{"id":10793,"date":"2016-09-23T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2016-09-23T08:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/?p=10793"},"modified":"2016-09-23T17:39:32","modified_gmt":"2016-09-23T16:39:32","slug":"on-the-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/2016\/09\/23\/on-the-move\/","title":{"rendered":"On the move"},"content":{"rendered":"

Moving lab is a challenge. Moving country is an undertaking of vast proportions that often requires months of logistical planning for everything from finagling visas and finalizing funding to transporting delicate cultures and mastering a new language.\"20151126_132257-edit\"<\/a><\/h2>\n

Yet researchers move routinely \u2013 in the midst of their PhD programme, for a new postdoc or another fellowship, for the next new position. Science is a mobile enterprise and if you haven\u2019t moved lab or country yet, it\u2019s likely to be in your future.<\/p>\n

So how do you manage the details, both micro and macro? What happens if your samples die during the move? How do you get housing? How do you make friends? Don\u2019t panic. We\u2019ve rounded up a lot of tips for you from move veterans who\u2019ve travelled the globe any number of times. It may not be easy, but it\u2019s doable, and it can even be fun. (Sort of.)<\/p>\n

If you find yourself wondering in the middle why you\u2019re even doing this, despair not. There is a significant payoff \u2013 studies have shown that researchers who move lab and country early in their career, particularly during their first or second postdoc, publish more papers <\/a>than those who stayed put. The effect is greatest for researchers who move from economically disadvantaged nations to those that are more economically stable.<\/p>\n

There are other benefits too. Not only does globe-trotting vastly increase your network \u2013 and thus the opportunities for collaboration \u2013 but it may also fatten your paycheck<\/a>. In most European nations, moving lab and country is virtually de rigueur, where it\u2019s common wisdom that mobility is crucial for junior scientists to get the opportunity to work with leading researchers in their field<\/a>. Of course, when you leave your lab, you need to make sure you don\u2019t let those connections \u2013 or the discussions around the research — lapse<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mobility veterans warn, though, that the main imperative is to remain flexible<\/a> \u2013 because disasters will happen. Your cell cultures or animal models might die off. Or you\u2019ll have a lab fire. In all cases, when you\u2019re planning your move, hire carriers who have experience with moving labs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t let yourself become isolated. In a new environment, where you may know no one, it\u2019s easy to do \u2013 but working round the clock or sequestering yourself in your flat won\u2019t help you and may even affect your work. Force yourself to accept every social invitation<\/a> that comes your way. You\u2019ll meet other people and once you\u2019ve established a solid network, you can always say no later. Happy travels!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yet researchers move routinely \u2013 in the midst of their PhD programme, for a new postdoc or another fellowship, for the next new position. Science is a mobile enterprise and if you haven\u2019t moved lab or country yet, it\u2019s likely to be in your future.  Read more<\/a> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88283,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1021,190,193,323,185,186,86,195,295,205,65,197,198,188,199,957,1],"tags":[911,153,4000291,4000295,4000293,87,4000297],"class_list":["post-10793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-scientistonthemove-2","category-academia-2","category-business-2","category-career-paths","category-collaboration-2","category-communication-2","category-europe","category-faculty-2","category-internship","category-mobility-2","category-phd","category-postdoc-2","category-postgraduate-2","category-relationships","category-research-2","category-scientists-on-the-move","category-uncategorized","tag-fellowship","tag-mobility","tag-move","tag-moving-country","tag-moving-lab","tag-postdoc","tag-relocation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/88283"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10793\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}