Making the Right Moves

Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty, Second Edition

Based on workshops co-sponsored by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and HHMI, this book is a collection of practical advice and experiences from seasoned biomedical investigators and includes chapters on laboratory leadership, getting funded, project management, and teaching and course design.

Note: HHMI is no longer accepting orders for hard copies of Making the Right Moves. This book is available for free as a downloadable PDF document below.

• Download Making the Right Moves, second edition (full book)

• Addendum: Writing a Letter of Recommendation

• Addendum: How to be a Member of an R01 NIH Study Section

Download individual chapters

• Front matter and Introduction (pp. i-4)
  • Copyright
  • Contents
  • Preface
  • Acknowledgments
  • Introduction
• Chapter 1: Obtaining and Negotiating a Faculty Position (pp. 5-24)
  • The Job Search
  • The Job Application
  • The Job Interview
  • Negotiating Your Position
  • Resources 
•  Chapter 2: Understanding University Structure and Planning for Tenure (pp. 24-48)
  • Organization of a "Typical" University
  • Organization of a "Typical" Academic Health Center
  • People You Should Get to Know
  • Faculty Governing Bodies and Committees
  • Support Facilities and Services
  • Responsibilities Beyond the Laboratory
  • The Scientific Investigator and the Outside World
  • Planning for Promotion and Tenure
  • Resources
• Chapter 3: Laboratory Leadership in Science (pp. 49-76)
  • Your Role as a Laboratory Leader
  • Creating Your Vision as a Leader
  • Developing Your Leadership Style
  • Building and Sustaining an Effective Team
  • Resources
  • Appendix 1: The Four Preferences That Make Up Your Personality Type
  • Appendix 2: Performance Review Form
  • Appendix 3: Performance Feedback Checklist for Managers
• Chapter 4: Staffing Your Laboratory (pp. 77-96)
  • Getting Started
  • Recruiting Applicants
  • Screening Applicants
  • Interviewing Applicants
  • Evaluating Applicants
  • Making the Offer
  • Asking Staff to Leave
  • Resources
  • Appendix: Telephone Interview Outline
• Chapter 5: Mentoring and Being Mentored (pp. 97-112)
  • What is Mentoring?
  • A Mentor's Responsibilities
  • Strategies for Effective Mentoring in Your Lab
  • Different Mentoring Needs
  • Mentoring Individuals Outside Your Lab
  • How to Get the Mentoring You Need
  • Gender and Culture Issues
  • Resources
• Chapter 6: Time Management (pp. 113-124)
  • Strategies for Planning Your Activities
  • Managing Your Time Day to Day
  • Special Issues
  • Resources
• Chapter 7: Project Management (pp. 125-142)
  • What is Project Management?
  • Getting Started
  • Tracking the Work and the Resources
  • Project Management Software
  • Controlling the Project
  • Resources
  • Appendix: Project Management—A Real-life Example
• Chapter 8: Data Management and Laboratory Notebooks (pp. 143-152)
  • Day-to-Day Record Keeping: The Laboratory Notebook
  • Tracking and Storing Information
  • Finding the Right Data Management System for You
  • Resources
• Chapter 9: Getting Funded (pp. 153-174)
  • Understanding the NIH Funding Process
  • Preparing a Strong Grant Application
  • A Bit About Budgets
  • Submitting Your Application
  • The National Science Foundation
  • Resources          
• Chapter 10: Getting Published and Increasing Your Visibility (pp. 175-186)
  • A Brief Overview of Scientific Publishing
  • Planning for Publication
  • Getting Your Paper Published
  • Increasing Your Visibility
  • Resources
• Chapter 11: Understanding Technology Transfer (pp. 187-200)
  • University Technology Transfer Offices
  • The Technology Transfer Process
  • The Legal Terms and Agreements
  • Sponsorship and Consultation
  • Conflicts of Commitment and Interest
  • Resources
• Chapter 12: Setting Up Collaborations (pp. 201-210)
  • The Varieties of Collaborations
  • Should You Collaborate
  • Setting Up a Collaboration
  • The Ingredients of a Successful Collaboration
  • Special Challenges for the Beginning Investigator
  • International Collaborations
  • When a Collaboration is Not Working
  • Resources
• Chapter 13: Teaching and Course Design (pp. 211-246) (700KB)
  • Why Teach Well
  • Becoming an Effective Teacher
  • Planning to Teach a Course
  • The Principles of Active Learning
  • Active Learning at a Medical School
  • Assessing Student Learning
  • Course Design
  • Teaching Others to Teach
  • Professional Considerations
  • Resources
  • Appendix 1: Examples of Active Assessments for Large Lectures
  • Appendix 2: Bloom's Taxonomy
• Index (pp. 247-255)

Chinese Translation

• Download Making the Right Moves, second edition (Chinese translation)