Did I Get Kicked Out of Lab?

[Detective SnowBucket]

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Soooo.... my grad student ghosted me for about half a semester (while I sent the occasional text to see when I should come in) until I was finally told that "The lab had hired a lab tech" and that my help was no longer needed. Now, I didn't make any major mistakes that would warrant firing - of course, everyone screws up a bit in the beginning in a lab - so I can't imagine why I'd be fired.

That being said, I still can't get over the nagging feeling that I was let go because of something I did and my grad student didn't want to have to tell me so I was told that story. Any similar experiences?

 

[SpartanWolverine]

I'd just let it go and find a new position if you're interested. If they did indeed care enough to make up a story I wouldn't push it any further.

 

[Skarl]

Doesn’t hurt to send a candid message to the grad student asking for feedback for future research pursuits.

 

[Detective SnowBucket]

Thanks guys, this was actually last spring so I spent the summer looking for a new lab and started at one this fall. It's a lil late to go back and ask but it's not really a big deal; just wondering if that story was a known "code" they use to get rid of screw-ups with minimal collateral damage.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

Thanks guys, this was actually last spring so I spent the summer looking for a new lab and started at one this fall. It's a lil late to go back and ask but it's not really a big deal; just wondering if that story was a known "code" they use to get rid of screw-ups with minimal collateral damage.

Naw. I could see a few situations.
1) Lab factors: they did actually hire a lab tech. They lost/didn't have enough funding (if you were paid).
2) Factors related to the grad student: they didn't have enough/the right kind of work for you to do to make it worth their and/or your time. They were having academic or personal issues. The project wasn't panning out. They didn't feel like having undergrad assistants any more.
3) Factors related to you: you did something wrong/weren't reliable/weren't useful enough.
4) Other.

 

[Goro]

Soooo.... my grad student ghosted me for about half a semester (while I sent the occasional text to see when I should come in) until I was finally told that "The lab had hired a lab tech" and that my help was no longer needed. Now, I didn't make any major mistakes that would warrant firing - of course, everyone screws up a bit in the beginning in a lab - so I can't imagine why I'd be fired.

That being said, I still can't get over the nagging feeling that I was let go because of something I did and my grad student didn't want to have to tell me so I was told that story. Any similar experiences?

It might have been something you didn't do...like be very productive.

Don't take it personally. Move on.

 

[Detective SnowBucket]

Naw. I could see a few situations.
1) Lab factors: they did actually hire a lab tech. They lost/didn't have enough funding (if you were paid).
2) Factors related to the grad student: they didn't have enough/the right kind of work for you to do to make it worth their and/or your time. They were having academic or personal issues. The project wasn't panning out. They didn't feel like having undergrad assistants any more.
3) Factors related to you: you did something wrong/weren't reliable/weren't useful enough.
4) Other.

Hmmm....wait a sec, I wasn't paid and this lab tech is so its not a money thing. If the project wasn't working then why would they hire another person....You just make me ask more questions now ha

 

[SpartanWolverine]

Hmmm....wait a sec, I wasn't paid and this lab tech is so its not a money thing. If the project wasn't working then why would they hire another person....You just make me ask more questions now ha

haha well that was not my intent. My point was that there are many reasons why they may not need you and, as @Goro said and as you have done, move on.

 

[kwu]

I am not sure if this is applicable to your situation but a friend of mine was in a similar situation. However, their reasoning was that they hired a new lab tech and now the lab is at capacity and they cannot have more people working in it due to some regulation.

 

[TheBiologist]

Actually, a similar thing happened to me but as a research undergrad.. I was confused too but just got over it and found a new position

 

[Goro]

Hmmm....wait a sec, I wasn't paid and this lab tech is so its not a money thing. If the project wasn't working then why would they hire another person....You just make me ask more questions now ha

A full-time person is there full-time.

