Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Mar;1(3):e86.
doi: 10.1002/cpz1.86.

How to Navigate Trainee-Mentor Relationships and Interpersonal Dynamics in the Lab

Alison L Antes  1 , Leonard B Maggi Jr  2
Affiliations

How to Navigate Trainee-Mentor Relationships and Interpersonal Dynamics in the Lab

Alison L Antes et al. Curr Protoc. 2021 Mar.

Erratum in

Abstract

Relationships with mentors and labmates are defining aspects of a researcher's journey in science. Ideally, these interactions are outstanding opportunities to learn from others and provide the basis for lifelong collaborations. Unfortunately, sometimes interpersonal dynamics in the lab are challenging. Graduate students entering the lab can greatly benefit from advice about navigating the interpersonal aspects of doing science. This article covers essential recommendations for developing a good trainee-mentor relationship and working well with peers in the lab, or being a "good lab citizen." Lab members-especially graduate students-often spend more time with labmates than with their friends and family during their graduate career, making these relationships essential to their well-being. The guidance also covers some advice for handling a tense relationship or problematic work environment. Finally, the advice concludes by discussing how to manage the fear of failure, overcome imposter syndrome, develop self-awareness, and cope with stress. These four issues are fundamental to success in research but are not discussed with graduate students as much as may be necessary. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Keywords: citizen; conflict resolution; graduate students; interpersonal; labmates; mentor; relationships; team; trainee.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. AlShebli BK, Rahwan T, & Woon WL (2018). The preeminence of ethnic diversity in scientific collaboration. Nature Communications, 9(1), 5163. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-07634-8 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Antes AL (2018). First Law of Leadership: Be a Human First, Scientist Second. Nature, 563, 601. doi: 10.1038/d41586-018-07530-7 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Antes AL, & DuBois JM (2018). Cultivating the Human Dimension in Research. Molecular Cell, 72(2), 207–210. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2018.09.015 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Antes AL, Kuykendall A, & DuBois JM (2019a). The Lab Management Practices of “Research Exemplars” that Foster Research Rigor and Regulatory Compliance: A Qualitative Study of Successful Principal Investigators. PloS One, 14(4), e0214595. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214595 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Antes AL, Kuykendall A, & DuBois JM (2019b). Leading for Research Excellence and Integrity: A Qualitative Investigation of the Relationship-Building Practices of Exemplary Principal Investigators. Accountability in Research, 26(3), 198–226. doi: 10.1080/08989621.2019.1611429 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources