Running a (Relatively) Tight, But Happy Ship Alan Kim Johnson F. Wendell Miller Distinguished Professor Departments of Psychology, Integrative Physiology, and Pharmacology, and the Cardiovascular Center University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa Experimental Biology 2010 Symposium on “A Primer for the New PI: How to Herd Cats and Keep Your Boss Happy”

The Scenario Completed my doctorate and have done three to seven years of post- doc training My first job at a university, research institute or commercial lab Spent years planning for this opportunity, but what do I do now?

The Demands Getting my contract renewed, tenure or a “permanent” position and promotion in a relatively short time Duties: AcademiaR & D - Research- Create a Product - Teaching - Generate Profit - Service- Patents

Criteria for Determining If You Meet the Research-Related Demands Academia Research & Development - Presentations - Quarterly/Yearly Reports - Abstracts - Meet Goals/Quotas - Publications - Patents - Contracts - Grants - Publications

Take Stock of Yourself What is your research identity? What do you want it to be in- - 5 years? - 10 years? - 20 years? What are your research-related strengths and weakness?

What Research Related Tasks Need to be Performed? Technical - Data Collection - Data Summary - Data Analysis Administration - Word Processing - Purchasing - Accounting - Regulatory Compliance

What Types of Personnel Are Necessary to Fulfill the Task Demands? Professional - Research Scientist - Research Technician - Administrative Assistant Scholar - Undergraduates - Graduate Students - Post-Doctoral Fellows - Visiting Professors

Building Your Research Team Selection - Applications - Interviews - Recommendations - Evaluation Training - By Yourself - By Other Lab Members - By the Institution - By Colleagues/Collaborators - By Society and Professional Courses

Motivating Your Staff - Intellectual Reward - Certification - Recognition - Monetary - Security - Fringe Benefits - Quality of Life - Travel - Colleagueship - Other “Perks”  Set expectations, goals and accountability  Recognize that goals and expectations are different for different individuals

Be a Leader Coach for performance and results Encourage ownership of the research problem Leaders step up in hard situations - Resolving disputes - Making the final decisions - Being firm and fair - Focusing on results while considering the welfare of each lab member

Reinforcement Give timely feedback on meeting goals and expectations Rewards - Raises - Authorship - Travel to meetings Celebrate group wins

Celebrate Lab Diversity “We live in an international community of scholars.” A.N. Epstein circa 1972 Recognize cultural strengths and differences Cultivate appreciation for ethnic diversity Capitalize on different perspectives and interests

Maintain Your Momentu Maintain Your Momentum Staying Ahead of the Curve - Often requires reinventing yourself - Maintain scholarship - Attend both large and small scientific meetings - Pursue training opportunities - Career development awards - Research leaves

Maintain the Momentum of Your Research Group Staff Development - Training courses - Training in other labs - Participation in scholarly tasks  Writing  Literature searches

Golden Rules for Maintaining Teamwork for Research Success Help each other be right-not wrong Look for ways to make new ideas work Help each other win Speak positively about lab members and your research group at every opportunity Maintain a positive attitude Encourage lab member initiative NEVER GIVE UP!

Goals Realized Your Goals - Tenure - Promotion - Recognition by peers Lab Members’ Goals - Promotion - Recognition - Remuneration - Security

And then it’s time to: Start all over again… …by taking stock of yourself and the personnel needs of your program in order to have a productive, happy and successful research team

Summary: As a New Investigator… You will have many demands and time pressures (balance is key) Evaluate yourself and determine your assets What kind of associates do you need to achieve success? Build your research team with careful selection Develop it with coaching and training Motivate and reward your staff Celebrate diversity Maintain momentum (acceleration) Success requires continuously taking stock of yourself and program