Funding and Protected Time

[Tangerine123]

Hey everybody. I would love your input on this

I have a scholarship for 3 years protected full time research. Currently ending my 2nd year.

My 3 projects are advancing at a good pace and I should be able to start data analysis soon.

However, it seems that my PI has slowly chiped into my protected research time and now I have to recruit and follow up patients from 2 clinical trials that are not part of my PhD thesis.

50% of my time is now devoted to such trials. My PI recieves funding for them, but my salary comes from the original scholarship.

There are other MDs that have the same responsibilities as me in these trials. But their funding comes from them, so it's their actual job.

I'm somewhat concerned that I won't be able to run my data analysis, write, and publish 3 articles in my last year. Considering that nobody is helping me with my projects, but i'm helping everybody.

When the 3rd year ends, they swap me to the residency part of my program and I won't have any protected research time left.

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[tr]

Are you interested in the research questions of the clinical trials? Will you be an author on the papers? Or is this work that doesn't interest you and/or won't contribute to your professional advancement?

 

[Tangerine123]

Are you interested in the research questions of the clinical trials? Will you be an author on the papers? Or is this work that doesn't interest you and/or won't contribute to your professional advancement?

I find the topic mildly interesting but I have giant doubts about the eficacy of the treatment. And I guess i'll be an author, in 5 years or so when the trial ends.

 

[tr]

Ok so I would sit down with your PI, explain that you are on a timeline and need to get your primary project to publication, and that you can't continue to devote your time to the trials. See what kind of answer you get. It may be a very reasonable one.