The most important decision you’ll make during your Ph.D. is choosing your thesis lab and mentor. I truly believe that the difference between a successful and happy graduate journey is anchored in this crucial decision of choosing the mentor that is right for you. Here are some general tips I often share with younger students on how to choose a thesis lab and mentor:
- Mentor-mentee fit
- Mentor’s track record
- Lab fit
- Funding
1. Mentor-mentee fit
I cannot emphasize this enough. Prioritize finding someone whose mentorship style aligns with your needs. Find someone whose personality meshes well with yours. Here are some questions to ask yourself before joining a lab:
Do you feel comfortable during individual and lab meetings with them?
How do they support you as a mentor?
Are they available enough for you?
What are their expectations for time off and weekends?
What are some things that are important to you that you would strongly prefer your PI to be supportive of?
For some of my peers, it is important for them to see their significant other who lives in another city. If that’s important for you, see if that is something that your potential PI is supportive of. I have another peer who felt that it was important to her that she could comfortably leave the lab at 5 PM every day, so that was something she assessed while she was on her rotation.
Others want to be able to do dry lab and work remotely. Everyone’s needs and preferences are different – it’s important to figure these out beforehand and assess how the mentor will help you achieve the things that are important to you.
It is not only important to gauge your personal interactions with the mentor but to also do your due diligence and talk to other lab members – current and alumni. Make sure to talk to students who rotated through the lab but didn’t join. I made sure to talk to all the students, post-docs, and technicians in the lab to hear their experience in the lab and with the mentor.
2. What is the mentor’s track record?
Here are some questions to think about when assessing the research professor’s track record:
What is the mentor’s track record of students that they’ve graduated?
Have they graduated any students?
Did these students graduate on time?
Where are the graduated students now?
It is important to receive quality training in an environment where you can thrive and with a compatible mentor with a track record of successful students.
3. Lab fit
You will likely interact with the people in the lab on a daily basis, therefore it is important for you to consider if you feel that you “fit” with the rest of the lab. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
Do you enjoy interacting with the other lab members?
Is it comfortable for you to ask for help?
Is the overall lab environment enjoyable?
In addition to these, ask yourself how important the size of the lab is – do you want a small lab or a big lab?
I would prioritize these lab aspects and the mentor-mentee fit over the science topic themselves. Too often I find students super set on one specific topic despite red flags of the lab/mentor. Those students often end up having to switch labs.
Just remember that the Ph.D. is a marathon and it is not worth being miserable for nearly half a decade.
4. Funding
Our program doesn’t even let us rotate with PIs with insufficient funding. Every institution’s programs are different, so make sure you are aware of a potential mentor’s funding situation before you join. The reality is that grant money is the fuel to science and you would be putting yourself in a difficult position if you jump in a car with no fuel.
In this article, we covered how to choose a thesis lab and mentor that suits you. To learn how to secure a lab position when you are doing rotations, check on this useful article.
