Feeling torn between two mentors!?

[IFLS]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi all.
I am really fascinated by the research they do at the lab I am in. I am just feeling conflicted bc I am not sure what project to pursue. This lab is most known for...say...lung cancer research. This is what interests me and I am sure that I would like to be a lung cancer specialist one day. I am currently assigned to a primary mentor Jane who studies this disease; however, she will be leaving the lab in 5-6 months for a postdoc position. I am now more closely working with another person, John, is a terrific mentor, but focuses on .. leukemia. It's still cancer and the ultimate goal will be to study it in the context of lung cancer but it's still a completely different system (which does not interest me that much). Bottom line: Lung cancer research is a passion of mine but I really like John as a mentor. I would like to study both (with lung as a primary focus) but I am not sure who (or what) to choose! What should I do??? Both are trying to recruit me for their projects but I am feeling torn. Should I get involved in both?? Help!

 

[BlackBox]

If you have time, both. This way if anything comes of the work you have a higher probability of being published.

If you want to choose one, I would go with the mentor you favor the most. It is more important to work with a better mentor b/c most of what you will learn at this time is techniques. These are applicable to any future research you may do.
GL

 

[kyamh]

Go with John and foster that long term relationship. If you have a few years to go still, you will eventually work primarily with him anyhow. As far as the topic of research, you should relax a little bit. It's great that you have found a potential future career, but you will have the rest of your life to pursue it. Little you do at this point (I'm assuming you are in college) will help you get into a specific residency program (except maybe a publication) so you will have many opportunities to show your interest in lungs in medical school. I agree with BlackBox, learn the techniques and learn about being a scientist. You will carry these skills over to anything you end up doing.

 

[Narmerguy]

Go with John and foster that long term relationship. If you have a few years to go still, you will eventually work primarily with him anyhow. As far as the topic of research, you should relax a little bit. It's great that you have found a potential future career, but you will have the rest of your life to pursue it. Little you do at this point (I'm assuming you are in college) will help you get into a specific residency program (except maybe a publication) so you will have many opportunities to show your interest in lungs in medical school. I agree with BlackBox, learn the techniques and learn about being a scientist. You will carry these skills over to anything you end up doing.

+1. John is the better long term plan.

 

[nemo123]

To add to this, pick the one you think will give you more independence in the lab and pick the one you think has the better lab environment. The worst thing you can do is a pick a lab and dread your decision because you hate the atmosphere, and it isn't really conducive to undergrads.

If Jane leaves and all of a sudden you're labless because no one can mentor you, then obviously John is the better person to go to. However, if Jane leaves and you get 100% independence in the lab because you've shown the PI and her that you've learned all the techniques by that point and are generating a lot of data, then I'd go with Jane.

As an undergrad, I've always hated working directly under a postdoc/grad student. I've always felt like it's closed me in. My best lab experiences have been in labs where I get to control what I'm doing and I get to plan out all my experiments and only consult with the postdoc/grad student (or other lab members) as needed. Those labs have really given me a lot of freedom to do whatever I want, to really go out of the box and propose new ideas for experiments. That's the kind of lab experience that you should be hoping for when you're choosing a lab.

 

[Ruskithin]

Everyone above has offered terrific advice! To add my $0.02, I would talk to the PI and get his/her advice. When it comes to publications, the "rate-determining factor" tends to be the PI. If you can, try to get a "feel" for which project he is most passionate about because that is the project he will be more likely to support with his time etc. Also, which project has the most and better (higher impact factor) publications? This will give you some idea as to how productive the projects are.

One of my PIs told me something that I will never forget: "In research, bargain with your results not with your effort." Even as a student, your mindset should be demonstrating productivity. In bench research this can be particularly difficult because there is no direct correlation between effort and "good" results. So, again, this is where looking at recent publications of your lab and discerning trends there, can help.

A word on mentors. It sounds like Jane and maybe John are graduate students? If Jane has secured a post-doc (and thus her foreseeable future), she will have a LOT more patience/tolerance for mistakes etc. If you are just starting out, you will be facing a very steep learning curve. Regardless of how "nice" someone is, research is emotionally stressful and mentally draining work; nerves fray quickly, especially if you're (or John maybe in this case) a grad student stuck in the "publish or perish" mentality.

I can't tell you who I think you should pick. However, I think your "guiding light" should be the answer to the question "what project will give me the best chance at publications/posters/abstracts etc?" These are irrefutable proof of your contribution and utility and will withstand scrutiny for years to come. Also, don't lose touch with Jane when she leaves, it is never too early to start establishing acquaintances in research.

Good luck!! 🙂

 

[goft20]

Dr. Cox