Managing Relationships as a Student or Postdoc

Assessing Your Working Relationship with Your PI

Understanding your working relationship with your PI or manager is key to managing up, and this skill will serve you throughout your career. Visit this page to learn how to assess your relationship with your research mentor or manager and the level of inclusivity in your lab environment.

Managing Scientific Collaborations

You may find yourself collaborating with other scientists during your degree or postdoc. Collaborations are common, valuable, and can often be complex to navigate. The resources below offer strategies for managing these professional relationships skillfully at UCSF and beyond.

  • View these slides from Naledi Saul's workshop on managing scientific collaborations as a student or postdoc.
  • Watch this recording from Dr. Duygu Tosun's seminar on managing research collaborations.
  • View these slides on building your professional brand as a PhD.

Finding Your 5 Mentors and a Sponsor

Everyone will tell you that mentorship is important, but how does a student or postdoc find mentors? Watch this video, where we discuss the types of mentors there are and help you identify which ones you need to develop your mentoring team. We also discuss how students and postdocs establish, maintain, and even end mentoring relationships. Finally, you'll brainstorm a plan to build the community you need for success./managing-relationships-as-a-student-or-postdoc

 

Wondering about warning signs for a toxic work environment? Find examples on our "Determine if a Workplace is Toxic" handout.