Recognising the roles that senior PhDs and postdocs play in training new lab members

The first foray into the world of research can be extremely daunting. Filled with unfamiliar equipment, new techniques and an intimidating academic hierarchy, many students enter with little idea what to expect. Practical in-lab supervision of new research students has therefore always been a vital part of scientific training, turning inexperienced students into safe, efficient and confident researchers. Different groups and institutions organise this crucial induction into research in a variety of formal and informal ways.

Paying it forward

The most widespread teaching practice is that of informal mentoring by senior lab-based group members. This is how Ross Denton, an organic chemist at the University of Nottingham in the UK organises his group, based on his own positive experiences as a postdoc. ‘The whole structure is based on the fact that people with more experience (ie postdocs and senior PhDs) get more supervisory duties and therefore they can pass on their experiences to the more junior people in the group,’ explains Denton. ‘There’s a lot of information present within a research group, so there’s a big compounding effect where all of our collective experiences and knowledge are shared and we can all benefit from that exchange.’

Incoming master’s and PhD students are all assigned a senior group member working on a related project. While overall supervision of the project remains with Denton, the student supervisor is there to provide practical instruction and day-to-day project support, aiding the student with the transition into a research environment. This specific point-of-contact is hugely beneficial to new students who can often feel overwhelmed with the unusual demands of lab work or intimidated to ask for help with routine practical tasks, even in the friendliest group environment. ‘Going from [an undergraduate lab] into a [research] lab was vastly different,’ remembers Milly Stoneley, a current PhD student in the Denton group. ‘Having someone there to walk me through every single step, multiple times if necessary, was really helpful [and] I felt very supported.’