LIFE AND RESEARCH C HICAGO GUIDES TO ACADEMIC LIFE A STUDENT’S GUIDE TO LAW SCHOOL Andrew B. Ayers WHAT EVERY SCIENCE STUDENT SHOULD KNOW Justin L. Bauer THE CHICAGO GUIDE TO YOUR CAREER IN SCIENCE Victor A. Bloomfi eld and Esam El-F akahany THE CHICAGO HANDBOOK FOR TEACHERS, SECOND EDITION Alan Brinkley, Esam El-F akahany, Betty Dessants, Michael Flamm, Charles B. Forcey Jr., Matthew L. Ouellett, and Eric Rothschild THE CHICAGO GUIDE TO LANDING A JOB IN ACADEMIC BIOLOGY C. Ray Chandler, Lorne M. Wolfe, and Daniel E. L. Promislow THE PHDICTIONARY Herb Childress BEHIND THE ACADEMIC CURTAIN Frank F. Furstenberg THE CHICAGO GUIDE TO YOUR ACADEMIC CAREER John A. Goldsmith, John Komlos, and Penny Schine Gold HOW TO SUCCEED IN COLLEGE (WHILE REALLY TRYING) Jon B. Gould 57 WAYS TO SCREW UP IN GRAD SCHOOL Kevin D. Haggerty and Aaron Doyle HOW TO STUDY Arthur W. Kornhauser DOING HONEST WORK IN COLLEGE Charles Lipson SUCCEEDING AS AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA Charles Lipson OFF TO COLLEGE Roger H. Martin THE CHICAGO GUIDE TO COLLEGE SCIENCE TEACHING Terry McGlynn A complete list of series titles is available on the University of Chicago Press website. LI FE AN D RESEARCH A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR EARLY-C AREER BIOMEDICAL SCIENTISTS PARIS H. GREY & DAVID G. OPPENHEIMER The University of Chicago Press Chicago and London T he University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637 The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London © 2022 by Paris Grey and David Oppenheimer All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or repro- duced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles and re- views. For more information, contact the University of Chicago Press, 1427 E. 60th St., Chicago, IL 60637. Published 2022 Printed in the United States of America 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 1 2 3 4 5 ISBN- 13: 978- 0- 226- 81852- 8 (cloth) ISBN- 13: 978- 0- 226- 82209- 9 (paper) ISBN-1 3: 978-0 -2 26-8 2208-2 (e-b ook) DOI: https:// doi .org/ 10 .7208/ chicago/ 9780226822082 .001 .0001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Grey, Paris H., author. | Oppenheimer, David G., author. Title: Life and research : a survival guide for early-career biomedical scientists / Paris H. Grey and David G. Oppenheimer. Other titles: Survival guide for early-career biomedical scientists | C hicago guides to academic life. Description: Chicago ; London : The University of Chicago Press, 2022. | Series: Chicago guides to academic life | Includes index. Identifi ers: LCCN 2022007623 | ISBN 9780226818528 (cloth) | ISBN 9780226822099 (paperback) | ISBN 9780226822082 (e-book) Subjects: LCSH: Biology—Research. | Research. | Research—Social a spects. | Scientists—Conduct of life. Classifi cation: LCC QH315.G773 2022 | DDC 570.72—dc23/eng/20220228 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022007623 This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1 992 (Permanence of Paper). F or Susan J. Tan For invaluable advice and unwavering support and encouragement in all things CONTENTS PREFACE IX PART ONE 1: Beginnings Are Hard for Everyo ne 3 2: Building Your Mentoring and Advising Network 23 3: Determining and Achieving Your Work-L ife Balance 45 PART TWO 4: Managing Your Professional Activity 71 5: Managing Your Research Project 84 6: Being a Good Labmate 117 7: Managing Your Research Workday 135 8: Practicing Science Communication 156 9: Presenting Your Research 195 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 241 INDEX 243 PREFACE This book started with a tweet. Well, actually it’s a bit more complicated than that. Originally, we set out to write a sequel to our fi rst book that helps un- dergrads fi nd and prepare for excelling in a professional research lab.1 So, when we created that book’s companion Twitter account, Undergrad in the Lab (@YouInTheLab), we expected to connect with mostly undergrads. But the Twitter Hive, as it often does, had other ideas. Instead of mostly undergraduates seeking tips on research and pro- fessional behavior in the lab, our core followers turned out to be their mentors— primarily principal investigators, graduate students, postdocs, and staff scientists. Some joined us for advice on guiding undergraduates through a research experience, but most, it seemed, were interested in our tips for themselves. It wasn’t long before quote tweets like “This is for everybody!” and “Not just for undergrads!” and “I wish I had this account when I was an undergrad/grad student/postdoc” became common. Perhaps, however, the quote tweets that we’re most proud of have been along the lines of “@YouInTheLab reminds me that I’m not alone [in my struggles, feelings, or fears].” So we began working on a book— this book— to help early- career researchers develop the personal and professional skills necessary to thrive. And as we continued to write and connect with researchers at all career levels over social media channels, another trend emerged. Graduate stu- dents wrapping up their PhDs, postdocs deep into their fi rst (or second) appointments, and staff scientists pursuing a career in bench science ex- pressed frustrations or fears that they had missed out on professional op- portunities that were already supposed to be part of their training. When 1. That fi rst book: David G. Oppenheimer and Paris H. Grey, Getting In: The Insider’s Guide to Finding the Perfect Undergraduate Research Experience (Gainesville, FL: Secret Handshake Press, 2015). The University of Chicago Press will publish an updated edi- tion in 2023.