Overview

A roadmap for running a lab-and developing the leadership skills you didn't know you needed. As a graduate student and postdoctoral researcher, chemist Jen Heemstra learned how to collect data, write papers, and give talks to other scientists. But when, just a few years into her first job as a principal investigator, conflict broke out in the lab, she realized there was one skill she hadn't learned: leadership. Labwork to Leadership is the book that every PI needs. Drawing on her decades of experience-including plenty of trial and error-as well as research from psychology and business management, Heemstra nimbly guides readers through the essentials of scientific leadership. From fostering an inclusive lab environment to setting effective goals and learning to give and receive feedback graciously, she uncovers the curriculum successful PIs must follow to motivate lab members, communicate key values, and inspire confidence. With candor and humility, Labwork to Leadership demystifies the critical leadership skills that too many universities fail to teach. And it shows how teaching scientists to lead can boost productivity, spur innovation, and, above all, help research teams rediscover the joy of science.

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9780674258631

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Reviews

A truly invaluable guide for scientists and academics in any field looking to achieve professional goals with more joy and less wasted stress. Jen Heemstra provides a robust and comprehensive set of simple (not easy!) habits and skills, drawing from her own impressive experience and time-tested findings in psychology and management. I wish I could have read it thirty years ago when I was starting out in academia! -- Amy C. Edmondson, author of <i>Right Kind of Wrong</i> Heemstra’s very practical advice about leadership, grounded firmly in her years of experience in the laboratory, is presented with a combination of confidence and vulnerability that makes the lessons she offers both compelling and approachable. This book is indispensable reading for any scientists newly leading a research group—as well as for people who have been leading them for a long time. This is one of the best books on leadership I’ve ever read. -- Adam Falk, President, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Honest, accurate, humble, and grounded. Beautifully interweaving deep insights with colorful stories, Labwork to Leadership offers candid advice from an invested mentor. -- Jay Bradner, Chief Scientific Officer, Amgen There’s a crying need for leaders to move from the laboratory to positions of responsibility, and Jen Heemstra is just the person to tell us how to do it. Among the many great tools in this book are those that help scientists leverage their unique strengths to inspire their teams. With so many outdated ideas circulating about what constitutes a leader, Labwork to Leadership has come along just in time. -- Holden Thorp, Editor-in-Chief, <i>Science</i> family of journals This incredible book is written by someone who walks the talk and has learned how to be an effective leader through careful reflection and openness to learning from challenges. Drawing from both personal experience and leading scholarship, Jen Heemstra offers motivational advice for academic leaders in the sciences and beyond. This welcome addition to the literature on leadership is ideal for those seeking practical strategies to lead themselves and others in fast-paced and intense times. -- Kia Lilly Caldwell, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, Washington University in St. Louis Jen Heemstra’s thoughtful and engaging book is not just about academic leadership; it also has the potential to make a real difference in shaping a better academic culture. I will be recommending it as a must-read for all new faculty. -- Luis Cifuentes, Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, New Mexico State University

Author Information

Jen Heemstra is the Charles Allen Thomas Professor of Chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis. An avid science communicator and mentor, she has received numerous awards for her teaching, research, and leadership, including the Cottrell Scholar Award and the National Science Foundation CAREER Award. Heemstra is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

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