Faculty Facilitator

Topic

People

relates to working with people

How to apply to graduate school in the United States

In the United States, you apply to a PhD program, not to an individual PI as is common in many other countries. Most graduate school applications are due in late fall or early winter. Applications are reviewed by a committee of faculty who then invite a subset of applicants for

“The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson

This book by Mark Manson is designed to impact your outlook and how you view your position in the world. Its central hypothesis is that happiness is not meant to be the default, constant state, and that struggle and the desire to improve are where happiness comes from. It emphasizes

Change What You Can

Academics are the nexus of a university. They interact with other academics at all levels, administration, parents, donors, funding agencies, and corporate partners. These interactions can be helpful and productive, or they can be a source of frustration. While the ability to work with (or around) these groups is a

Surviving and Thriving after Switching Labs mid PhD

I switched to a new research group and dissertation project in the 5th year of my basic biomedical research PhD. Three years later I graduated with multiple first authored papers and a much improved resume that included a teaching fellowship. I went on to complete a successful fellowship-funded postdoc in

Maintaining a Wikipedia Page

It is now expected that a researcher has some sort of online presence. At a minimum this includes a University profile page, a lab webpage, and some sort of social media presence, often a Wikipedia page or LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is wonderful for networking, but is not the best option

Working with Minors

Having high school interns in the lab can be a valuable experience for both the high schoolers and for the graduate students and postdocs who mentor them. However, there are some specific concerns associated with working with people under the age of 18. Exact rules vary by location (city, state,

NIH Letters of Support

A Letter of Support for a grant is a means to convey to reviewers that the PI has in place the expertise and resources to complete the proposed grant aims. The letter should be succinct and tailored for the specific grant that the PI is applying for. Structure of the

Documenting Performance Issues

Managing poor performance is key to running a productive lab and to being an effective faculty member. It can be an emotionally draining task, and also often quite frustrating. Here are some tips that can make the process more productive. Please note that this is for mundane issues. In cases

Book review - "Be Useful", by Arnold Schwarzenegger

I’m going to riff off on how James Clear does his book reviews, providing an overall summary and then notes I took while reading. Final Thoughts: The title says it all. I liked this book- it is remarkably practical about its suggestions for how to move yourself closer to

Termination, Layoff, or Non-Renewal?

Termination, layoff, and non-renewal are 3 separate mechanisms through which an employer can stop working with an employee. The process for initiating each, documentation required, timeline, experience of the impacted employee, and perception of the employee by a future employer all vary. Below is a conceptual overview. For specifics to