Research as a game.
Molecular biology research is like a game that you can’t win without strict rules. Here are my 6 rules and reflections as I leave my PhD lab.
After six years in the same lab, my roots have run deep, filling the cracks with materials and memories. As I pick up and leave for a new lab, it feels like I’m being uprooted and transplanted. All the years of work must be distilled into collections of seeds, data, DNA, and documentation for the next students. For me, it was a long process and a time to reflect as I package all my work into boxes. As I close and rebuild, how can I grow from my mistakes and successes?
To excel in molecular biology research, one can really benefit from treating it like a game. Think Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, Stardew Valley, and other games that can be won by following principles. There is a bit of luck to the game, but in the end, following certain principles almost guarantees success when played right. Let’s dive into some of the principles I find most important:
1. Organization: Everything gets a code!
1020 seeds bags, 352 plasmids, 272 primers nicely packed into boxes. A PhD is a very long game and there are times you must dig out material from months, even years in the past. With endless boxes of tubes of clear liquid you will go crazy if they aren’t properly labeled. What does proper labeling look like? A code (ND163), not a description. The code refers to your documentation— the second rule.
2. Documentation: Never skip a journal entry!
321 lab notebook pages scanned and scrapbooked. Honestly, I should have a lot more pages. The temptation to move quickly is real and documentation often falls on the list of priority because you can remember what you did… right? Whether you can remember or not, it actually doesn’t matter. An experiment done without documentation is literally useless! If you can’t repeat it exactly two years in the future, or worse, recall the methods used for the paper— you’re cooked. That’s why one needs systems, the third rule:
3. Systems: Routine and optimization are key.
34 tissue culture lines. Plants grow slow, but when grown every 2 weeks (Arabidopsis) or 2 months (Marchantia), there are always lines for experiments. Gardening becomes intertwined with research and exemplifies the necessity for systems. Routine things like harvesting, mini-preps, PCR, all when done in a standardized efficient way saves massive amounts of time and provides foundation. For example, when doing a mini-prep: Isolate DNA → Measure → Record in lab notebook → Temporary Glycerol stock w/ matching code → Sequence validation → Database entry.
4. Breaks: No experiments on weekends!
312 weekends touching grass. A PhD is a marathon, not a sprint, and burnout must be addressed. Coming into the lab to do something small on the weekends is expected, but never do a long experiment that can fail on the weekends. I once broke this rule and skipped times with loved ones to do an experiment in a dark microscopy room all weekend that failed at the last step. I ended up on the floor. Never again — weekends exist for a reason, and you aren’t the exception. Also, weekends and vacations are home to almost all the best experiences and memories. Don’t miss out on those.
5. Outreach: Market your research!
>300 Sci-art posts. This is a less enforced rule of research, but is so important for you and others. On one hand, by sharing your interests and research either online or through outreach events, the “public” learns what is done with government funded research and why it is important— growing your motivation. On the other hand, by marketing what you do, you grow an audience, voice, and visibility on the job market. I consider posting research-related content and art on twitter to be the most impactful thing I did throughout my PhD, and helped me give 11 invited seminar talks around Europe (what a blessing!).
6. Community first!
If research is a game, winning is not just discovery and publishing. It’s lifting up others and positively impacting as many people as possible. After all, what is the point of playing a game if you’re not all having fun?