TenSimpleRulesforStartingaResearchGroup

YolandaGil

InformationSciencesInstituteandDepartmentofComputerScienceUniversityofSouthernCalifornia

gil@isi.edu

October27,2014

One of my favorite discoveries in the last few years is a section of PLOSComputationalBiologycalled“TenSimpleRules”[PLOSCompBio2014].Therearesomerealgemsthere,from“TenSimpleRulestoCombineTeachingandResearch”[Vicens and Bourne 2009] to “Ten Simple Rules for Reviewers” [Bourne andKomgreen 2006], andmy personal favorite “Ten SimpleRules for Better Figures”[Rougier et al 2014]. Although the articles are often specific to computationalbiology,manyarewrittenforamoregeneralaudience.Ievenhumblycontributedtooneas“TenSimpleRulesfortheCareandFeedingofScientificData”[Goodmanetal2014].Theseries is incrediblysuccessful. ThearticleshavebeencompiledasamonographthathasevenbeentranslatedtoChinese.Phil Bourne, a great model to follow in terms of community building and openscientific research, started the series as the editor ofPLOSComputationalBiologywith“TenSimpleRulesforGettingPublished”.Hetoldmehewantedtheseriestorepresentconciseandpracticaladvice,withthenameinspiredbyaTVshowcalled“EightSimpleRules”.Forsomereason,tenseemslikeamorescientificnumberandithasworkedoutbeautifullyfortheseries.TheinitialarticleinthePLOSComputationalBiologyserieswasinspiredbyadvicethat resulted from a meeting with students, and so is this one. I recentlyparticipated in a Computing Research Association (CRA) meeting for ComputingInnovation(CI)FellowswhereIwasaskedtoparticipateinapanelon“StartingUpaResearchGroup.”Atthisandsimilarpanelsinthepast,Ihavefoundthatstudentsarealwaysveryappreciativeofcareeradvice.ManyAIresearchersalreadyprovideawealthofusefuladviceandpointersontheirwebsites;perhapshavingaseriesofarticlesonfocusedtopicswouldbeamoreeffectivewaytodisseminatethatadvice.Ipersonallyappreciatealltheadvicefromthe“TenSimpleRules”articles.Scientificresearchmethodsevolve,andwemustbeabletodistillandsharebestpracticesasthey emerge. There are active discussions in the community on open accesspublication, alternative approaches to conference reviewing, improved

AppearedonAIMatters,Volume1,Number2,2014.http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2685328.2685330

reproducibilitybypublishingpapersthatincludedataandcode,andbroaderviewsofwhatisconsideredascientificcontribution.Studentsalsohavemuchtoteachusaboutusingsocialmediaforscientificorganizations,committingcode,andtweetingduringconferences(wait,therealreadyis“TenRulesofLiveTweetingatScientificConferences”[EkinsandPerlstein2014]forthat!).Forallthesereasons,Ithoughtwecoulduseananalogous“TenSimpleRules”seriescatering toAI researchers in the newACMSIGAIAIMatters newsletter. Philwasvery pleased to hear this, and noted that for the upcoming anniversary of thecollection therewouldbe “TenSimpleRules forWritingaPLOSTenSimpleRulesArticle”[Dashnowetal2014].I encourage you all to read the existing “Ten Simple Rules” collection and toconsider submittingyourown “TenSimpleRules”articles for future issuesof thisnewsletter.Oraskyourfavoritementorsorstudentstosubmitone.Rule1.BeintheRightPlaceThere isnothingworse thanworkingveryhardbut finding that your work environment is nothelpingyousucceed.Imaginefindingyourselfina place where there are too many unwantedobligationsanddemandsonyourtime,oryoudonothavethecollaboratorsthatyouneed,oryoudonotfeelvalued. Youwanttoavoidthisatallcost.When looking for a position, you should thinkabout how that institution is going to help youfurther your career goals. It should provideresources that will complement your skills andgoals. Find out how younger researchers aresupported, for example through seniormentorsor startup packages that enable them to fundstudentsandtravel.Yourinstitutionshouldbeaplace that helps you learn and grow, with aculture that suits your style. If you are in theright place for you, you will be much moremotivatedandproductive.When I graduated, I thought very hard aboutwhat kind of position suited me best. I enjoybeingveryindependentandliketointeractwithstudents.ButIdidnotwanttobespendingabigchunk of my time teaching every semester. I

