What technical skills will your research require? Do you want people who will be good leaders? Does your research require certain technical skills? Will you need an animal caretaker? How many staff members can you afford? These are the kinds of questions that a principal investigator should consider in determining what his or her lab roster should look like.
In her handbook titled At the Helm: A Laboratory Navigator, author Kathy Barker suggests reasons for considering the following lab positions:
- Lab technician/assistant—Consider hiring one if you need help with projects or just need an extra hand around the lab from someone with experience.
- Undergraduate or graduate students—Students are often enthusiastic workers who are looking for practical lab experience. (And you were once in their position.)
- Postdoctoral fellows—Because of their experience and degree, these are people who can handle lab projects on their own and, therefore, can contribute to the overall productivity of your lab.
- Administrative assistant—Hire one only if you can afford it and if the administrative tasks in your lab justify the need for the position.
According to the Burroughs Wellcome Fund’s Staffing the Lab: Perspectives from Both Sides of the Bench, experienced researchers agree that hiring a technician to help set up the lab is a good idea, but they differ on the amount of experience the technician should have. Less experienced technicians tend to be economical to hire, amenable to training and adapting to your management style, and enthusiastic and motivated to get practical work experience before they progress in their own careers. On the other hand, more experienced technicians can help you get a lab up and running more quickly and efficiently and provide you with time to deal with other issues.
Another way to determine your staffing needs is to examine your management style and how you want your lab to operate. As the PI, you are the leader of your lab. However, do you want to be the sole lab manager, or would you rather appoint someone else to be responsible for human resources issues and other day-to-day administrative tasks? Can you trust a lab manager to deal with issues without your input—or involving you only when necessary? Even PIs of small labs find it necessary to delegate some tasks. Doing so can provide you with more time to devote to your research, which, of course, is your primary objective.
As the PI, it’s also up to you to set the tone in your lab. A major way in which you do so is by how you treat your lab members, which, in turn, will affect how they treat each other. According to Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty, a book developed by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, PIs who are accessible to their staff, communicative with them, and who give their lab members regular feedback find that they have staff who are willing to work harder and feel like they can be more creative with their work. Something as simple as leaving your office door open sends a strong message about your accessibility, which can foster a positive atmosphere and contribute to the success of your lab and its members.
