Biophysical Society Newsletter - August 2016

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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 16 AUGUST 2016
Molly Cule
How do I go about
switching labs within the
same institution?
This is a difficult situation and
I sincerely hope that you do
not have to be in this poisi-
tion. However, some students
or postdoctoral fellows find
themselves in a situation in
which the existing lab environ-
ment and their mentor are not
the right fit, or their interests
changed, or perhaps the men-
tor has moved across the country and moving with
the mentor is not an option. For graduate stu-
dents the situation of switching advisors presents a
humongous challenge and can be quite stressful. It
is particularly stressful for students after spending
a year or so in the lab, generating preliminary data
for a testable hypothesis. It means either a big
blow to their research career and time lost or an
increase in the amount of time needed to complete
a dissertation and graduate.
If you find yourself needing to switch, you should
consider approaching the PI and telling him/
her that you want to leave. What are the specific
issues? Framing this as your own issue rather
than placing blame with your PI should make the
conversation (and subsequent transition) less un-
comfortable. Some of these issues may include dif-
ficulty of mastering a certain technique in the lab
and your inability to make adequate progress; how
you find it difficult to fit within the lab group; or
how your research interests have changed in recent
months and explaining that there is another lab/
group that you feel is better fit for you. Often
the mentor may be able to offer advice and give
you more time to re-think your decision. Take
the time (one or two weeks at most) to rethink,
then go back to the mentor. In the unfortunate
situation that your mentor is unreasonable and
adamantly resists your need to change labs, then it
is all the more reason to leave the group. In such
a situation you can always approach the gradu-
ate program director or any other senior faculty
member within the department. Almost all gradu-
ate programs or departments will have at least one
faculty member designated as a graduate advisor.
You can request a confidential meeting with him/
her and explain your situation while appreciating
any help/support you receivefrom him/her. Good
luck finding a suitable lab and switching to it.
Grants and Opportunities
NIH Director's Pioneer Award Program (DP1)
Objective: This award is part of the NIH Common
Fund, which supports cross-cutting programs that
are expected to have exceptionally high impact. To
be considered pioneering, the proposed research
must reflect ideas substantially different from
those being pursued in the investigator's research
program or being pursued elsewhere.
Who May Apply: Any individual(s) with the skills,
knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out
the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/
Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to
work with his/her organization to develop an
application for support. Pioneer awardees are
required to commit the major portion of their re-
search effort to activities supported by the Pioneer
Award research project in the first three years of
the project period.
Deadline: September 2, 2016
Website:
files/RFA-RM-16-005.html
Advances in Biological Informatics
Objective: The National Science Foundation seeks
to encourage new approaches to the analysis
and dissemination of biological knowledge for
the benefit of both the scientific community and
the broader public. The ABI program is especially
interested in the development of informatics tools
and resources that have the potential to advance
or transform research in biology.
Deadline: September 9, 2016
Website:
nsf15582.htm
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