Establishing a Lab Bertram Gawronski The University of Western Ontario

Caveat There is no one-size-fits-all answer. Everything depends on the situation. Caveat Environment Start-up Getting Help Lab Size Lab Meetings Getting Started Alternatives Analyze your situation. Try to make the best of it!

The Environment Type of university (research vs. teaching) Type of department (psychology, b-school, communication) Graduate program, honors program Availability of lab space Shared lab space vs. individual lab rooms Testing rooms, lab rooms, graduate student offices Availability of subject pool Availability of start-up funds Caveat Environment Start-up Getting Help Lab Size Lab Meetings Getting Started Alternatives

The Start-up Basic idea: financial support to get research program started Start-ups often include more (e.g., travel funds) Size depends on type of university, country, research Known examples range from $5k to $500k Estimated average at major U.S. research universities ~$200k Start-ups negotiable, but difficult without alternative offer Differences in what is expected to be covered by start-up Many departments ask for itemized start-up request Caveat Environment Start-up Getting Help Lab Size Lab Meetings Getting Started Alternatives

Some Recommendations Ask yourself three questions: 1) “What would be my dream lab?” 2) “What is the typical lab in the department?” 3) “What would be my minimally acceptable lab?” Prepare itemized list, but don‘t be too specific. If in doubt about whether something is provided, include it. Try to set high anchor, but be careful not to offend. Expect that you won’t get everything you’ve asked for. Caveat Environment Start-up Getting Help Lab Size Lab Meetings Getting Started Alternatives

What to Include in Start-up Request Computers (office, testing, research assistants, grad students) Laptops (field studies, conference travel) Accessories (printers, scanner, joysticks, external hard drives) Lab software (e.g., MediaLab, DirectRT, Inquisit, E-Prime) Special equipment (e.g., eyetracker, psychophysio, audio/video) Maintenance costs Subject fees (e.g., summer, community, scanner time) Costs for online data collection (e.g., Qualtrix, Surveymonkey) Lab manager Furniture and renovations (usually provided, but not always) Caveat Environment Start-up Getting Help Lab Size Lab Meetings Getting Started Alternatives

Other Things That Can Be Included Summer salary (U.S. only) Summer stipends for graduate students Software licenses (e.g., SPSS, antivirus, graphics, web design) Office supplies (e.g., paper, toner, copies) Phone costs Conference travel Professional memberships Publication costs Caveat Environment Start-up Getting Help Lab Size Lab Meetings Getting Started Alternatives

Using Your Start-up Beware that things often turn out to be more expensive Clarify whether funds expire (e.g., budget year, tenure) Don’t spend everything at once and as initially planned Reanalyze your situation before making purchasing decisions Limit initial purchases to what you need to get research started But don’t slow down your research by hoarding money Think about “biggest bang for the buck” Consider future maintenance costs Consider learning curve for special equipment Investigate availability of assistance with purchases Explore availability of infrastructure grants Caveat Environment Start-up Getting Help Lab Size Lab Meetings Getting Started Alternatives

Getting Help for Your Research Graduate students Lab manager Honors students Independent study Work study programs Volunteers Caveat Environment Start-up Getting Help Lab Size Lab Meetings Getting Started Alternatives

What Is the Ideal Lab Size? Lab size can become issue for time management Small labs leave a lot of work to PI; don’t get “momentum” Large labs require a lot of supervision time Recommendations: Start small; ensure that lab works; then add more Create atmosphere of mutual support (senior vs. junior) Try to create lab identity and positive relations among members Caveat Environment Start-up Getting Help Lab Size Lab Meetings Getting Started Alternatives

Lab Meetings Lab meetings provide platform for research discussions Think about who you want to have at your lab meetings Different models (any combination): -Discussion of organizational issues -Discussion of recent articles -Presentations of research ideas and ongoing research -Practice talks for conferences -Discussion of professional issues -Discussion of manuscripts -Presentations by visitors -Workshops on special topics Caveat Environment Start-up Getting Help Lab Size Lab Meetings Getting Started Alternatives

Getting Started A few things to think about… Sign-up systems (e.g., book vs. online, Google, Digiappz) Lab manual to standardize procedures, create lab “memory” Supervision style: hands-on vs. science manager Reading list for new lab members Lab website as recruitment tool (make sure it’s up to date) Create office environment where lab members enjoy working Create lab environment where participants feel comfortable Caveat Environment Start-up Getting Help Lab Size Lab Meetings Getting Started Alternatives

No Resources! The End of Research? Find topic that doesn’t require lab (paper-pencil, field studies) Seek help from volunteers, work study, independent study, etc. Inexpensive online data collection (e.g., mturk) Analysis of archival data Free data from national surveys (e.g., ANES) Integrative reviews and meta-analysis Collaborations Caveat Environment Start-up Getting Help Lab Size Lab Meetings Getting Started Alternatives

Good Luck! SPSP 2013 Training Preconference New Orleans, LA