Establishing a New CTR Laboratory Tony W. Wilson, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Neurological Sciences Vice Chair, Basic & Translational Research Scientific Director, Center for Magnetoencephalography (MEG) Director, Core for Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CAMRI)

Disclaimer: Most of what I will say applies more to medical (vs. academic) Environments These are only my experiences and my opinions – other approaches work as well

Early On: Must focus on getting lab rolling and getting “points” on the board early. Don’t wait for specialized equipment, space, specific people, etc., to get moving Things won’t be perfect, but you can still make progress and get “points”. Plus, identifying the problems will help move forward.

Operationalizing your lab There are lots of different ways to achieve the same end. What is the most efficient for you? What skills will those you hire commonly have (students, postdocs, but also undergraduates)? What is the efficiency/cost tradeoff for a method?

Staff: When & Who to Hire? Timing is very important; don’t jump to hire someone right off. – My experience. Which positions are most important to free up time for you? You need more time. This relates back to operationalizing your lab. There can be some oddity and challenges.

Publications vs. Grants Publications are the currency of science. Study sections Collaborators Future (if you hit a grant) Over focus on grants can create CV “gaps” – unfunded grants disappear forever You must do both and accept that life will be chaotic for a while.

Building Collaborations Extremely important Team science is the rule now Diffuse some of the junior-ish-ness Know who you are collaborating with Project Reporter Pubmed The same goes for those who reach out to you. You can’t waste time!

Should you Pivot? You were likely trained in a method, as well as a subject area. Can you succeed in your comfort subject area at your new home? Where to pivot? Local Strengths Hot topics at NIH/NSF

Time Management Intramural Awards Email Seminars and the like Building collaborations

Comments (forum) Looking forward to this talk. I was wondering if you could touch on what you found to be most helpful when trying to balance and prioritize manuscripts, grant submissions, teaching, and administrative duties. Thanks! Could Dr. Wilson and others provide insight on how you have recruited graduate students and postdocs. What has worked and what has not? What influence did establishing collaborators have when starting your lab? As an early career faculty, how do you start those conversations and establish meaningful collaborations?

Other Questions?