PS and principal investigator's first name: good idea or bad idea?

[harposnarpo]

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So, everybody in my lab's on a first name basis with my PI. Feels kind of weird to call him Dr. Superman. Can I just call him Clark?

Or would that look like I don't respect academia hierarchy?

 

[harposnarpo]

Stupid question #2: Is it informal to abbreviate deoxyribonucleic acid?

 

[AuDggr]

So, everybody in my lab's on a first name basis with my PI. Feels kind of weird to call him Dr. Superman. Can I just call him Clark?

Or would that look like I don't respect academia hierarchy?

Depends. If you have been working with him for awhile and everyone else goes by first names then it's probably safe to try using his first name. If you're still new to the lab then I'd stick to the "Dr."

 

[Depakote]

In general the PS is a more formal piece of writing. I would suggest at least referring to Dr. Superman by that title at least once, after that you might work in the name Clark if it's an extended discussion.

side note: see this post for some more EC advice, it sounds like you might be falling into the "listing EC's pitfall... maybe I'm reading too much into it.

 

[Doodledog]

So, everybody in my lab's on a first name basis with my PI. Feels kind of weird to call him Dr. Superman. Can I just call him Clark?

Or would that look like I don't respect academia hierarchy?

I strongly recommend always referring to your PI as Dr. Superman both in any essays and in describing your research during an interview.