New PI Slack

A community of new science PIs helping each other survive & thrive. To join:
Photo by NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

[New PI Slack @NewPI_Slack]

Just a reminder that if you’re mulling seminar/conference speakers, these New PIs probably gave some pretty impressive job talks! And the list might even inspire some ideas for manuscript reviewers or guest editors.

https://t.co/o1a0XwEsY0

[New PI Slack @NewPI_Slack]

Too late to get in trouble for cussing cuz I'm seeing myself out! 👋😉

[New PI Slack @NewPI_Slack]

It's been a fun take-over today! Thanks for hosting me, and I'll see y'all back home on my own account @Annika_Barber. To sum up my New PI experience so far:
💜 AFB

[New PI Slack @NewPI_Slack]

Of course, the people who really run the Barber lab are the lab members. Lucky for me, I hired Mike, the World's Best Lab Manager, right when I started! Genuinely can't imagine getting to now without him. And of course, we've since grown!

[New PI Slack @NewPI_Slack]

Who really runs the @Annika_Barber lab? Well, I can tell you who *thinks* he runs the lab, and who is also the most popular lab member. That would be Mister Peebles. ~AFB

[New PI Slack @NewPI_Slack]

As a grad student, I thought I needed to meet "important people" at conferences to form a professional network. But I realize now that the most important connections I've made are with peers. And one day soon, we'll be the important people at the conferences! 😆 ~AFB

[New PI Slack @NewPI_Slack]

The most important lifeline as a NewPI is community. I have been #unironicallyblessed with an amazing community of colleagues from my postdoc lab, friends I made through NewPI Slack, and the incredible Drosophila research community. #flypeoplearethebest

[New PI Slack @NewPI_Slack]

@tera_levin The goal is always "if you disappear tomorrow, can someone else find and interpret your data? If not, what else would they need to know!"

[New PI Slack @NewPI_Slack]

Do I have definitive advice on starting a lab in a pandemic? Ha! No. But here are some of the things I did that have been useful (I also probably did a lot of dumb stuff). ~AFB

[New PI Slack @NewPI_Slack]

@tera_levin This process also helps people think through what metadata they might need to collect at each processing step. Also, depending on your method, you may need to also store physical samples (tissues, compounds) along the way!

[New PI Slack @NewPI_Slack]

@tera_levin It varies a bit by data type. But basically a description of the project goal, type(s) of data generated, how each data file type will be named, where it will be stored, and any processing steps that occur between file types.

[New PI Slack @NewPI_Slack]

Do you have a tried-and-true lab tip? Always open to more wisdom (which you can also get by joining @NewPI_Slack of course!)

[New PI Slack @NewPI_Slack]

Recently we've implemented quarterly SMART goal setting. We take a lab meeting each quarter to review the past quarter's progress as a team, and set our writing and experimental goals for the upcoming quarter. Breaking goals into SMART components is challenging, but so helpful!

[New PI Slack @NewPI_Slack]

Q: Sure, *you* love rhythms, but why should *I* care?
A: Even if you don't study circadian rhythms directly, controlling for time-of-day effects can get rid of experimental noise in a wide variety of experiments, whether you measure behavior, physiology or gene expression. ~AFB

[New PI Slack @NewPI_Slack]

And decorate with fly art!

[New PI Slack @NewPI_Slack]

I enjoy flies both personally and professionally. I like to embroider, and flies are often a subject! ~AFB

[New PI Slack @NewPI_Slack]

I also like to eat flies.