Starting New Research Programs and Building

Collaborations

Prof. Michael WysessionDepartment of Earth and Planetary SciencesWashington University in St. LouisSt. Louis, Missouri 63130USA

Cutting Edge Early Career WorkshopWashington, DCJuly-Aug, 2013

Relevant Professional Service:• Editor of Geophysical

Journals• NSF Panel Reviewer

Research theme:______________________

Topic A:New or Continuing

Available Resources: Needed Resources:

Plans for obtaining facilities or instruments

Stage 1: Development

Stage 2: Implementation

Stage 3: Dissemination

Plans for recruiting students and collaborators

Writing ProposalsBeginning Field Work orSetting Up Laboratory

Conducting Research

Initial Presentations

Student Projects

Formal PublicationsWeb Sites

Independent Studies

Honors & M.S. ThesesPh.D. Dissertations

New Research Ideas?

Creating a Strategic Plan for Research

What to do if not funded?

Build a Portfolio of Grants

1. Mixture of types• Federal vs. private foundations vs. industry• Instrumentation (do as a research “group”?)• Student support• Collaborations (etc.)

2. Use smaller grants to • Build your experience & capabilities • Collect preliminary data • Build confidence/credibility in your capabilities• (Typical award size of a ‘new investigator’ project is

not as large as that of veterans, but may have higher success rate)

3. Set realistic goals for # & type of proposal submission. Think about what you NEED to run your lab/research

Choose a Project Carefully

1. Make sure that your topic is of broad importance Don’t choose a topic that is so narrowly defined that

it is only of interest to you2. “More of the same” doesn’t sound very fund-worthy3. It takes as much time to do research on a problem of

low importance/interest as one that is of high interest/importance (your time is limited!!)

4. However, don’t aim too big; don’t claim to answer questions that your experiments/models could never actually resolve. The topic needs to be solvable given your

experience/capabilities/expertise

Choose a Project Carefully

5. Do your research to find out what is being done in this field (it is embarrassing to write a proposal for something that someone else is already doing or has done!)

6. Go to meetings to see the latest work and who the major players in the field are (This also helps to inform your Bibliography!)

7. Cultivate interesting and important ideas • Collect ideas (keep a Notes page open)• Allow TIME for choosing research topics, winnowing

and sorting, revision and improvement (START EARLY!)

8. Consider institutional/departmental expectations and/or strengths

Choose a Project Carefully9. Consider a collaboration

• Collaborative grants, in additional to having the potential to do things that individuals could not, can be very enjoyable and rewarding (it is possible to have friends who are collaborators! “frorks”)

• Senior colleague? (there are pros and cons)• (Example: My Madagascar project)

Choose a Project Carefully10. Foster a Community

• If you find people doing work that is similar to yours or what you want to do, contact them

• Perhaps you can write a collaborative grant – do you have skills or background that would be helpful to them?

• They might be at your own institution or at another• Ask for copies of their papers (and maybe even

proposals)• Invite them to your institution/department to give a

presentation• Serve on professional committees and panels• Go to small workshops (e.g., Gordon conferences)• Go to smaller functions at big meetings (i.e., AGU)

Stake Your Claim

1. Let people know what you are doing!• Reviewers, panel members, and program directors

should know of your work2. Blow your own horn (at the right time and in “tune”, of

course)• Publish papers, write proposals

3. Balance your time spent on activities that are complementary to your research and help maintain your reputation as an expert (reviewing proposals and publications, organizing workshops, presenting papers at meetings, being a journal editor, professional committees and boards, public outreach, popular media such as interviews for magazines or newpapers, etc.).