Figure1.Beintherightplace.Yourinstitutionshouldbeaplacethathelpsyoulearnandgrow,withaculturethatsuitsyourstyle.Ifyouareintherightplaceforyou,youwillbemuchmoremotivatedandproductive.

decidedtotakeajobatauniversityresearchlab,andthisallowedmetopursuemyownresearchagendafulltimewhilebeinginanacademicenvironment.Ihavebeenhereformorethantwentyyears.Rule2.FormulateanExcitingVisionandClearResearchPlanManypeoplewillaskyouaboutwhatyouareworkingon.Itiseasytofallbackintoyourthesisandtalkabouthowyouarecontinuingthatwork.Butyoumaywanttodomoreandshowthatyouhaveideasindependentofyouradvisor.Morethanthat,you want to show that you have big ideas so you can foster a reputation as aninterestingcolleagueandasathoughtleaderinyourfield.The single most important key to successfully starting a research group is toformulateanexcitingvisionandaclearresearchplantoaccomplishit.Thistakesalotofthought,particularlyiftheresearchisinnovativeandtransformativeorifyouaredepartingfromtheareainwhichyoudidyourthesiswork.Thetimeyouinvestinthiswillreallypayoff.Youwillbeabletotellothersclearlywhatyouaredoing:yourprospectivestudents,potentialfunders,reviewers,etc. Youwillhaveamucheasiertimegrowingyourresearchgroup(seeRule#5andRule#6).Learntopresentyourresearch.Whetheryouaregivingatalkorwriting,youmustconveyyourexcitementaboutmakingprogressonimportantproblems.WhenIstartedmycareer,Ifounditveryusefultolookattheresearchplansofmoresenior people. Most often research plans only exist in people’s heads, but whenpeopleapplyforanewposition(orapromotion/tenure),theywillwritethemdowninacoherentandexcitingway.Thesedaysyoucanoftenfindthemonpeople’sWebsites,butyoucanalsodirectlyaskresearcherswhoseworkyouadmire.Rule3.DefineShort-andMid-TermGoalsIfyouarenotdrivenbythethingsyouwanttoaccomplish,yourtimewillbetakenover by other things. You will get many offers to be involved with committees,reviewing,andstudentevents.Theseareimportant,butyoumustkeepyourfocus.Youshouldthinkaboutyourowngoals,shortterm(sixmonthsout)andmid-term(sixyearsout)andlongterm(sixtyyearsout).Yourgoalsshouldincludeeverythingfrom doing research to gathering resources such as students and funding todisseminating your findings. Adjust these goals if good opportunities arise, butalwayshaveasetofgoalsthatareyourown.Otherwise,youwillgetdistractedandaccepttoomanyimpositionsonyourtime.Iplaninsixmonthperiods,makingverycrispsixmonthgoals,suchassubmittingpapers tospecific conferencedeadlines,workingonparticular researchquestions,

