At The Helm: A Laboratory Navigator (Handbooks) [Hardcover]

Kathy Barker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2002 | Series: Handbooks

Newly appointed principal research investigators have to recruit, motivate, and lead a research team, manage personnel and institutional responsibilities, and compete for funding, while maintaining the outstanding scientific record that got them their position in the first place. Small wonder, then, that many principal investigators feel ill-prepared. In this book, a successor to her best-selling manual for new recruits to experimental science, At the Bench, Kathy Barker provides a guide for newly appointed leaders of research teams, and those who aspire to that role. With extensive use of interviews and a text enlivened with quotes and real-life examples, Dr. Barker discusses a wide range of management challenges and the skills that promote success. Her book is a unique and much-needed contribution to the literature of science.

Related Titles from the Publisher
At the Bench: A Laboratory Navigator, Updated Edition
Career Opportunities in Biotechnology and Drug Development 
Lab Dynamics
Lab Math
Lab Ref, Volume 2: A Handbook of Recipes, Reagents, and Other Reference Tools for Use at the Bench

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The major strength of the book lies in its near comprehensive treatment of the issues pertaining to laboratory personnel, and it is in these sections that the book should prove invaluable to inexperienced lab managers.' --Trends in Neurosciences

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; 1st edition (January 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879695838
• ISBN-13: 978-0879695835
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #712,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have for all research lab heads, February 21, 2002

By 

Steve M. Potter (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: At The Helm: A Laboratory Navigator (Handbooks) (Hardcover)

This is a fantastic book. The author interviewed about a hundred new and seasoned lab leaders, and not only summarizes their advice clearly and succinctly, but also includes lots of anonymous quotations presenting a spectrum of opinions on any particular issue. And the book covers _many_ issues of interest to those setting up a lab, and those who wish to improve the way they run their lab. It focuses mostly on academic labs, but also presents some issues peculiar to industry. It really goes into every detail about people-managing issues.
Each chapter has tens of references to other useful books and articles. Kathy really did her homework. I can say nothing bad about the book. Get it.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding primer to managing a laboratory, June 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: At The Helm: A Laboratory Navigator (Handbooks) (Hardcover)

Scientific faculty are chosen for their ability to do science; not to manage it. Indeed, many young scientists fail precisely because they are unable to shift from the bench to the office. Kathy Barker's book provides a wealth of information for new investigators. The advice, gleaned from interviews with a great many scientists, from Nobel laureates to those that have failed miserably, provides an outstanding road map for those embarking on this critical new phase of their career. No postdoc will leave my lab without receiving a copy as a parting gift.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable tool for becoming productive and efficient in your research lab, August 3, 2005

By 

Albert Cerussi (Lake Forest, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: At The Helm: A Laboratory Navigator (Handbooks) (Hardcover)

This is the book all grad students should read because this book discusses the things that you typically don't learn in grad school. The book is meant for new faculty, but anyone interested in learning practical lab management issues is encouraged to read this book. There is something useful in this book for both green rookies and experienced veterans.

There is nothing in the book that is earth-scattering information; most of it is common sense. But nowhere else have I seen such a variety of practical information on lab management compressed into one book. There are even a variety of quotes from other professors about specific situations that are quite enlightening.

The author includes many topics such as conflict resolution, time and management, recruitment skills, and general management skills. Of course none of these topics are covered in dramatic detail (and likely don't need to be) but each one is broken down into very manageable, independent sections. I found myself applying immediately the things I had learned, realizing ways I can supervise my students better than I had before.

The text is also geared more towards academic life sciences, but even as a physicist I found this book invaluable. Highly recommended to anyone working in a lab, and in particular to anyone charged with management responsibilities in a laboratory setting. The author is to be congratulated!