Starting a lab can be a daunting prospect as there is often little formal training in how to do it. In this podcast we speak to two researchers at different career stages about the practicalities of running a lab and how to manage a group of researchers.

• Lucia Prieto Godino, a researcher in olfactory evolution at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, is currently preparing to start her own lab at the Crick Institute in London. From January 2018 she will be in charge of her own research, as well as a group of scientists working for her. She shares her thoughts on what she wants from her lab, and how she will help and train the scientists working with her.
• Angela DePace has been running her systems biology lab at Harvard Medical School since 2008, and has used it as a self-development opportunity. She wanted to create a lab where she could help mentor students effectively, whilst continuously improving her own mentoring and teaching skills. Using individual development plans (IDPs), she has fostered an open and collaborative workplace culture.
• A plan for action, a Nature Careers article published in August 2017, described IDPs as a useful and powerful tool, both for early career researchers and their supervisors.

Ask an expert

This month, our question comes from Elisa Basso, a neuroscientist from Italy, who asks about how to get back into academia after a two year gap. Sarah Blackford, an independent science careers adviser based in the UK, answers Elisa’s question.

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Julie Gould is a freelance science writer, editor and podcaster.