and traveling to attend selectedconferences or to give talks at specificvenues. Imake sure that the goals arefeasiblewithinsixmonths.Imakesureeverything else stays in the drawer offutureto-dos. Everysixmonths,Iopenthat drawer and also revisit my long-term goals, considermy priorities, andplanforthefollowingsixmonthperiod.Rule 4. Multiply Your OwnProductivityMany of the things we do take a longtimetoprepare,whethermakinganewpresentation, filing a project report, oraddingcontenttoourwebsites.Makeeverythingyoudocounttwice,sothat it is useful for more than onepurpose. If you take a trip to aconference, think of a place nearbywhereyoucouldgivea talkaboutyourresearch.Ifyouwriteapaperbasedontheworkforaproject,itcouldbereusedasaprojectreportorfortheprojectwebsite.Ifyouputeffortinpreparinganewtalk,youmightaswellwriteapaperbasedonthattalk.This article is an example of what I mean: It is based on a presentation I gaverecently at a CRA meeting and will give again soon to Ph.D. students at myuniversity.SinceIhadalreadymadetheefforttoorganizethepresentation,writingthisarticlewaseasy.Rule5.FindSpecialFundingOpportunitiesFunding allows you to hire students and grow your research group. But at thebeginning of your research career, getting funding is challenging. Writing goodproposalstakesalotofskill,andgettingthemfundedinvolvescarefulstrategyandafairamountofluck.Ofcourse,itallstartswithhavingexcitingideas(seeRule#2).Funding agencies in generalmake supporting new investigators a priority. Manyoffer CAREER programs for young faculty. NSF has a new Computer andInformation Science and Engineering (CISE) Research Initiation Initiative (CRII)programforearlycareerresearchers. NIHhasspecialcareerdevelopmentawards

Figure2.Defineshort-andmid-termgoals.Yourgoalsshouldincludeeverythingfromdoingresearchtogatheringresourcessuchasstudentsandfundingtodisseminatingyourfindings.Otherwise,youwillgetdistractedandaccepttoomanyimpositionsonyourtime.

for post-graduate researchers, particularly in its Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K)programwheretheyseektoattractcomputerscientists.Ifyoudonotknowofsuchprograms in your area, ask your colleagues or ask programmanagers in fundingagencies inyourresearcharea. Your institution isalso likelytohaveprogramstohelpresearchersfindappropriatefundingmechanismsandlearntowritegrants.One way to get a funding stream started is to submit proposals jointly withcolleagueswhohavemoreexperience. Youwill learna lot from them,and in theprocessyoumaygetsomefundingtogetyourresearchgroupstarted.Ifyouhaveahard time formulating jointproposals, at least seekothers’ feedbackonyourownproposals.Anotherwayistoseekinternalfundingatyourinstitution.Manyuniversitieshavesmallinternalgrantsforfaculty,andtheymaybemorelikelytogivethemtoyoungfacultylikeyousincetheywanttohelpyoubesuccessful.Whateveryourstrategy,donotbedespondentifyourproposalsarerejected. Justkeepimprovingthemandresubmittingbetterandbetterversions.Yourpersistencewilleventuallypayoff.Rule6.SeekCollaboratorsandGrowYourTeamIfyouworkbyyourself,youwillbeabletogetlessdonethanifyouhaveateamofstudentsandcolleaguesworkingwithyou.Butwhenyouarestartingout,youoftendonothavefundingtoformateam.There are a fewways to growyour research group evenwithout funding. If youhavearticulatedapromisingresearchagenda(seeRule#2),youshouldbeabletoattractcollaboratorswhowillbeexcitedtoworkonit. Youmayattractcolleaguesto work with you, perhaps even spending a sabbatical or a long visit at yourinstitution. Itmayalsobepossibleforyoutogetstudentsevenifyoudonothavefunding. Youcanworkwithgraduatestudentswhoaresupportedby fellowships.Undergraduate students often make themselves available for unpaid summerinternships. Students from foreign universities sometimes have grants to doresearchabroad.Withcollaborators,youcanmultiplyyourproductivity.Over the years I have had many collaborators that I have not supported withfunding. I have had several visiting professors on sabbatical, several graduatestudentswith scholarships, undergraduates interested in learning to do research,andevenhigh-schoolstudentswantingtogetsomeexperience.Personally,Ifindittremendouslyrewardingtoworkwithundergraduatesandhigh-schoolstudents;iftheyaregiventherightpreparationandtherighttasktheyareveryproductiveandcreative.

