Lab Dynamics

[Shirafune]

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Working in a molecular genetics lab and while the PI is a little hard to work with, the grad students/post-docs are all very nice. PI is a tough cookie and essentially fired a grad student for not keeping up with her literature reading. PI is genuinely nice, just not a very good research mentor. Now that I've joined for almost 6 months, my post-doc's grant has run out and has decided to leave the lab to take better care of some persona issues. The other grad student (5th year) is going to graduate by the end of this calendar year. Now this leaves me with one other grad student and a new incoming post-doc.

Both seem nice, but their work ethic is definitely not the same and both of them are a little hard to talk to sometimes (in an awkward sort of way). I don't see them when I'm in lab. Their things aren't even in their work space. I'm just worried that I won't enjoy lab because of the people around me. Seeing a long experiment to the end and getting good data makes my heart feel warm, but there's a huge social component to working here too.

Yes I work in a fairly small lab, but I prefer it this way. I know too many people working for big names that do nothing but labor. So I'd like to not join a new lab...

Any similar stories/advice, SDN?

 

[The Kraken]

Use words and communicate your concerns to your peers. Without talking to them, how would you expect things to turn out well?