PI doesnt seem to care.... What to do?

[Palaver87]

I'm currently in the PhD phase (just starting G2), and my PI doesn't seem to be really involved in my research. Not sure what to do....

Our relationship is basically I perform research, write a paper, he grammar checks it (yes, pretty much just grammar), and then I send it off. Repeat.

And he yawns in our weekly meetings (which pisses me off inside lol, since I am really passionate about the research). Also, I have never gotten any useful remarks from our meetings. It is all obvious generalities. When I ask him specific questions, he just says idk.

He was not like this when I rotated in his lab. I think it only started to happen once I started working full time and then on more complicated things, so I hope he just doesn't understand many of things that I do. Which is fine. But what pisses me off is he doesn't even make an effort to try to understand...

Anyways, this has spiraled down in the past half year to him pretty much not responding to many of my emails and me wanting to submit single author papers (which I of course wont do). I'm always nice in meetings and have never given him any indication of these thoughts btw.

Any advice on how I should approach this in a nice way?

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[Petypet]

He was not like this when I rotated in his lab. I think it only started to happen once I started working full time and then on more complicated things, so I hope he just doesn't understand many of things that I do. Which is fine. But what pisses me off is he doesn't even make an effort to try to understand...

Anyways, this has spiraled down in the past half year to him pretty much not responding to many of my emails and me wanting to submit single author papers (which I of course wont do). I'm always nice in meetings and have never given him any indication of these thoughts btw.

Any advice on how I should approach this in a nice way?

Some PIs are great salesman and once they got you, its too late to turn back! Students are mere labor for PIs and some PIs know this and no longer treat students as people but as labor. You could try talking to him but I suspect that this is his way for pumping out PhDs.

In my experience with a similar PI, who took days to answer emails, went to China for 1/3rd of the year, and was intellectually unavailable (he was chemist and I was in biochemistry), I felt that its an indirect method for making you become a more independent researcher. Its not that he didn't care, but some mentors get students pointed in the right direction and that is all they do. That is the way he was probably taught and thats how some people mentor.

 

[ValentinNarcisse]

Our relationship is basically I perform research, write a paper, he grammar checks it (yes, pretty much just grammar), and then I send it off. Repeat.

....and the problem is? keep cranking out pubs. the people in trouble are those G4s with no manuscript in sight.

 

[tortuga87]

have you talked to others in the lab?

 

[SBR249]

Do you have someone at your institution that is interested or knowledgeable about what you are doing? I'd say bring up some questions or issues that your PI is obviously not interested in and get him ultra bored, then ask his permission to go talk to this other guy who is working on similar things to see whether he can lend an ear for a second opinion. You could frame it in a way to avoid spending unnecessary funds for unworkable ideas. And then cultivate a relationship with the other guy in an unofficial co-mentor capacity. Obviously this approach depends on whether the other dude is open and willing to help and whether your PI has the type of personality to not get offended that some other dude is basically encroaching on his territory. It's risky but it's one approach.

 

[Neuronix]

....and the problem is? keep cranking out pubs. the people in trouble are those G4s with no manuscript in sight.

Yeah really. How many papers have you submitted? Time to defend yet?

 

[solitude]

Any advice on how I should approach this in a nice way?

To echo what others have said, graduate as fast as possible. Oftentimes, PIs who don't care will be quite happy to let you graduate. If I were you - and I have been in your shoes - I would immediately start talking about how you are going to graduate in 3 years. If your PI doesn't perk his ears up and then start pushing back, then just continue to push your agenda and you should have no problem graduating at that timeline. In many ways, an uninterested PI was a godsend for me. It forced me to develop as a scientist very early in grad school. It was also, at times, very depressing.

 

[Palaver87]

have you talked to others in the lab?

There are professional research scientists in the lab, but they are in a league several steps higher than me. There was a PhD student, but he graduated already.

Well, I will just man up and get better efficiently as solitude mentioned

 

[Scottish Chap]

I'm currently in the PhD phase (just starting G2), and my PI doesn't seem to be really involved in my research. Not sure what to do....

Our relationship is basically I perform research, write a paper, he grammar checks it (yes, pretty much just grammar), and then I send it off. Repeat.

And he yawns in our weekly meetings (which pisses me off inside lol, since I am really passionate about the research). Also, I have never gotten any useful remarks from our meetings. It is all obvious generalities. When I ask him specific questions, he just says idk.

He was not like this when I rotated in his lab. I think it only started to happen once I started working full time and then on more complicated things, so I hope he just doesn't understand many of things that I do. Which is fine. But what pisses me off is he doesn't even make an effort to try to understand...

Anyways, this has spiraled down in the past half year to him pretty much not responding to many of my emails and me wanting to submit single author papers (which I of course wont do). I'm always nice in meetings and have never given him any indication of these thoughts btw.

Any advice on how I should approach this in a nice way?

You have a selfish PI who is not meeting his basic responsibilities as a scientific mentor. Sorry.

The graduate students that are self-starters by sheer intrinsic drive or by lack of choice due to a hands-off PI usually get the best training, but suffer in the early stages. This is where you build the foundation that you'll need later as an independent investigator. That fact that you are publishing is testament to your progress. Sometimes the ability of a student who comes from a successful lab (Howard Hughes, publishing only in Cell, Nature, Science etc.) is hard to distinguish from the lab early on, but will later become apparent as they develop their own independent career.

My advice: continue to play nice and realize that you are not in a position of equal power at this point. Aim to graduate as soon as possible and leave this PI in your past. If he's tenured, not much you say will have an impact and, if what you post is 100% accurate, he's not going to care anyway. This experience will likely make you a better PI.