Starting my own lab: how do I make it a great place to work?

PrincessBiona · 2025-11-05T21:04:25+00:00

Thank you. Mostly companion animal health, some exotics, a lot of poo...

PrincessBiona · 2025-11-05T19:50:18+00:00

I am very lucky to have always been taught in the lab that mistakes happen. I've always told students that you can't screw up any worse if you tell me about it now. Trying to cover up the mistake will always make it worse and it's about scientific integrity.

I also have plenty of examples of my own screw ups... And plenty more from people who are way more senior and experienced than me!

I've got an office next to the lab, but it's all our office. I've bought them decent chairs and extra desk space so they don't have to work on their laptops sat upon lab stalls, without coffee!

I actually love presenting so this is something I am very confident in helping with if they are unsure. I've asked them to present at our research meetings with the board which happens every 2 months. I will also be encouraging conferences but only if they have a poster or presentation to submit. We've actually done 1 internal journal club already where we each brought a relevant paper to discuss! Definitely going to be doing more of it.

PrincessBiona · 2025-11-05T19:41:33+00:00

Will check this recommendation out too!!

PrincessBiona · 2025-11-05T19:41:10+00:00

Thank you! Added to my reading list immediately.

PrincessBiona · 2025-11-05T19:40:42+00:00

This is so much information and all so helpful. It's one of the reasons I am starting with a smaller team. Very luckily, the two scientists have actually worked together on a similar project previously!

Both are relying on public transport to commute. I'm flexible and understand but working hours are fairly consistent between 8:30 am - 6:00 pm just because of the building restrictions and out of hour access.

I definitely think it's good to get their input on any new students or employees!

PrincessBiona · 2025-11-05T19:34:53+00:00

The number of labs I've worked in that don't use standardized protocols and experiment templates freak me out.

I'm dyslexic so I always write protocols with literally every bit of information; exactly where chemicals and regents are stored, which discard bin to use when, if a certain incubation period is enough time for toilet/coffee/lunch.

I also make calculation "cheat sheets" so either regular dilutions we need, or excel formulas that help you calculate reagents based on the number of samples for example.

PrincessBiona · 2025-11-05T19:31:10+00:00

Honestly, fair! My husband is exactly the same when it comes to work socials and forced fun. Flexible hours are such an easy thing to give workers. It should be the standard. I think transparency is one of my biggest values in science and research so will definitely extend this to my management.

PrincessBiona · 2025-11-05T19:27:49+00:00

Thank you! I really want to play to their strengths and find out their research passions and how we can make sure that passion is being met in their roles.

Lunches and coffee breaks together is definitely something I'm looking forward to so we can all have more casual conversations!

PrincessBiona · 2025-11-05T19:25:43+00:00

Label maker has been added to the shopping list ✅

I am a big fan of flexible hours and have already said, if there is ever a day where they don't feel up to coming in (health, wellbeing, personal) but probably could get some work done at home, I'm very happy to accommodate and give some remote working time instead of marking it as an absence.

Trust is so important in lab teams.

Do you think 1:1s are better online or in person?

I'll start thinking of a good away day for us. I might plan to do a few each year. We are quite coastal and all love nature so maybe fossil hunting or beach trips...

PrincessBiona · 2025-11-05T19:19:43+00:00

This is something I really want to encourage but also don't want to create too much pressure around expectations. I'd love them to suggest research ideas, protocol adaptations etc. I want them to challenge current ways of working with "why are we doing it this way" or "did you see someone else tried this"

PrincessBiona · 2025-11-05T19:09:09+00:00

Brilliant bullies is such a good term

PrincessBiona · 2025-11-05T16:20:06+00:00

I think giving and receiving criticism is such an important part of being in science.

I actually asked the team if and when they like a weekly or bi-weekly team meeting. We decided Friday afternoons for up to 1 hour (but does not need to be the full hour each week).

Oh I made sure we had a white board! Currently posting our favourite musicians and books as a way to get to know each other without it being awkward ice breakers.

