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Changing Labs

If a student feels that their needs are not being met in their lab, they should start by talking with their PI, IGG leadership, and/or a trusted faculty advisor about their concerns. At this stage, it's essential to determine whether switching labs is the best course of action. This includes talking to fellow IGG students about their lab experiences and to trusted faculty to determine if the situation is more severe than the typical lows of graduate school. Students should also take time to think about their goals and whether their current environment will help them achieve those goals. IGG administration is here to help mediate conflict and work through mismatches in communication, research expectations, and other roadblocks that may impede success in lab. 

If this reflection and mediation stage cannot resolve a student's concerns, switching labs is possible and the outcomes are often positive.

How does switching labs work?

Switching labs can take different forms depending on the situation. While there is no one-size-fits all protocol for switching labs, there is a general path that many students follow:

  1. Meet with the IGG chair to discuss the decision and what lab(s) they might join.
  2. With Taku’s approval, inform the current mentor of the decision to leave their lab and set a last day in lab. This communication can take multiple forms depending on the situation, and IGG leadership can assist with informing PIs.
  3. Officially finish up work in the current lab and start reaching out to potential new PIs.
  4. Start a 6-8 week transitional rotation in a new lab. The transitional rotation will be coordinated by Taku and Claudia, and functions to help determine that this new lab and mentor are a good fit before the student fully commits. If either student or PI feels things are not working out at any point, then the rotation can be terminated early and the student will do a second transitional rotation with a different PI. (It helps to have a backup PI in mind in case the first rotation does not work out.)
  5. At the end of the transitional rotation, if student and PI both feel positively about how things are going, then the student will become an official thesis student in that lab. The student must promptly inform Taku and Claudia of this final decision.
How will changing labs affect my funding?

Students continue to be funded through the process of finding a new lab. BGS funds a 6-8 week transitional rotation prior to officially joining a lab. If a student has an F31, they may be able to keep funding depending on how similar their new project is to their previous project. The official NIH policy is that a new project should fall within the scope of the project proposed in the initial grant application. To determine this, a program officer may ask for a written summary of a new project, and an explanation of why a student switched mentors. If possible, students should wait to inform their program officer of their change in labs until their are settled in a new lab and know what they will be studying.

How does switching labs affect the prelim process?

Students who change labs after passing their prelim do not have to repeat the prelim process in their new lab. For students who are looking to switch in their second year before their prelims in May, the situation is a bit more complex. While everyone’s situation is different, students switching labs in the fall semester of their second year or early in the spring semester have typically taken their prelim on their new project in their new lab, and students who have switched later in the spring semester closer to the prelim have typically taken the prelim based on their work in the lab they are leaving. In the latter situation, Taku will ask a student's former mentor to remain actively involved in prelim prep. A prelim can also be pushed back to June so a student has more time to prepare in light of changing labs.

Recommended resources:

Changing labs can be emotionally taxing and feel disruptive to a student's progress. IGG is committed to advocating for and helping students through this process so that all IGG students can work in a supportive and healthy lab environment. It's important that students take care of themselves during lab transitions. There are many resources available to facilitate this process: