7 Lessons I learned by being a lone wolf at a laboratory

Often when we think about a lab, we imagine it as a space with multiple researchers, bustling with activity. Did you know that some labs only have one researcher? How would you like being the only researcher in your lab?

This post is about the life of those experimental-science PhD students who, like me, are the ONLY RESEARCH STUDENT in their laboratory, most likely throughout their research stint. I’m sure there are at least a few research students worldwide who work alone in their lab. This scenario manifests when a PI decides to stop recruiting any more students for specific reasons: for instance, the lab PI/supervisor has retired from institutional service and has several pending projects/grants to work on or is in a stage of transition from one organization/institution/university to another wherein he/she/they can afford to take only one student under their wing.

I have been the lone researcher in my lab for a major part of my bench work during my ongoing PhD. Despite the initial loneliness, I decided to count my blessings, and I was pleasantly surprised by my steep learning curve. Now, my sole objective is to bust the myths surrounding solitary students in a lab. I can think of seven reasons why you should consider yourself lucky if you find yourself to be the only student in your lab, compared to most labs that might house four or more students.

• Calm, Me-Time, DND always: In a regular lab which includes four or five researchers there could be plenty of room for distractions from lab mates regarding protocols, work, and other potential reasons, all of which I would label “lab chatter”. I would also add friendly invites from fellow lab mates for a frequent cuppa to my lab chatter list. As a solitary researcher, you are spared these distractions, making it relatively easier for you to focus on your job, which ensures you leave with that satisfaction of having had a productive day at work, every day! Additionally, the mental peace and absolute silence that such a work atmosphere gifts you is incomparable and irreplaceable. You do not need to display that “DND” sign on your desk to signal to your peers that you need to be left alone to read, write, work, or simply plan your day/week ahead. Such an atmosphere is also very conducive for personal development. It leaves you with the time and space you need for self-assessment, introspection, and personality development. Of course, this does not mean that you will be deprived of ANY interactions. As a researcher, you will always interact with peers and seniors, but as a lone researcher in a lab you will be able to eliminate a lot of distractions.
• On-the job training to become an independent researcher: Research graduates in the sciences often seek experimental protocols from labs adjoining theirs in the same institution. However, no protocol is foolproof. Hence, when it comes to executing any experimental protocol, the onus is on the researcher to standardize every protocol. With seniors available for guidance, to trouble-shoot protocols in a regular laboratory (which typically includes 4-5 PhD students and a couple of postdocs), standardization might be relatively easy. If you are a loner, however, this is not the case. From acquiring protocols, reading extensively about it and accessing just about any video/written scientific content about it, you have to rely on the adage, “self-help is the best help.” While this may seem like a lot more hard work, eventually, you recognize the extent to which this independent learning and upskilling is making you learn those nitty-gritty aspects that you may have missed otherwise, making you independent as a researcher in all senses.
• Networking: With no one to discuss your findings or peer review your data in the lab, you are forced to get out of your comfort zone to network with senior PhD students and postdocs from other labs. Initially, you will face some hiccups with networking but as the saying goes, “Practice makes perfect!” Networking can help you with a lot - from utilizing common infrastructure for laboratory experiments to borrowing consumables for a specific purpose or peer reviewing. It is a marvelous skill and a great asset to your career.
• Priceless lessons on prioritization: In a crowded lab, excessively extroverted and talkative students/researchers tend to spend a lot of energy and time in chatter that often depletes their daily productivity. A loner who is a conversation enthusiast understands how minimal conversations helps save precious energy. So, if you are a loquacious person, choosing to be a loner will definitely channelize your energy and with time you turn into a wiser, productive person.
• Undivided attention from your supervisor: In a crowded, or even a moderately filled, lab you might witness “watered down” attention from your supervisor. Also, some (not all) lab PIs may tend to focus on the senior PhD or post-doc students first. In such cases, if you are a newbie, you may not be able to interact heavily with your supervisors unless you block time to meet them. The communication gap thus created could reflect on your motivation and research progress. This gap may occur despite weekly/monthly lab meetings between the PI and researchers. Regular one-on-one meetings with the supervisor are imperative. They go a long way in building a productive and healthy relationship between both parties and help the researcher making headway in research. In a crowded lab, the communication gap and resulting drop in motivation levels among fresh PhD beginners could inadvertently lead to skewed fund utilization. This in turn could add to a fresher’s frustration while they are just figuring out their road map. This is a vicious cycle. To clarify, however, this is just a possibility – that you may get more personalized attention and mentoring from your PI as a lone researcher. Several PIs are able to strike a balance in the attention they provide to all researchers in their lab, but there may be times when this is not possible.
• Budgeting skills and financial acumen: Being the lone student, you are solely responsible for handling your project funds and purchasing the requisite materials for your experimentation. This requires you to chart an organized and well-planned strategy for timely utilization of funds so you avoid under/over-spending on consumables. You make comparative price statements while figuring out the perfect way to balance availability and quality of the materials to be purchased. With time, you might also learn to navigate the art of purchase and delivery, with a better understanding of how the purchasing or inventory aspect of running a lab works in your region. Networking is inevitable here since you also connect with the sales and technical teams of the companies or dealers you are in talks with as well as with the relevant functions/departments within your institution. This professional relationship with various stakeholders might also assist your entry into industry, if you wish to transition from academia to industry after your PhD.
• Lesser risk of being in a toxic work culture: Excessively packed lab spaces or laboratories which are poorly funded often witness intense competition for lab consumables, funding, and time with the lab PI. If you are part of such a lab, you may find this stressful. In extreme cases, your mental health could also take a beating. Another unfortunate outcome of such a competitive situation could be academic bullying, making such a lab environment quite tense or unfriendly. As a lone researcher in a lab, you get to side-step all of this. (Note that this is not a norm in labs with multiple researchers but something that could certainly happen if there is intense competition in a crowded lab.)

These, I think, are the most obvious upsides of being “the lone wolf” at a lab. Lab work is an enriching experience and sends you on a journey with a steep learning curve. Both multi-researcher and single-researcher labs offer unique benefits. But if you ever felt any trepidation about joining a lab as the only researcher, I hope my learnings will help assuage your doubts. Do you know anyone - a colleague or friend in academia - who is/was working as the lone researcher/lab member for any reason other than the ones listed above? Would love to hear them!