Tips for Starting a New Lab Position: A Comprehensive Guide on What to Expect at Each Stage

A position in academia is a profound commitment. It is one of those fields where you must constantly consolidate your knowledge just to prepare for the next phase. In a lab setting, the work often extends far beyond a formal job description. Success is usually proportional to the effort invested beyond stipulated hours. Academia functions like a global cause, where every experiment contributes to a shared pool of human understanding. However, navigating this path requires more than technical skill. It requires the right mindset to transition from a student to a leader. Success is the result of finding strong mentorship and understanding the specific demands of each career stage. Below are a few insights that may help our readers entering a new position in the academic setup. This summary is a reflection of my understanding of the various roles, starting from a graduate student to a research technician and then to being a post-doc associate, in an academic setup over the past decade. This blog has come into existence through months of networking, exchanges of views, and informal interviews with my peers at each of the career phases mentioned in the article. This is a guide on what to expect while starting a new position in a lab setup.

 

The Graduate student

Choosing a lab for your PhD is one of the most consequential decisions of your early career. You should be aware that you aren’t just choosing a topic you’re passionate about, you are choosing a lifestyle for the next half a decade, to say the least. Firstly, you must choose rotations on the broader themes you would like to pursue in your research, topics that intrigue your interests. Once the themes are noted, the next step is to choose a Principal Investigator. I cannot stress the importance of a positive mentor-mentee relationship, as it often is a deciding factor in the outcome of your graduate journey. Expect the small wins to turn into big wins when you have a clear communicative relationship with your mentor. The perceived toxicity of a PhD life reduces exponentially if you have a receptive relationship with your boss. Expect yourself to be in the forefront to build a trusting relationship with your mentor. There is no universal checklist for a mentor. Instead, it is a very personalized list of traits that lets you thrive and perform in the best possible way. Consider looking for signs that resonate with you.

Once you have started your project, expect steady guidance, constant check-ins, and updates to be a routine task. Delve into the publication records, the consistency of sending out manuscripts for peer-review, and the average period it takes for a PhD to defend their thesis. Review if you agree with the timeline and make an effort to alter what you can do to achieve the best possible outcome. Anticipate your progress to align with the grants and funds available in the lab. Discussions and exchange of ideas during rotations are a good way to know what is expected of you. I strongly believe that clear communication is key and making an informed decision goes a long way. You should also be prepared for the lab environment and your peers to play a major role. Even though your PhD is primarily a one-on-one with your mentor, lab mates play a fair role in making the journey friendly and collaborative. Through healthy discussion with your peers, you can be intellectually sound beyond the confines of your own thesis. It is needless to say that your dedication and effort matter in shaping the overall outcome for you. Practicing self-awareness and professional alignment ensures a more sustainable career journey. Finally, constantly re-evaluating your progress through your assigned committee meetings would help you achieve your long-term goals as a well-rounded researcher. The keyword is ‘Communicate.’

 

The Research Technician

This position can be viewed in two ways: either as a transitional training period before graduate studies or as a permanent professional endeavor. Let me highlight what to expect from the former role first. Gaining direct exposure to the research environment allows you to make an informed decision regarding your long-term interest in pursuing a PhD. A research training position demands that you help with defined projects led by graduate students or postdocs. This helps you to imbibe the workflow through their practices, giving you an insight into problem-solving. This pre-PhD training provides a hands-on perspective of things that are common lab practices, but never taught within classrooms. Being open to contributing to multiple projects helps you get a glimpse of the intricacies of each project, allowing you to have a realistic idea of what to expect from your PhD. You learn to manage a budget, negotiate with vendors, and handle hazardous waste. Following through, refining the protocols and communicating clearly with your mentor and peers would be a good practice.

The alternative approach is to view the research technician role as a permanent, consolidated position rather than a temporary training phase. This changes the whole perspective on what awaits. You are expected to provide more value than you receive. This is essentially a two-way street. You are navigating through the lab dynamics and improving each project through your expertise. As you are no longer a student, you are expected to be thorough. You are the bridge between the PI and the lab. If you are entering this role, your value lies in your reliability and your ability to maintain order. In a new lab setting, the technician is often the PI’s first partner, helping to establish the physical infrastructure from scratch. This role requires a unique blend of technical precision and interpersonal diplomacy. In this role, consider yourself the operational lead or lab manager for the PI. A core duty of this tenure is the continuous improvement of laboratory standards and workflows. You work closely with the PI on refining protocols, building a workflow, writing grants, teaching a course, and handling semi-administrative roles, such as budgeting, allocation, and student onboarding. On the bright side, if you love bench work, this is where you would want to be. Alternatively, this exposure might help you transition into industrial positions or teaching jobs. Approach this position as a holistic training opportunity that spans both technical and professional growth. The keyword is ‘Dependable.’

 

The Postdoctoral Associate

A postdoc position is where you learn to grow independently. You are no longer a trainee, but a peer in training. Success requires both a strong work ethic and active networking. Developing an independent and significant research direction is the primary gateway to securing your own lab. Eventually, you need to transition from doing the work to leading the work, which means taking on mentorship of junior students and contributing significantly to grant writing. At this stage, expect to serve as a role model to your juniors. Your efficiency and approach in handling a scientific problem provide a training module of sorts to your juniors. Participating in grant writing helps you choose a scientific question and propose achievable ways to resolve it. It enhances your scientific demeanor. Your goal is to prove to the world (and to hiring committees) that you have the vision to lead your own group. It is essential to maintain a strong conceptual foundation while identifying emerging, high-impact topics that align with your specific expertise and interests.

This phase requires a strategic balance between competing professional priorities. Expect an immense workload and pressure both within and outside of the lab. Postdoctoral research provides the essential framework for a long-term career, serving as the foundation for a multi-decade profession. The emotional toll at this stage cannot be ignored. It is a period of high uncertainty, often involving short-term contracts and the pressure to publish in high-end journals. Patience and resilience are your greatest assets. Uncoupling your self-worth from the data you produce is immensely important. This role in academia often involves a high-pressure environment with rigorous, competing deadlines. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is vital for long-term well-being and a sustainable career.

Be intentional about the outcome of this role. At this point, you need to communicate with yourself with utmost honesty. Avoid imitation, try to be authentic, as this will establish the standard for your future. While significant, a postdoc’s success is not solely a function of paper counts. It is about developing leadership skills and an independent vision to successfully transition into a faculty position. The keyword is ‘Independent.’

 

Putting it in Perspective

No matter your role, you need clear communication and a good community to succeed. We all worry about failing, but having the right people around you helps turn anxiety into discovery. The work you do starts with your dedication but ultimately contributes to the broader scientific community, extending far beyond your own career. Academia is a long-term commitment that requires patience, persistence, and a willingness to adapt to new roles. Happiness and well-being are not distractions from research; they are the foundation for your best work. Try to keep a positive mindset while navigating through the challenges. As Napoleon Hill said, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” Good luck!

 

About the author

Sonal Sachdev

Sonal is a postdoc at the Department of Biology at New York University and a 2026 ASPB Plantae Fellow. She earned her PhD in Life Sciences from the Bose Institute, India. Currently, exploring the fascinating world of DNA-Protein interactions governing the developmental and stress response pathways in Arabidopsis. She is actively involved in Plant Science Advocacy and serves as an ASPB Ambassador and PlantPostdocs Leadership team member. Outside the lab, she is an avid reader of mystery thrillers and atmospheric historical fiction. Find her on X: @sci3ntyst.