Rule7.LearnToWorkwithOthersPeoplehavetheirownminds,theywillpursuethingsthatmattertothem,andtheydonotalwaysdothingsjustbecauseyouaskthemto.Thismayleadtofrustrationon your side as you try to build a team of collaborators that is productive andenjoyable. Keepingpeoplehappyandmotivated is tricky,and it isnotaskill thatyounecessarilylearningraduateschoolwheremostpeopleworkindependentlyontheir own thesis research. As soon as you graduate, youwillmost likely have toworkcloselywithotherpeopleascollaboratorsandstudents,andoccasionallywithcolleaguesinfacultyorconferencecommittees.Toworkeffectivelywithcollaborators,youhavetolearntoworkwithotherpeople.Read books about this, observe your best collaborators, or simply use commonsense. Here are a few tips to get you started. Donot approachpeopleby askingthemtodothingsbecauseyouneedthemdone.Insteadthinkaboutwaysinwhichtheywill benefit from thework and emphasize that. Donot expectpeople to getthingsdoneunlessyousetadeadlineoratleastatimeline,aspeopleareoftentoobusyandwillendupgivingprioritytootherthingsthathavemoreurgency(andofcourse, you should send a reminder as the deadline approaches). If you areorganizingagroupandeachpersonhasatask,leadbyexampleandgetitdone,thenmake sure everyone knowswhen someone gets theirs done so they feel the peerpressure.Finally,onlybotherpeoplewhenitissomethingimportantbecauseifyoubotherthemwithbigandsmallthingstheymightclumpthemalltogetheranddefer.Youshouldalsolearntomanagepeople.Ifyouworkinacompanyorresearchlabyouwillhavemanychancestoputyourmanagementskillstouse.Theseskillsareusefulevenifyouareinacademia,becausethereisagoodchancethatyouwillhaveagroupofstudentstomanage.Agoodmanagerlistensandobservesandhasagoodmodel of how tomotivate each person in his or her team. A goodmanager alsounderstandstheweakpointsofeachpersonandwhenpossiblehelpsthemlearntoimprove.Weallknowthatnobodyisperfect,butitmaytaketimeforustorealizethatweoften judgepeopleas if theymustbeso. Youmayget frustratedbecauseotherpeoplearenotgettingthingsdoneexactlythewayyouwoulddothem,butifyouwant toworkwithotherpeople youhave to accept that andbeokaywith it.Your job is to carve out work for each person in your team that they will findinterestingandwellalignedwiththeirmotivationsandskills.Ilearnalotatsocialgatheringsabouthowtomanagepeople.Iaskpeopleaboutthehardestsituationtheyhandled,orwhattheydowhensomeonedoesnotworkwellwithin their team.Another great source formehasbeen the advice formanagingvolunteergroupsinopensourcesoftwarecommunitiesorstandardsbodies.Ineverlikedmanagement and I do not think I was cut out to be a manager, but I havebecomemuchbetteratitovertime.Youcantoo.

Rule8.AddGoodMentorstoYourTeamSoonerorlateryouwillfaceachallengingsituationwhereyouwillnotbesurewhattodo.Perhapsyouarenotsurewhatmightbeamoreproductiveresearchavenue.Perhapsyouarebeingaskedtoreviewformanythingsandyouarenotsurehowtomanagesomanycommitments. Perhapsoneofyourcollaboratorsdidnotincludeyouinapaperandyouthoughtyouhadcontributedenoughtobeincluded.Perhapsoneofyourbeststudentsseemstobedisengagedandyouareworriedthattheywilldropout.Whateveritis,chancesarethatyouarenotthefirstpersontoexperiencethischallenge.Soseekadvicefromthosewhocamebeforeyou.Thinkofthepeoplethatyoulookuptoandmakethemyourmentors.Thisdoesnothave to be an official arrangement; justmake a point to get together and talk tothemregularly.Theydonothavetobeatyourinstitution;theycanbepeoplethatyouseeatconferences.Setupalunchwiththemandaskabouteverythingthatisonyourmind.Youwillbepleasantlysurprisedbywhatgoodsuggestionstheyhave,orsimplyhowmuchtheyknowabouthowothershandlethesameissues.Sometimesthey will give you a better perspective that will help you handle whatever looksoverwhelming. Youcannotlearntodoresearchfromabook,somentorsareyourbestwaytogatherknowledgeabouthowtobestdoyourjob.Ihavealwaysfoundthatpeopleareeagertogiveadviceandhelpifyouaskthem.Very few peoplewill volunteer advice if you do not ask first. And I have alwayslearned something useful that helpedmewith whatevermatter I was concernedabout.ThebiggestbonusiswhenIgetunsolicitedadviceaboutmattersthatIwasnoteventhinkingabout.Rule9.HaveaBroadViewof“Team”Sometimesyou think about your teamas your students andyour researchgroup.But think about howmany colleagues could be on your team as collaborators orsimplyassupporters.Imagineifyoucouldrelyonapersonalnetworkofsupportersthat could give you comments onpaperdrafts,write letters of supportwhen youneedthem,andgenerallybeasoundingboardforyourresearch.Createanetworkofpeoplewhoknowandappreciateyourwork.Thinkaboutwhowouldbeinyour“dreamteam”andinitiateaconversation.Talkaboutwhyyouliketheirresearchandhowyourwork isrelatedto theirs. Makeapoint tomeetwiththem at conferences. Read their papers regularly and send them your thoughts.Meet their students whenever you can and ask them to apply for a summerinternship in your group. If appropriate, invite them for a visit and to give aseminar.Youmaygetamentorortwointheprocess(seeRule#8).Iwasalwaysshyaboutimposingonbusypeople’stime. ThenIrealizedthatbusypeopleare,likeeveryoneelse,eagertoheargoodideasandmeetthebestpeoplein

