  so  plan  to  be  in  it.  

•  Plan  your  lab  setup.  •  Plan  your  first  publica'on.    

Work  Hard  and  Train  Well  

•  Students,  Post-‐docs  and  research  staff  all  need  training  and  mentoring.  

•  The  best  way  to  be  produc've  is  to  create  a  culture  of  excellence  and  hard  work.  

•  Limit  your  'me  away  from  the  lab  in  the  first  years.    

•  Plan  separate  'me  for  lab  work  and  wri'ng.  •  Submit  proposals  as  soon  as  possible  a^er  you  start.    

Challenge  1:  Time  management  •  Lab    •  Wri'ng  •  Training/Mentoring  •  Mee'ngs/CommiNee  work  •  Interac'ons  with  Colleagues  •  Teaching  

•  Home  

Learn  how  to  protect  'me  for  important  things!  

Challenge  2:  Produc'vity  

•  How  is  produc'vity  measured?  •  What  is  considered  produc've?  •  Is  'me  being  spent  in  a  way  that  maximizes  produc'vity?  

•  What  are  effec've  strategies  to  maximize  produc'vity?  

Challenge  3:  Managing  people  •  What  is  the  culture  you  would  like  to  create  in  your  lab?  

•  How  will  you  decide  which  people  to  hire?  •  How  will  you  train  students/trainees?  How  will  they  train  others?  

•  How  will  you  manage  interac'ons  with  colleagues  and  the  department?  

•  Etc…  

Remember,  you  are  now  the  lab  head!  

Challenge  4:  Managing  a  Budget  

•  Be  reasonably  conserva've.  •  Set  up  the  lab!  Start  small.  •  Set  up  an  expense  recording  system/or  learn  what  is  available.  

•  Second  hand  can  be  a  budget  saver.  •  Keep  travel  reasonable  and  be  selec've.  •  Explain  your  spending  philosophy  to  the  lab  personnel.    

•  Plan  ahead!  

Challenge  5:  Networking  

•  Selec've  appearance  at  key  mee'ngs  in  your  field.  

•  Invite  people  you’d  like  to  meet  to  give  a  department  seminar.  

•  Interact  with  funding  agency  representa'ves.  •  Join  groups  of  fellow  scien'sts  who  face  similar  challenges.  

•  Keep  in  touch  with  people  you  know/meet.  •  Set  up  new  collabora'ons.    

A  Word  (or  a  few)  About  Tenure  •  Learn  what  you  need  to  do  to  get  tenured,  from  several  

sources.  •  ANend  workshops  and  group  sessions  that  address  the  

challenges  of  geing  it.  •  Have  frequent  and  frank  discussions  with  your  department  

head  (if  you  can)  and  interact  with  senior  members  of  the  department.  

•  Be  visible  in  the  department  (while  respec'ng  your  protected  'me).  

•  Be  a  produc've  scien'st,  a  good  teacher  and  a  good  mentor.  

•  Cul'vate  your  network  of  future  leNer  writers.    •  Document  everything!  

Have  Fun  and  Grow!  

•  Remember  why  you  want  to  do  this.  •  Keep  learning.  Set  aside  'me  for  reading,  workshops,  seminars  or  classes  you  are  interested  in.  

•  Discuss  your  science  with  others:  Colleagues,  Friends,  Mentors,  Trainees.  

•  Don’t  be  afraid  to  try  new,  risky  ideas.    •  Learn  from  your  trainees.  •  Build  a  suppor've  network.  My  email  address:  nlaronde@umd.edu  

•  Remember  to  have  a  life  outside  of  work.