 

[altblue]

I had lab drama a bit worse than yours

Best advice is to figure out if you did something wrong, move on and find somewhere you're wanted and avoid past mistakes if you made them

 

[MareNostrummm]

Soooo.... my grad student ghosted me for about half a semester (while I sent the occasional text to see when I should come in) until I was finally told that "The lab had hired a lab tech" and that my help was no longer needed. Now, I didn't make any major mistakes that would warrant firing - of course, everyone screws up a bit in the beginning in a lab - so I can't imagine why I'd be fired.

That being said, I still can't get over the nagging feeling that I was let go because of something I did and my grad student didn't want to have to tell me so I was told that story. Any similar experiences?

Did you have to ask your grad student for permission to come in or could you just show up? I work as a research assistant at a local university. It's actually annoying when you have undergrads constantly asking when they can come in.

It's a lot easier if the undergrad just gives us a consistent schedule and comes in on their own. If they see you're there all the time and really committed to the project they'll just give you work. The key to being productive in research is to come in a lot, like 15 hours or more a week.

 

[Detective SnowBucket]

Did you have to ask your grad student for permission to come in or could you just show up? I work as a research assistant at a local university. It's actually annoying when you have undergrads constantly asking when they can come in.

It's a lot easier if the undergrad just gives us a consistent schedule and comes in on their own. If they see you're there all the time and really committed to the project they'll just give you work. The key to being productive in research is to come in a lot, like 15 hours or more a week.

I totally agree. She had my schedule and we had a set time I was available and she just stopped having me come in. I texted her probably three times in the ~6 weeks I didn't come in. I understand how it is annoying to be pestered but I don't think I went that far.

 

[MareNostrummm]

I totally agree. She had my schedule and we had a set time I was available and she just stopped having me come in. I texted her probably three times in the ~6 weeks I didn't come in. I understand how it is annoying to be pestered but I don't think I went that far.

I see. That's different then if the "stopped having you come in." I have 3-5 undergrads working under me so I just give work to whoever is there at the time. The undergrads that come in more often and appear competent get moved up into more complex projects very quickly.

 

[Nucleophile1]

They probably needed someone to be there full time and since you are a student, you obviously can't make that sort of commitment. They probably also wanted someone with a higher skill level.

 

[Biochemistry69]

Soooo.... my grad student ghosted me for about half a semester (while I sent the occasional text to see when I should come in) until I was finally told that "The lab had hired a lab tech" and that my help was no longer needed. Now, I didn't make any major mistakes that would warrant firing - of course, everyone screws up a bit in the beginning in a lab - so I can't imagine why I'd be fired.

That being said, I still can't get over the nagging feeling that I was let go because of something I did and my grad student didn't want to have to tell me so I was told that story. Any similar experiences?

I had a research position for a month. The grad student did something similar to me. I'd come in for my three hour shift, and he'd say "ah yeah, I have to go in an hour, so we can only do an hour today". Eventually, he told me he'd let me know his schedule the following week so I could come in. He never did, so I emailed him and and he told me the lab didn't have the funds to train me, and recommended that I look for other labs in the department. It was super, super awkward seeing him and the PI around campus.

A few months later, he hits me up asking for the lab key. I told him I didn't have a lab key. He told me I should ask the PI for a position in the lab because there might be time for me this upcoming year. I tagged both of them in an email, showing my interest in the lab, and never got a response from either of them. Now when they both see me in passing, they ignore me.

I'm positive I did something wrong at some point to upset them both. The jokes on them, though, because I ended up in a really, really cool research position this year. I have a world distinguished professor as my PI, and amazing assistant professor, 3 post docs, and 2 grad students who mentor me. I also have an amazing lab partner, and I thoroughly enjoy the work I'm doing now (which is 100% project based, as opposed to boring bench research).

Moral of the story: You losing your position can be a blessing in disguise.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I sent an email to every department professor with an interest in research in the particular department I first started in. I probably sent 30+ emails and never got a response. I believe that my old lab blacklisted me from the department or some ****.

 

[Detective SnowBucket]

That's great. I got into a lab this fall and its been an unusual schedule compared to what I hear from friends doing research. One week I'll do 7-10 hours then I won't be called in for two weeks...

Edit: also, that may be mostly because I have a crappy schedule this semester that interferes with most of the experiments schedules