Dealing with a ridiculously critical PI

[DendWrite]

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So I have this research "assistant" position that I've been doing for the past few months, but the PI is absolutely unbearable. Essentially everything that I do is criticized. Now, I have no problem if you tell me I'm wrong when I'm wrong, or that I'm not doing something well. But the stuff that I do (protein isolation, running gels, etc) -works-...last year I did this stuff all year in the lab and they were happy with it, and I've helped other people in the lab too and they have been happy with it.

Irregardless of the way things turn out, he always finds some minor point to criticize me about, like not using the right pipet, not measuring things out to insignificant figures (a hundredth of a microliter anyone??), and so forth.

I'm still putting in effort to cater to this guy's whims, but I feel that it's something of a lost cause. This would be a bad person to ask me to write a letter of rec, right? He's going to be leaving for another lab soon, so I'll be "free," but is there anything I can do to make the situation better? I was hoping to get a good letter of rec (as I'm putting in lots of time, am realiable, and so forth), but I feel like if he wrote me one it wouldn't be any better than the feedback I get from him daily, which would likely prove highly detrimental to my application.

The funny thing is that he's very passive-aggressive about it: at the beginning he was very excited to have my help (since I work for free), but then he turns around and gets kind of crazy. He's not like a huge name in research either...I just don't know what the problem is (if it's me or him) and how to go about fixing it...

 

[Lukkie]

believe me i've worked for someone like this before. he would actually yell at me over the most inane bs, which made me frustrated at first but then some of the other poeple in the lab told me he is like this with everyone, and that i was really doing a good job. luckily i was moved to a different project later.

no, i would not ask this guy for a letter. you say he is leaving soon - how soon? ive its early enough, you can probably ask the person that comes in for the letter, after 2 works of working with the person, and they will know you've worked in the lab for x amount of time.

 

[aznb0y129]

Looks like there are a large number of these insufferable PIs. My last boss was the exact same way, micromanaging and passive-aggressively critical. Yet, I was confident enough in the quality of my work that I asked (and received) an LOR from him and have been accepted to 2 medical schools this past cycle (so how bad could the letter have been?)

Ultimately, it will depend on your gut feeling about him. If you feel he will write a bad LOR about you, don't ask for one. But if you think he will begrudgingly write you a positive one, then go for it.

 

[Mattabet]

I wouldn't trust this guy to write a good LoR. I don't know him, but he seems like the kind of person that would be vindictive because you asked him to take part of an hour to write a letter on your behalf.

I'm sure you'll be able to get better letters from the non-sociopaths in your life 🙂

 

[BBender716]

Only one way to find out about LORs... just ask. If he gives you ANY flak whatsoever, then you know. If there's a weird change in tone where it's more like "yes... I wouldn't mind," then expect a good LOR because then I have a feeling he understands how demanding he can come off as and realizes that writing a good LOR in return is his apology for being a stickler.

Just feel out the response and ASK.

 

[YouAreAwesome]

Unless he genuinely doesn't like you, try giving him more "control" over what you do. Ask him to make decisions about the order of isolation steps or what concentration of xyz to use in buffer xyz. Obviously you'll know the answers to the questions, but he'll feel more involved.

If he ever comes close to complementing you, even indirectly, complement him 10fold for it. "That means so much to me that you value my work. It's hard for me to do xyz, and your xyz advice made the results." etc etc.

If you sound grateful enough for his complements and "input" you might just get through it. Just grin and bear it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micromanagement

I would expect a mediocre LOR from this guy, which is preferred to none at all considering the flags that would be raised without one. Ask him, "would you be willing to write a strong LOR for me?"

 

[link2swim06]

I think that you have basically described by PI. Do fret over it too much I feel like that is just how some PIs are.

 

[AdemTD]

So I have this research "assistant" position that I've been doing for the past few months, but the PI is absolutely unbearable. Essentially everything that I do is criticized. Now, I have no problem if you tell me I'm wrong when I'm wrong, or that I'm not doing something well. But the stuff that I do (protein isolation, running gels, etc) -works-...last year I did this stuff all year in the lab and they were happy with it, and I've helped other people in the lab too and they have been happy with it.

Irregardless of the way things turn out, he always finds some minor point to criticize me about, like not using the right pipet, not measuring things out to insignificant figures (a hundredth of a microliter anyone??), and so forth.

I'm still putting in effort to cater to this guy's whims, but I feel that it's something of a lost cause. This would be a bad person to ask me to write a letter of rec, right? He's going to be leaving for another lab soon, so I'll be "free," but is there anything I can do to make the situation better? I was hoping to get a good letter of rec (as I'm putting in lots of time, am realiable, and so forth), but I feel like if he wrote me one it wouldn't be any better than the feedback I get from him daily, which would likely prove highly detrimental to my application.

The funny thing is that he's very passive-aggressive about it: at the beginning he was very excited to have my help (since I work for free), but then he turns around and gets kind of crazy. He's not like a huge name in research either...I just don't know what the problem is (if it's me or him) and how to go about fixing it...

Is your PI Sean Hannity by chance? That guy can't praise anything.

 

[leonc]

So I guess I"m not alone! My postdoc seems to be irritated whenever I ask him questions. He would ask me to go look up on internet but he also complains why I never asked him any questions and tells me that nothing on internet can be 100% reliable. He yells at me in front of other lab members, complains that I've used to many pairs of gloves and often tells me that I'm stupid. One time after he found out that I used a more expensive PCR plate, he went crazy on me. He told me why I wasted money but later he asked other lab members to use the same plate. I just never get what he is thinking, and it really drives me crazy. I never found research interesting anymore because of him.

 

[Red Leader]

He's going to be leaving for another lab soon, so I'll be "free," but is there anything I can do to make the situation better?

How is this guy your PI and "leaving for another lab soon." That means he is going to be leaving his own lab...and you will be labless. Does he work under a bigger PI? Or is he a grad student? Some grad students can be real dbags when they realize "hey I have an undergrad/underling as my personal slave now." Postdocs do this, grad students do this, other dbag undergrads do this. I've experienced it all man, just switch labs if it looks like you're in this hell hole for the long haul, or suck it up if everyone in the lab (including the top top PI/boss) is on your side and you just need to outlast the other guy. You definitely don't want to stay in a lab where the PI hates you or treats you like crap because you will be only given the scraps of the research, used as free labor, and will not get a solid recc in the end.