Setting up an academic research laboratory in Canada in 2015

In 2007, after 6 years of postdoctoral training at the University of Toronto, I was extremely fortunate to be offered an Assistant Professor position in the Department of Physiology at the University of Alberta, Edmonton. Transitioning from a postdoctoral training to an independent investigator position is both extraordinarily exciting and terrifying. On one hand, one has a whole career ahead with just imagination and hard work to shape it as wished. On the other hand, the new recruit has suddenly become “the Boss.” Gone are the late evening dinners with lab mates, coffee breaks complaining about failed experiments, and the reassuring feeling of being part of a wellfunded research team. Now has come the time to learn how to motivate trainees, to supervise and manage their work, to ensure their projects are making significant progress toward publication, and to solve personnel issues. While new scientists are heavily trained in performing research, they are usually quite inexperienced in managing human resources. In reality, very few investigators will continue to work at the bench after taking a faculty position, and most of the investigator’s time will be dedicated at managing others’ work. Surprisingly, however, this aspect of the work is often regarded as secondary and much less important than grant writing by new investigators. Although partially true (with no research money, there is no personnel to manage), the type of supervision and interaction with trainees truly determines the success of a laboratory and, therefore, should certainly not be regarded as trivial. Teaching is an additional characteristic of the job, for which new investigators frequently have minimal training. Postdoctoral training is research intensive and leaves little, if any, room for gaining formal teaching experience. New recruits may have 1 to 2 years of teaching relief, but eventually, they have to get prepared to stand up and teach in front of 400 undergraduate students. Setting up a research laboratory also means deciphering the subtle and complex mechanics of the University administrative machine. It can be extremely frustrating to waste hours trying to identify the right person in charge of a specific duty. Hiring a part-time senior research technician, who knows how the system works, can be tremendously helpful in setting up a laboratory. In addition to managing personnel and teaching, a new investigator has to demonstrate an ability to publish and to bring sufficient research money to sustain research in the laboratory. At this stage, mentors play a tremendous role in determining the success of the new investigator. It can be challenging in a new academic environment to find the right mentor, and institutions have various systems in place to facilitate the process. For female scientists, another level of difficulty can appear to find a mentor with values that align with one’s vision of managing both a scientific career and motherhood. I was fortunate to identify fabulous local and external mentors who were not only supportive and committed but also honest enough to share with me when I was going the wrong way. In 2010, I received a New Investigator salary award from the Kidney Research Scientist Core Education and National Training (KRESCENT) Program. Co-funded by the Kidney Foundation of Canada and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the KRESCENT Program offers three types of awards (Doctoral, Post-doctoral, and New Investigators) to increase the number of highly skilled scientists working in preventing end-stage renal disease and in new treatments to improve the health of Canadians affected by kidney diseases. With bi-annual meetings bringing together clinicians, nurses, and basic and public health scientists, this program not only provided a renewed sense of being part of a vibrant research community but also inspiring mentors and friends who were key to the researcher I have become. Acquiring initial operating funds is a huge step to start a research laboratory. In general, new investigators are Correspondence: [email protected] Department of Physiology, Membrane Protein Disease Research Group, University of Alberta, Medical Sciences Building, Room 7-34, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada