This practical guide to setting up and managing a lab at a research intensive institution by Bob Goldstein and Prachee Avasthi explores key considerations for researchers transitioning into a principal investigator role. It has many practical suggestions, however, for those who already experienced at managing research groups. It highlights the early decisions that shape the trajectory of a research group, including negotiating resources, designing lab space, recruiting a team, and establishing effective ways of working. Many of these aspects of lab leadership are rarely taught formally, meaning new PIs often learn through experience. The guide helps make these hidden elements of running a lab more visible. For Lab Builders, the resource highlights how decisions about infrastructure, hiring, and working practices can have long-term consequences for productivity and culture. Key insights include: The central message is that building a research group requires both scientific vision and organisational leadership. Early attention to infrastructure, relationships, and culture helps create the conditions for a productive research environment. “Recruitment and people management are central to success. Hire carefully and manage individuals, not generic roles.” Benjamin Lichman, Senior Research Fellow / Senior Lecturer, University of York What will you take forward? One thing to consider: Which …
Plan and manage your research group budget
This practical Science Careers article by Megan T brown introduces the financial realities of running a research group for the first time. Whilst framed for early career researchers, this guide has much practical advice for Established Researchers. The article provides a clear overview of the financial principles PIs need to run a sustainable research group. The resource is particularly relevant because it emphasises treating the lab as a small organisation with its own financial model. It highlights the importance of understanding institutional and funder rules, staff costs, equipment planning, and aligning spending decisions with longer-term research priorities. Key insights include: For new Lab Builders, the central message is that financial stewardship is a core leadership responsibility. Good budgeting enables researchers to support their team and respond strategically to emerging opportunities. What will you take forward? One thing to consider: How well do you understand the financial structure of your grant funding – and what conversations with finance colleagues might strengthen your financial planning?
Build a research group culture that is open, collaborative, and intellectually rigorous
This short but highly practical opinion paper by Gerd Gigerenzer sets out a series of “simple heuristics” for building and sustaining a successful research group. The paper is especially useful for Lab Builders because it focuses not just on research strategy, but on how to create the conditions in which people can do ambitious, collaborative work together. In particular, it highlights the value of having: This resource is particularly valuable for academics moving from being an individual researcher or leading a small team to leading a much larger team, because it makes visible the often-overlooked work of shaping culture, not just delivering outputs. “Collective impact and strong research culture matter more than individual achievement alone.” John Flint, Deputy Vice President – Research, University of Sheffield What will you take forward? One thing to try: Pick one or two “heuristics” from this paper that would most strengthen the culture of your group right now. Make a plan to put them into practice consistently.
From fair trade chocolate to food systems leadership: building impact through collaboration, systems thinking and strategic career moves
Bob Doherty Role: Professor of Marketing and Sustainable & Responsible BusinessDiscipline: Business and MarketingInstitution: University of York Please note: This story reflects the personal experience and perspective of its contributor. Academic careers vary widely, and others may experience different challenges and opportunities. Career Story I spent thirteen years in the agri-food industry before entering academia in 2003. I had been Head of Sales and Marketing at Divine Fair Trade Chocolate for five years, and that experience gave me networks, practical insight and credibility across the science–policy–industry boundary. I entered academia without a PhD, running a Master’s programme while completing my doctorate part-time. My early research focused on individual organisations like Divine, but over time I deliberately pivoted towards examining food systems more broadly. I realised that if you want to address big challenge problems, you need to adopt a systems approach and build interdisciplinary teams. Collaboration has been central throughout my career. You should never underestimate the convening power of being an academic. We have independence and legitimacy that allow us to bring together people from industry, government and civil society. During my DEFRA secondment, for example, I was able to assemble industry leaders within days because of those networks. Some myths did …
Leading an institutional move with a research team, navigating what cannot be controlled, and prioritising the success of others over my own agenda
Contributor role: Chair in Comparative Politics Discipline: Politics and International Relations Please note: This story reflects the personal experience and perspective of its contributor. Academic careers vary widely, and others may experience different challenges and opportunities. Career Story Whilst holding a Future Leaders Fellowship, I was contacted to apply for my current professorial position, was successful in my application and moved institutions with my research team and centre thereafter. Moving institutions is a complex process when it involves not only the Fellow but also their research team members. In my case, I discussed the opportunity with my team members before applying and only proceeded after serious consideration of their preferences and feedback. Not all team members physically moved to the new university, which created additional challenges in maintaining established ways of working across institutions. No matter how much you prepare and organise, not everything will be under your control. This applies to institutional processes as much as to interpersonal relations within research teams. For example, most of my team members required visas to continue working in the UK upon institutional transfer. I started discussions with HR teams at both universities well in advance and informed all relevant parties of the need …
From over-ambitious projects to clear lab vision: learning patience, focus and the power of hiring the right people.
Benjamin Lichman Role: Senior Research Fellow / Senior LecturerDiscipline: BiochemistryInstitution: University of York Please note: This story reflects the personal experience and perspective of its contributor. Academic careers vary widely, and others may experience different challenges and opportunities. Career Story In the early stages of running my lab, I wanted to embark on all research projects available to me: new projects for collaborative work and new projects for each new idea that I had. I have diverse interests, and that felt exciting. Over time, however, my group started to feel incoherent and fragmented. There was energy, but not enough shared direction. Through a training session, I was encouraged to give my lab a clear “vision” and “mission”. I explicitly classified projects into subgroups and began to ask whether new work genuinely fitted that vision. I now try not to take on work that cannot sit clearly within those themes. This has helped bring lab members towards a common goal and has clarified what we do to external parties. Patience has also been a key lesson. Be patient with the publications, they will come and the best can take many years to materialise. Methods and experiments that worked before will not necessarily work the …
Becoming a Head of School and a father on the same day: rethinking research, leadership and asking for help.
Hugo Dobson Role: Professor and Faculty Director of One University Strategy Delivery (Arts and Humanities) Discipline: International Relations and East Asian StudiesInstitution: University of Sheffield Please note: This story reflects the personal experience and perspective of its contributor. Academic careers vary widely, and others may experience different challenges and opportunities. Career Story I was interviewed for and offered the position of Head of School on the same day I found out I was going to become a dad. Either of these events would have required me to rethink my approach to research. Both at once made this rethink an absolute necessity. Looking back, I would tell myself: ask others for help, at work and at home, and do not suffer in silence. I assumed at one point that leadership roles are lonely. They can feel that way, but they do not have to be. One of the practical changes I made was to stop trying to do everything alone in my research. I actively decided to seek out co-authors and invest more in collaborative projects rather than working in isolation. I also became much more intentional about quality. Instead of trying to produce as much as possible, I focused on producing fewer, higher-quality outputs. …
Let things go: you’re fishing from a river, not a pond
As an established researcher, it is important to accept that you will let some things go, including opportunities you would have enjoyed, gained recognition from, or that have served you well in the past. A helpful phrase to hold in mind is: “What got you here won’t get you there.” Many of the activities you do well, that others value, and that you may genuinely enjoy, will have helped you to become established in your career. Over time, however, these same activities can begin to crowd out space for the next phase of your development. Habits that were useful earlier on like saying yes and taking on admin roles can quietly become constraints. Think of your early career as fishing from a pond of opportunities. The pond was relatively contained, and with effort and enthusiasm it was possible to try a wide range of things and catch almost everything. Saying yes helped you build skills, raise your profile, test career directions, and gain credibility. Catching all the fish was hard work, but achievable. As an established researcher, that pond has become a flowing river (or raging torrent!). Opportunities are now abundant and continuously arriving. It is no longer possible, or …
Getting feedback from others and becoming more self-aware
Sometimes we are so busy getting on with things that we don’t realise we have grown in our role. Getting feedback from others can help you to identify your hidden strengths, in order to feel ready to apply for that more strategic leadership role. This feedback might be collected through a structured exercise, such as a 360 degree feedback questionnaire, if your institution offers this (often linked to a leadership programme or coaching). However, there are other ways to get feedback from those around you, such as asking people to describe you in three words, or (perhaps as part of an away day exercise) inviting people to give anonymous contributions on things they think you should start – stop – continue doing. Consider gradually incorporating feedback requests into your regular group, collaborative, or one-to-one meetings, so it becomes a natural habit. This normalises the practice, and your team and colleagues will gradually come to expect these requests and be prepared with responses. Initially, be aware that people may be caught off guard and respond with vague answers like, “No, everything is fine.” To encourage more constructive feedback, ask specific questions. For example, instead of asking, “Do you have any feedback …
Mapping contributions against institutional strategies
Your Institutional and departmental strategies impact your career in multiple ways. Make sure you are up to date on these, and clear about where you might need to adapt or respond. Current funding pressures in the sector mean that many institutions are restructuring and rationalising their focus areas. When was the last time you mapped your activity against your institutional or departmental strategies? Do you know what is different in these now, compared with the last time you looked at them? This resource from the UKRI Future Leaders Fellows Development Network on the UK research landscape offers some tools and definitions to help you think about your institution and departments unique ‘personality’, strengths, opportunities, and challenges. Take time to consider how each of these factors are impacting on you and on where you see things going in the future. Use these resources to identify any grey areas that you might be able to seek clarification on, or opportunities to discuss with a mentor. What will you take forward? One thing to try: Where does your work align strongly with institutional priorities? If you need clarity, who will you seek it from? when will you secure that clarification or negotiate better alignment?
