Good time to approach PI about independent project?

[bayer]

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I worked on a project from January to mid-July (full time from May through July) and took a 2-month break for the MCAT. I was mostly just helping a postdoc (my supervisor) do certain experiments (which I learned to do myself), but I wasn't designing experiments or testing hypotheses or anything like that. I've now heard that the project is getting closer to completion.

Would it be a good time to talk to my PI about working on something independent (he's said before that he would like me do my own project, I think)? Or should I wait until we wrap everything up with the old project? And when I meet with him, should I already have some ideas in mind, read background literature, etc.?

 

[bayer]

Any thoughts?

 

[AlteredScale]

I worked on a project from January to mid-July (full time from May through July) and took a 2-month break for the MCAT. I was mostly just helping a postdoc (my supervisor) do certain experiments (which I learned to do myself), but I wasn't designing experiments or testing hypotheses or anything like that. I've now heard that the project is getting closer to completion.

Would it be a good time to talk to my PI about working on something independent (he's said before that he would like me do my own project, I think)? Or should I wait until we wrap everything up with the old project? And when I meet with him, should I already have some ideas in mind, read background literature, etc.?

Really depends on your PI, is he one to place projects in the team members' hands? Or does he expect a "go-getter" mentality? I'd choose the latter, as it shows self-motivation and passion for the research.

I spent April-August getting acquainted with the assays and actually learning immunology for the first time (which really...really sucked 😛). And then later I saw I was eligible for an honors thesis and after a week of literature review I wrote a proposal. When I showed it to my PI he seemed impressed (I hope!) but he decided to give me another project to do for the year.

So in summary, figure out what the lab is about. See what the post-docs are working on and yes, start reading some primary literature regarding the work that is being conducted. Try to come up with a proposal to show that you truly have an independent mindset and want to really research the field. More than likely your PI will kindly shoot it down and replace it with another project, but better to do that than to just flat out ask IMO.