DON'T Hit the Lab Until You've Asked These Questions!

TL;DR

Learn how to effectively plan and execute research experiments in a PhD or postdoc, including conducting thorough literature research, validating knowledge gaps, and consulting with advisors and statisticians.

Transcript

did you know every time you leave a comment i will read them and i will think of what is the better idea for my next video and today actually this person reached out to me on a tweet felix b he asked can i make a video on how to plan and experiment how i would have done it back in my post doc first of all thank you for this question because as a me... Read More

Key Insights

• 👨‍🔬 Conducting thorough literature research before starting an experiment helps determine if the research topic is worth pursuing.
• 🌱 Technical challenges can create knowledge gaps, and understanding these challenges is essential in planning experiments.
• 📣 Validating knowledge gaps can be done by seeking advice from experts and attending conferences.
• 🖐️ Advisors and statisticians play a critical role in experiment design.
• ⌛ Effective management of budget, time, and manpower is crucial in experiment planning.
• 👣 Excel sheets, Google Sheets, and project management tools like Trello can help in organizing and tracking experiment details.
• 😤 Collaboration and communication within the research team are important for successful experiment planning and execution.

Questions & Answers

Q: How important is conducting thorough literature research before starting a research experiment?

Conducting thorough literature research is crucial before starting a research experiment as it helps determine the novelty and significance of the proposed research. It prevents redundant experiments and allows for the identification of existing knowledge gaps.

Q: How can knowledge gaps be validated in technically challenging projects?

Validating knowledge gaps in technically challenging projects can be done by consulting with experienced researchers in the same field, attending conferences to gather insights from experts, and exploring online resources such as job journals or visualizing experiments to understand the technical aspects and feasibility.

Q: What role do advisors and statisticians play in experiment design?

Advisors and statisticians play a crucial role in experiment design as they provide guidance in defining clear objectives, ensuring relevance and feasibility of the experiment, and ensuring that the experiment is statistically powerful to answer the proposed research questions.

Q: How can budget, time, and manpower be effectively managed in experiment planning?

Budget, time, and manpower can be effectively managed in experiment planning by coordinating with team members and collaborators, using booking systems for equipment and facilities, maintaining an organized excel sheet to track tasks and responsibilities, and considering factors such as reagent arrival and lab access.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Before starting an experiment, conduct thorough literature research to determine if the topic has been extensively explored or if it is worth pursuing further.

• Understand that research gaps may exist for valid reasons, such as technical challenges, and it is important to consider these challenges when planning experiments.

• Validate knowledge gaps by seeking advice from experts in the field and attending conferences to gather insights on the feasibility and technical requirements of the experiment.