Slow and Steady on New Projects

In Molecular Cell, Uri Alon says that students and postdocs should take their time to choose a project to pursue. "It takes time to find a good problem, and every week spent in choosing one can save months or years later on," Alon writes, adding that in his lab they are not allowed to choose a project during their first three months. Instead, that time should be spent reading, discussing, and planning. Michael White at Adaptive Complexity says that is "very sound advice." White adds that when you are a student or postdoc, your time belongs to you and your goal is to be a good scientist.