Why and how to move into a senior leadership role in HE
Leadership in HE can take many forms. Hearing stories from others about their transitions into leadership roles can help you work out what is best for you. The Job Shadowing HE series shares authentic leadership stories from across the HE ecosystem. Hear from Vice-Chancellors (Bristol, Birmingham City, Buckinghamshire New University) on strategic vision, student experience, finances, and culture change. Meet Pro Vice-Chancellors, Heads of School, and other senior leaders discussing policy, values, change leadership, and balancing strategy with operations. Episodes feature sector CEOs, governance leaders, and executive search experts revealing insights on senior appointments and key skills. Ideal for established researchers eyeing senior roles, these podcasts offer real reflections on leadership paths, challenges, and essential capabilities. They could help you to gain insights into navigating complex institutions, build alliances, enhance your leadership identity, broaden your strategic view, and inform your career decisions. What will you take forward? One thing to consider: What kind of influence do you really want to have in your institution, and which leadership pathways might realistically support that?
Learn from your career timeline
Effective self-leadership comes from taking time to review the factors that have contributed to your identity and your career highs and lows. Noticing and naming these factors helps you to be more intentional and assertive in making better-informed decisions, requests, and in prioritising for the future. Sketching out the highs and lows of your career journey can be a powerful exercise, particularly for those of you who are well established in your careers. Ask yourself: Use the template in page 36 of this leadership booklet for research leaders to sketch out your career timeline over the last five or ten years and then reflect on the circumstances that contributed to the highs and the lows. This reflective blog is one example of where the authors have considered how their multiple identities shape their leadership mindset and growth. What will you take forward? One thing to consider: Looking back at your career highs and lows, what one thing can you point to as an important condition in which you do your best work?
Planning multiple activity/ year strands: use a Work Breakdown Structure approach
At an established career stage, work rarely comes in neat, single-track projects. Most established researchers are holding multiple strands at once: long-running research programmes, teaching and supervision, leadership or departmental roles, external commitments, and opportunities that arrive mid-cycle. These strands sit on different timescales, are owned by different people, and often come with expectations that are only partly explicit. Individually, each strand may feel manageable. Collectively, they can create a persistent sense of overload, uncertainty, or even stress and anxiety. One experienced academic described their solution simply: “Every year or so, I need to see everything in one place.” Their approach was deliberately practical. They started by mapping all current and anticipated tasks and activities on a single large whiteboard, often beginning with a loose mind map. The map would soon reveal themes or work strands. For each strand, they identified the person who ultimately defined success (not necessarily themselves!). This might be a programme director, head of department, collaborator, or mentor. Naming this authority helped replace assumptions that could lead to overwhelm with conversations. Each strand was then built out to include: They also added a final layer: purpose. Why does this matter? What does it contribute to career …
Explore tailored research leadership resources
Established researchers express a wide range of leadership and management needs such as recruitment, performance conversations, delegation, effective meetings, coaching and mentoring skills etc. There is an overwhelming amount of advice out there: some relevant to established researchers, some less so. Rather than re-create it all here, we recommend and connect you directly to open access resources that are tailored to research and academic leaders: What will you take forward? One thing to consider: What is one leadership challenge you’re dealing with at the moment? Which single external resource could you engage with this week to move forward?