Table Of ContentLIFE AND RESEARCH
C HICAGO GUIDES TO ACADEMIC LIFE
A STUDENT’S GUIDE TO LAW SCHOOL
Andrew B. Ayers
WHAT EVERY SCIENCE STUDENT SHOULD KNOW
Justin L. Bauer
THE CHICAGO GUIDE TO YOUR CAREER IN SCIENCE
Victor A. Bloomfi eld and Esam El-F akahany
THE CHICAGO HANDBOOK FOR TEACHERS, SECOND EDITION
Alan Brinkley, Esam El-F akahany, Betty Dessants, Michael Flamm,
Charles B. Forcey Jr., Matthew L. Ouellett, and Eric Rothschild
THE CHICAGO GUIDE TO LANDING A JOB IN ACADEMIC BIOLOGY
C. Ray Chandler, Lorne M. Wolfe, and Daniel E. L. Promislow
THE PHDICTIONARY
Herb Childress
BEHIND THE ACADEMIC CURTAIN
Frank F. Furstenberg
THE CHICAGO GUIDE TO YOUR ACADEMIC CAREER
John A. Goldsmith, John Komlos, and Penny Schine Gold
HOW TO SUCCEED IN COLLEGE (WHILE REALLY TRYING)
Jon B. Gould
57 WAYS TO SCREW UP IN GRAD SCHOOL
Kevin D. Haggerty and Aaron Doyle
HOW TO STUDY
Arthur W. Kornhauser
DOING HONEST WORK IN COLLEGE
Charles Lipson
SUCCEEDING AS AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT
IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
Charles Lipson
OFF TO COLLEGE
Roger H. Martin
THE CHICAGO GUIDE TO COLLEGE SCIENCE TEACHING
Terry McGlynn
A complete list of series titles is available on the University of Chicago Press website.
LI FE AN D
RESEARCH
A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR
EARLY-C AREER BIOMEDICAL
SCIENTISTS
PARIS H. GREY &
DAVID G. OPPENHEIMER
The University of Chicago Press
Chicago and London
T he University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
© 2022 by Paris Grey and David Oppenheimer
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or repro-
duced in any manner whatsoever without written permission,
except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles and re-
views. For more information, contact the University of Chicago
Press, 1427 E. 60th St., Chicago, IL 60637.
Published 2022
Printed in the United States of America
31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 1 2 3 4 5
ISBN- 13: 978- 0- 226- 81852- 8 (cloth)
ISBN- 13: 978- 0- 226- 82209- 9 (paper)
ISBN-1 3: 978-0 -2 26-8 2208-2 (e-b ook)
DOI: https:// doi .org/ 10 .7208/ chicago/ 9780226822082 .001 .0001
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Grey, Paris H., author. | Oppenheimer, David G., author.
Title: Life and research : a survival guide for early-career biomedical
scientists / Paris H. Grey and David G. Oppenheimer.
Other titles: Survival guide for early-career biomedical scientists |
C hicago guides to academic life.
Description: Chicago ; London : The University of Chicago Press, 2022. |
Series: Chicago guides to academic life | Includes index.
Identifi ers: LCCN 2022007623 | ISBN 9780226818528 (cloth) |
ISBN 9780226822099 (paperback) | ISBN 9780226822082 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Biology—Research. | Research. | Research—Social
a spects. | Scientists—Conduct of life.
Classifi cation: LCC QH315.G773 2022 | DDC 570.72—dc23/eng/20220228
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022007623
This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1 992
(Permanence of Paper).
F or Susan J. Tan
For invaluable advice and unwavering support
and encouragement in all things
CONTENTS
PREFACE IX
PART ONE
1: Beginnings Are Hard for Everyo ne 3
2: Building Your Mentoring and
Advising Network 23
3: Determining and Achieving
Your Work-L ife Balance 45
PART TWO
4: Managing Your Professional Activity 71
5: Managing Your Research Project 84
6: Being a Good Labmate 117
7: Managing Your Research Workday 135
8: Practicing Science Communication 156
9: Presenting Your Research 195
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 241
INDEX 243
PREFACE
This book started with a tweet.
Well, actually it’s a bit more complicated than that.
Originally, we set out to write a sequel to our fi rst book that helps un-
dergrads fi nd and prepare for excelling in a professional research lab.1 So,
when we created that book’s companion Twitter account, Undergrad in the
Lab (@YouInTheLab), we expected to connect with mostly undergrads.
But the Twitter Hive, as it often does, had other ideas.
Instead of mostly undergraduates seeking tips on research and pro-
fessional behavior in the lab, our core followers turned out to be their
mentors— primarily principal investigators, graduate students, postdocs,
and staff scientists. Some joined us for advice on guiding undergraduates
through a research experience, but most, it seemed, were interested in our
tips for themselves.
It wasn’t long before quote tweets like “This is for everybody!” and
“Not just for undergrads!” and “I wish I had this account when I was an
undergrad/grad student/postdoc” became common. Perhaps, however,
the quote tweets that we’re most proud of have been along the lines of
“@YouInTheLab reminds me that I’m not alone [in my struggles, feelings,
or fears].” So we began working on a book— this book— to help early- career
researchers develop the personal and professional skills necessary to thrive.
And as we continued to write and connect with researchers at all career
levels over social media channels, another trend emerged. Graduate stu-
dents wrapping up their PhDs, postdocs deep into their fi rst (or second)
appointments, and staff scientists pursuing a career in bench science ex-
pressed frustrations or fears that they had missed out on professional op-
portunities that were already supposed to be part of their training. When
1. That fi rst book: David G. Oppenheimer and Paris H. Grey, Getting In: The Insider’s
Guide to Finding the Perfect Undergraduate Research Experience (Gainesville, FL: Secret
Handshake Press, 2015). The University of Chicago Press will publish an updated edi-
tion in 2023.
