Scientists must be taught to manage

摘要

Starting an academic lab is like launching a small business. But does scientific training really prepare us for success? As a young investigator just over a year into my job, I feel pressure - much of it self-generated - to produce results, attract funding and ultimately to make a name for myself in my chosen field of bacterial pathogenesis. As researchers, we are trained to work within a rational and methodical framework. But when it comes to running our labs and managing people, we have to rely on our gut feelings, our limited know-how from mentoring a few students or our observations of our previous advisers. We can often feel ill-prepared.