Laboratory Setup and Management

Abstract

To this point we have worked in a laboratory, probably our major professor’s. Soon we will probably become the lab manager. It looks easy when an underling. It becomes a much bigger deal when it is all of our responsibility. We most likely will be taking over an existing laboratory. This transition is the easiest one in the short-term, but it is frequently the most constricting long-term. We will definitely want to add some of our personality to the lab. We may be involved in renovating an existing laboratory. This opportunity will delay our ability to get up and running quickly, but it will provide us with more flexibility later if we plan well. Sometimes in our career, we may have the opportunity to design a new laboratory. It is a great experience if we know what we want, but it can become a real drag on our time during the process. Finally, we may be involved in designing a new laboratory as part of the design of a new building. Again, a new building is exciting but very time consuming. Detailed descriptions of laboratory design and all the things we need to consider are provided by Dahan (2000) and DiBerardinis et al. (2001).