theirfield.Donothesitatetoapproachpeoplewhomyouthinkshouldbeawareofyourresearch,nomatterhowbusytheyappear.Rule10.KeepItAllSaneBeingaresearchermeanssettingupyourownworkplanandpace,anditissomuchfunthatweoftenovercommitandoverbookourtimetothepointofbeinginsanelybusy.Wehaveaprofessionthatishighlyproneto“workaholism”.Whenyoustartyourcareer,youareparticularlyatrisk for it. Youareyoungandbelieveyoucanendureanything: the latenights, thedeadlines, theunexpectedproblems:youcanhandle all that. At some point, sometimes sooner and sometimes later, you willrealize this isnot a goodway to live. Perhapsyouarenot spendingenough timewithyourfamily.Oryouactlikeazombieafterworkingthroughmanylatenights.Oryouaretooexhaustedtogenerateyourbestideas.In thewordsofoneofmymentors,ourwork isalmostalways“self-imposed”andwe just have to control ourselves. You can take charge and control themadness.Watchyourself,anddonotcommittodoingthingsunlessyoucanreasonablymakethetimetodothem.Anotheroneofmymentorsinventedthe“not-to-dolist”,whereyouput inaveryvisibleplace(asvisibleasyourto-do list)thatenumeratesallofthe things that you declined to do.When you feel overwhelmed, look atyour not-to-do list and you will besuitably reinforcing the good decisionthat you made to not overcommit.Listen to yourbody. Insteadof alwayslettingyourmindtellyourbodywhatitmust endure, let your body speak upsometimes about whatever rest itneeds. Vacation is never overrated, nomatterhowmuchyouloveyourwork.Avoid a reputation of agreeing to dothings and then dropping the ball sothat others have to step in at the lastminute and pick up the pieces. Avoidregretsbecauseyouwerenotabletogotothegamewithyourkids.Controllingthe madness should be your foremostpriority.Dogetalife.WhatevertimeIspendawayfromworkmakes me come back to it with morezest for the excitement of doingresearch.

Figure3.KeepItAllSane.Inthewordsofoneofmymentors,ourworkisalmostalways“self-imposed”andwejusthavetocontrolourselves.Youcantakechargeandcontrolthemadness.Watchyourself,donotcommittodoingthingsunlessyoucanreasonablymakethetimetodothem.

AcknowledgmentsIwould like to thankmycolleagues for theircommentsonearlierversionsof thispaper,inparticularJonathanGordon,Jeon-HyungKang,KevinKnight,andJonathanMay,andAshishVaswani.References[Bourne 2005] “Ten Simple Rules for Getting Published.” Philip E Bourne. PLOS

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