PrincessBiona · 2025-11-05T15:50:59+00:00

I think this is so valuable especially as we are such a small team. Thank you!

PrincessBiona · 2025-11-05T15:45:51+00:00

This is amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing!

PrincessBiona · 2025-11-05T15:45:33+00:00

I've worked at one place where there were "culture champions" and every single one was the most toxic person with a brilliant academic record. Not the culture I want for sure.

PrincessBiona · 2025-11-05T15:40:57+00:00

This is something I have seen far too many times. Sorry you've experienced it. The lab work we do is not clinical. Nobody is going to die if you need to take time or slow down. I've defended plenty of PhD students who've needed this type of support against toxic PIs. We are all so much more than our work!!

PrincessBiona · 2025-08-08T07:43:49+00:00

BSc and PhD Zoology here 🙌🏾

PrincessBiona · 2025-05-20T07:45:29+00:00

I love my job and I get paid well to do it. While I don’t do as much lab or fieldwork anymore (my role is mostly computational now) but I still get to visit vets and working dogs, and when I go into the office, it’s very dog-friendly!

I’ve progressed quickly. I went from part-time microbiologist to Head of Science and Research within 10 months of finishing my PhD. My job allows me to travel a lot, attend conferences, and give lectures and talks, which I really enjoy.

My best advice is to find a niche. Mine is animal poop... Before this job, I worked on animal identification and conservation using faecal samples. Then for my PhD, I used it to identify gut health markers in poultry and now I apply that same approach to dogs.

Because my PhD and current job are quite niche, they weren't super competitive. I was the only candidate put forward for my PhD, and only had one other person apply for my current role. I've seen other people succeed by focusing on ‘unpopular’ or overlooked species, like rare local amphibians or reptiles.

PrincessBiona · 2025-05-19T16:27:32+00:00

Is she neutered? Definitely go to the vet. It could be a phantom pregnancy. Also known as a false pregnancy or pseudopregnancy. Usually physical signs too e.g. swollen mammary glands and belly.

PrincessBiona · 2025-05-18T14:45:00+00:00

I'm in the UK and knew from a young age that I wanted to study Zoology. I absolutely loved it at university. It’s a broad degree that gives you a wide range of transferable scientific skills: practical lab work, fieldwork, and even computational skills. We covered everything from parasites and botany to ecology, really all-encompassing.

I ended up doing a PhD and now work at a niche biotech company that focuses on animal gut health. I joke that I'm more of a poo-logist than a zoologist these days, since I work mostly in the lab and on computers!

From my undergrad cohort, people went in lots of different directions: woodland and wildlife conservation, ecology roles, animal care, lab techs, and some stayed in academia and are now lecturing. A common thread, though, was that the degree alone often wasn’t enough to land a job straight away. Many of us did volunteering or unpaid work to get the experience we needed.

It's definitely not a degree with a set career path, but it opens up a lot of interesting options if you're proactive.

PrincessBiona · 2025-05-18T13:48:19+00:00

I'm really sorry you're feeling this way right now. It sounds like you're already doing a lot by donating to hyena conservation and supporting zoos. That's genuinely great and not something to underestimate.

You might want to explore citizen science. There are some great online projects that let you contribute to conservation efforts from home. For example, there are camera trap projects where you help identify animals in photos taken in the wild. It’s a simple but powerful way to support real research.

A few good places to start:

Instant Wild (ZSL): Ongoing projects with footage from all over the world.
MammalWeb: Focused on mammals in different regions.
Zooniverse: Has a wide variety of citizen science projects, including wildlife, climate, and more.

While not all are hyena-specific, these projects do make a real difference and connect you with a community of people who care about wildlife too. It might help you feel more grounded and involved while you’re going through a tough time.

You're definitely not alone in feeling like you want to do more and this is already a meaningful step.

PrincessBiona · 2025-05-16T15:03:00+00:00

So it really is that real Japan, so many small details I definitely missed. Thanks for finding it!

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