tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544393461869133373.post4655036929798113813..comments2024-03-27T17:33:46.836-04:00Comments on The New PI Sets Up a Lab: Fighting loneliness on the tenure trackThe new PIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432035024665768151noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544393461869133373.post-87626671584771817682017-08-30T10:18:47.536-04:002017-08-30T10:18:47.536-04:00When I got my TT faculty job, I moved with my wife...When I got my TT faculty job, I moved with my wife to a city where we knew absolutely no one but each other. She was a postdoc and became friends with grad students and other postdocs. They became our social group, but I always feel a little awkward about hanging out with "trainees" and don't feel like any of them are actually MY friends. Plus, they all eventually move away after completing training. I also started my faculty job at the height of the recession when there was a hiring freeze at my Uni (I got hired as a special exception as part of somebody else's retention package), so there was no cohort of new PIs to commiserate with. We're just now starting to hire some new PIs, but since I've now been here for five years, they all treat me like a mentor rather than a possible friend. As I'm thinking about it now, it seems like the hierarchy of positions in academia make it particularly hard to make true friends at work. This combined with the fact that there just don't seem to be a lot of 30-somethings looking for friends outside of work, can really make the life of a new PI lonely. Anyway, I'm just commenting here to say that I can relate to what you're feeling.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544393461869133373.post-57251091974248520512017-08-26T09:02:45.128-04:002017-08-26T09:02:45.128-04:00NewPI, what a coincidence it time and events! My e...NewPI, what a coincidence it time and events! My emergency contact just moved back to Europe. I had to change his info in the U website to reflect this yesterday. I moved to the US from Europe, so now I have no close friends or family...going back to how I came here. I do feel the strings pull to follow back to Europe, but I cannot right now b/c of work commitments. And I still love the adventure feeling Bio Brains mentions!Lucynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544393461869133373.post-72284350858415251592017-08-17T03:10:25.390-04:002017-08-17T03:10:25.390-04:00When I was interviewing for TT positions I literal...When I was interviewing for TT positions I literally flew all across the world and I interviewed in 4 different countries. In the end I was lucky enough to have a pick between two offers and ultimately I let the non-science argument weigh heavier: I had only pluses for one job, but the mere fact that I had to move again to a different country and a city I didn't know yet all by my single self just tipped the balance. It's not that I didn't know whether I could do it (I also did a postdoc abroad in a place where I didn't know anyone), but I just figured that if I did it again, that would be my life. I would be sacrificing everything for science. And I knew I would be perfectly happy doing that in the end, but it would not be the life that I think I should want to have. Because in the end there is more to life than science (I still forget that way too often).<br />So I sacrificed what may have been scientific success/glamour (who knows, I may have been a total dud) for being closer to family and friends in a town I really like. And I am still happy I made that choice, even though every now and then I do get a 'what if' moment. But those moments are becoming more rare. <br /><br />Now that I have tenure though, I can feel the sense of "adventure" and not wanting to be stuck in one place rearing it's ugly head again. So maybe it's really intrinsic and we do this to ourselves. But a TT is hard enough as it is. So try to also build a life outside of science: meet non science people doing other activities. That in itself can be comforting. <br /><br />And hang in there - it is hard! Also, there is no right or wrong here. There is only what is right for YOU. It took me a long time to admit that to myself because I had always let science come first.BioBrainshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10317577197056197225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544393461869133373.post-63601486602804342242017-08-17T00:46:31.648-04:002017-08-17T00:46:31.648-04:00I completely understand. I always moved where I al...I completely understand. I always moved where I already knew people because I couldn't imagine going to a brand new place alone. I think it takes such amazing strength and I always wonder how this attitude has affected my career. In the end, it just doesn't make sense to sacrifice everything for science...The new PIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10432035024665768151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544393461869133373.post-48223370900254265262017-08-16T13:58:05.197-04:002017-08-16T13:58:05.197-04:00Hey Newish PI,
I found your blog through Twitter,...Hey Newish PI,<br /><br />I found your blog through Twitter, and there are lots of things that I can relate to here. I've chosen NOT to got the academic PI route and transition to industry, but a lot of my best friends from graduate school and my Post-Doc are just starting to dip their toes in those waters, and it is stressful for me just to watch them going about it!<br /><br />The loneliness is palpable, and the stress can be overwhelming, especially on the tenure track. I have enjoyed reading your posts here as a kind of fly-on-the-wall into the life of a new PI.<br /><br />I'd love to alleviate at least some of that stress. I know that starting labs up can be extremely costly and complex, and you'd always like to stretch your funding as far as possible, and I think I can help. Give me a follow on Twitter and maybe we can talk later about how I can help your lab run smoothly and efficiently. <br /><br />https://twitter.com/DerekJacobsPhDAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15258223945712154839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544393461869133373.post-27602200276859279932017-08-16T13:51:46.738-04:002017-08-16T13:51:46.738-04:00Sorry to hear about your story. It is far too comm...Sorry to hear about your story. It is far too common. There is always that doubt of whether this is all worth it. I really hope you can reunite with your half as soon as possible and that life throws a great position at you. You never know what is right around the corner.The new PIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10432035024665768151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544393461869133373.post-5206352322511778312017-08-16T13:07:24.139-04:002017-08-16T13:07:24.139-04:00I hope you will soon make new "emergency cont...I hope you will soon make new "emergency contact"who can share the joy, sweat and tears of being a PI.<br /> <br />I can totally relate to the loneliness. My better one and I have been separated for 5 yrs since I started this TT position. We tried very hard to reunite (argubaly not hard enough to sacrifice one's career?!) and the closest one we got for 2.5 yrs was 300 miles apart (drivable distance for weekends), then he got an industry job and moved 600 miles further while I struggled to get an R01. My family is 3500+ miles away and I had always relied on "local close colleagues" as my emergency contact. Earlier this year, those friends were either retired or let go, at the same time my tenure was denied, I got an R01 and published a few high profile papers. As of today, the Provost still stands firm on her original decision, despite the outcries from the senior faculty and multiple TT review committees. Looking back, my decision to fight through the 5 yrs of "loneliness" is laughable, and I have decided to take whatever measures to reunite with my other half, even though I may end up in a less ideal career position. <br /><br /> PIstuckinMidWesthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15908122312918586796noreply@blogger.com