Chapter 13. Setting Up a “Lab” 207

•Are there any laboratories shutting down and do they have skilled personnel?

•What specific institutional guidelines exist for salary and benefits, insurance, incentives, duration of probationary employment, etc.?

Finally it is crucial to adhere to HR policies and guidelines provided by your HR office, because failure to do so places your entire institution at significant legal risk!

Who Should I Hire?

Generally most laboratories recruit four types of personnel, research technicians (also called research assistants or associates), postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students. The first is considered research staff while the last three are trainees. Some scientists make the distinction between hiring staff and recruiting trainees.

The nature of tasks to be performed generally dictates the type of personnel to be hired. It is helpful to first identify the necessary tasks for your projects. Specifically determine a reasonable time frame and grade the complexity of the experiments. Short-term, low complexity projects can be accomplished with a relatively new research technician or graduate student. Long-term complex projects will require a more experienced research assistant/associate or a postdoctoral trainee with experience. It is important to remember that severe mismatching of personnel with projects can lead to poor productivity and frustration on both sides. However, alignment of project and personnel can create job satisfaction, increase productivity, and improve the work environment. Questions to ask during the hiring process include:

•What experimental methods or techniques will this individual be performing?

•How many years of experience should they have?

•Can I get the same expertise through a collaborator?

•Can I hire and train the individual?