At the Helm: A Laboratory Navigator

by Kathy Barker

Newly appointed principal research investigators have to recruit, motivate, and lead a research team, manage personnel and institutional responsibilities, and compete for funding, while maintaining the outstanding scientific record that got them their position in the first place. Small wonder, then, that many principal investigators feel ill-prepared. In this book, a successor to her best-selling manual for new recruits to experimental science, At the Bench, Kathy Barker provides a guide for newly appointed leaders of research teams, and those who aspire to that role. With extensive use of interviews and a text enlivened with quotes and real-life examples, Dr. Barker discusses a wide range of management challenges and the skills that promote success. Her book is a unique and much-needed contribution to the literature of science. Related Titles from the Publisher
At the A Laboratory Navigator, Updated Edition
Career Opportunities in Biotechnology and Drug Development 
Lab Dynamics
Lab Math
Lab Ref, Volume 2: A Handbook of Recipes, Reagents, and Other Reference Tools for Use at the Bench

Genres: Science, Academic, Nonfiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2001

Reviews

[Jiwoonglee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and helpful but the organization and the structure of chapters are not ideal.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read for anyone who thinks that they may want to run a lab one day. This goes over a whole bunch of components of the job and compiles advice from current principal investigators (mostly in academia, but also in industry). Reading this as a grad student is also making more empathetic toward PIs and the problems they face.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting tips but is repetitive and poorly organized which makes it difficult to read. This is more of a book I would take off my shelf and look up a certain chapter when I faced an issue in the lab .... which may be what the author intended.