10 Do's of Starting Your First Independent Laboratory

DO...1.  Organize, strategize and prioritize.  From the moment you receive the wonderful news that you have been offered a tenure-track position, immediately start planning essential steps towards wrapping up your fellowship, moving to your new location and establishing your lab and research project.  Use BioData’s helpful New Lab Checklist and accompanying interactive planning worksheet, along with our revolutionary online management system to start your lab on a structured course and keep it that way!

2.  Promote yourself and your research!  The tools of the digital age—including a lab website, social media such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and video services—allow you to publicize your laboratory, research, and connect with colleagues around the world.

3.  Make good connections among your new colleagues. They can help you write better grants, do better experiments and navigate your institutional bureaucracy.

4.  Make your first hire or two really count. Hopefully you can hire at least one really good lab technician in the beginning. This person should be able to accomplish two things for you.  First, they can continue feeding you data to mitigate the fact that you're not at the bench as much anymore.  Second, they can help establish your lab culture and procedures.  Putting time and effort into finding someone who will do a great job is worth it.

5.  Apply for additional funding right away.  A good chunk of your start-up money will go towards new equipment and other lab expenses.  Don’t wait to submit several grants, especially because a number of grant opportunities are available for new and young professors.

6.  Take advantage of new lab promotions.  Many companies offer discounts and specials on furniture, supplies and even reagent packages for professors starting their own labs.