Tonight the lab (myself, the lab technician who was formerly an undergrad in the lab, and the two 3rd year undergrads) received an email from Dr.Add'EmUp saying that he would like us to shift focus from the manuscript and instead, we're to try and nail down the following:
-results obtained with data/methods briefly summarized
-current/future expts
-how this fits with the current state of knowledge in the literature
It's clear from his email, he is panicking. Why in the heck would you ask an undergrad how the work they're doing in the lab fits in with the current state of knowledge in the literature. Our undergrads are good, but neither of them are
a. capable (yet) of deciphering a scientific paper
b. knowing what body of scientific literature to read
c. understanding much of the science done in said body of literature.
And certainly undergrads do not know more than a PI, right? Presumably then, this is an email directed at me, but then why send it to the whole lab?
As a petulant postdoc of course, my main question is why is he applying this round without trying to get a manuscript submitted? Is there a time deadline within which you can resubmit a proposal? Okay if so I get the panic.
The thing is I read the reviews of the grant he submitted around the time I arrived. There were two major criticisms. First, his description of the experimental techniques were poor. Not a problem, I can certainly help him there. It's the second criticism that is not a quick fix. The study section report repeatedly says that although Dr.Add'EmUp is a strong theoretician, he has not yet proven himself in an empirical setting. I guess, being a naive and inexperienced postdoc, I read that to mean, "we'd like to see a paper or two before you reapply."
And yet he is instructing me not to work on the manuscript but focus on the grant. It doesn't make strategic sense.
Oh well, what do I know, I'm just a dumb and green postdoc, who is still in "training."
It is his lab (and his to lose).
-
I just finished reading an engaging article in The New Yorker, called " The Truth Wears Off. " The author Jonah Lehrer talks abou... -
[These ideas on Slow Science are a work-in-progress a first draft of sorts. With some help from those of you who read this post, via a chal... -
Okay peeps, I know that many of you are lurkers at this website (according to the visits from the sitemeter stats). But I want you to come ...
5 comments:
Not only is it stupid for this dude to panic, it is even stupider for him to let the trainees in the lab know that he is panicking. His job is to lead, and no one will follow a panicking leader.
Trainees--as your post exemplifies--are like dogs: they can smell PI fear. And once they do, the PI is fucked.
It certainly does sound like your PI is panicking. However, I wouldn't just do as the email instructed me to do without having a wee chat with him. You see even though I am a postdoc and not a PI, its my understanding that as postdocs our role is to transition between the subordinate graduate student and the peer or colleague.
Therefore, at what point do you kindly remind Dr. Add'emUp of the proposal review you are referring to. Is it possible that he has forgotten about them? But perhaps, he wouldn't welcome this kind of reminder....
I second the "have a chat first" suggestion. Even if you just pop into his office under the "just checking about the details of your request" pretense, you can probably get a better sense of his intentions from the conversation. And I think your logic on the situation makes sense - so maybe you can offer him your thoughts.
Good luck!
oh, that sucks. I'm sorry to hear about the panicky thing. It's not going to get easier... I'd try and think about what's best for you.
(you can always get good things from a manuscript, the grant's more for him)
..ok, and then maybe swing by the office and ask what it is he is really looking for. good luck!
@CPP
He's fucked.
@Anon 7:07
Right now he won't take kindly to me reminding him of his deficiencies.
@MissOutlier
I had considered it but then given how he's acting, I decided against it. I think he might think me presumptuous and right now I need a positive letter of reference so I can get the heck out.
Post a Comment