Professional Synergy (i.e., Reusing and Recycling)

1. Build upon your previous papers to write your proposals• but they have to be incorporated and edited so that

they entirely fit in the new context2. Use parts of your proposal in your future papers (e.g.,

Introduction, Data and Methods, Reference list, Figures)3. Align your teaching with your research when possible

• Try a graduate or senior undergraduate seminar on the topic

4. Align your advising with your research when possible• e.g., senior thesis; class assignments

Plan Ahead

1. Make Plans: Regularly set aside time to carry out “strategic planning” for your career, without being distracted by the little things. • The saying, “Take care of the little things and the big

things will take care of themselves” – is not true!• Better to say, If you don’t steer a car, you will drive off

the road (and you will certainly never get where you want to go)

2. Set goals for where you want your research to go, and identify what is needed to make it happen, otherwise your career will drift wherever chance takes it.

Plan Ahead

3. Chance can be a great thing, but be prepared to seize the moment when it does• “Chance favors the prepared”• “Luck is spelled W-O-R-K”• There are no coincidences. There is only

preparation.4. Most brain capacity is untapped

• (Analogy of extreme human memory)• “Bourne syndrome”• Train yourself to be mindful

5. Have a short-term “To Do” list (deadlines, letters of recommendation, paper/proposal reviews, class preparation, committee work, etc.) and a long-term “To Do” list (research projects, papers, proposals, collaborations, etc.)

6. Strategic Planning “SWOT” • What are the Strengths, Weaknesses,

Opportunities, and Threats to your research• Actually writing these out helps to keep them clear• Identify the Critical Success Factors that have to

happen for you to meet your research goals

Plan Ahead

1. Mentor Mindfully: Try to assess what motivates the students/staff who work for you. • Is it a carrot or a stick? Tailor your mentoring

accordingly.2. Assess Their Strengths: Are your students/staff good

at theory? Obtaining data? Modeling data? Programming? Writing? Tailor the tasks you give them accordingly. • (This goes for you, too.)

Develop a Team

1. Mentoring a Student Changes over time: At first you may need to monitor closely, set multiple short tasks, meet often. As they learn, you can give them more responsibility.

2. Develop a Critical Mass: Students often learn best from each other. It is good if you can reach a critical mass, where students/staff are teaching and learning from each other.

3. Monitor Closely: Even if a student is doing well, you still want them following your direction and not drifting. Let them explore and find new avenues, but keep a close watch on them. • And know when to cut them loose.

Develop a Team

1. Have a Variety of Projects: Follow some areas of research that have long goals and some with short ones.• If one gets stalled for external reasons (unavailable

equipment, unavailable data, incomplete theory) you can focus on another until the time is right for the first project.

• This will also give you multiple ideas for multiple student research projects.

• This will also ensure that you can be writing up papers (on the short-term goals) while you are working on the long-term projects.

Diversify Your Research Portfolio

2. But Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin: “A jack of all trades is a master of none”• It is important for you to be recognized as an expert

in some area(s), so that when people think of that topic, they think of you (and invite you to give talks, submit papers, etc.).

• It is helpful to branch out into other areas, but do not lose your reputation in your main field.

Diversify Your Research Portfolio

Do the Research That You Like To Do: 1. After all, you only get to do all of “this” once, so you

might as well enjoy it.2. You will do a better job. You will be more willing to

put in the effort and hours needed to make it successful and convince others that your research is worthwhile. (Story of “Little, Big”)

Enjoy What You Do

Forbes Magazine

(from Careercast.com)

“Since writing the above piece I have received more than 150 comments, many of them outraged, from professors who say their jobs are terribly stressful. While I characterize their lives as full of unrestricted time, few deadlines and frequent, extended breaks, the commenters insist that most professors work upwards of 60 hours a week preparing lectures, correcting papers and doing research for required publications in journals and books. Most everyone says they never take the summer off, barely get a single day’s break for Christmas or New Year’s and work almost every night into the wee hours...All of that said, to me the most striking thing about the comments I received is the fact that so many professors write that while they find their jobs stressful, they are deeply satisfied and happy in their work. This comment from David Perry is typical: “I love my job. It’s definitely deeply rewarding. But the stresses are intense and the workload never ending.” (Susan Adams, Forbes staff)

Approach Your Research Plans Mindfully

How do you establish priorities for your research?