Running a Research Lab: Two Overlooked Positions
I think research labs would be more productive, if there is someone within the team that can fulfil the roles below:
- Position title: “Miscellany”
Job scope: Help out all the members in the lab in whatever way possible. Good breadth and depth of experience and skills required.
2. Position title: “Writer”
Job scope: Someone with very good writing skills and also a scientist. Spend time writing out every possible mouthpiece that is worth publishing. Sometimes we have an excellent idea, which gets better and better upon numerous bounces to people. However, many times we abandon such project or even when we don’t abandon it, we don’t have time to do something about it because we are too busy with other things. This is where the writer comes in, as s/he would be compiling the thoughts, most of the times they could easily be formatted as strings of ideas for a research direction, without much extra work. The writer can help save a lot of orphan ideas, which maybe runaway successes. Even if, in the end we do not do much about the idea, writing it up and publishing it, if possible, will at least help ensure that it is accessible to the public, and thus, increasing the chance of someone taking it forward.
©2021 KAM
