Lab Member Roles ⚡
Each lab member has a unique role, and we all bring our skills to the table. Here’s who does what in iHuman Lab:
PI (Principal Investigator) 👨🔬
The PI is the brain behind the lab—the one who keeps everything running:
- Fundraising Genius: Secures funding to keep the lab alive and thriving.
- Research Coach: Meets with you regularly (usually once a week) to discuss your projects and guide your academic journey.
- Career Booster: Helps you with professional development by connecting you with other researchers, writing recommendation letters, and promoting your work at conferences.
- Human First: Cares about you as a person, not just a researcher.
Project Owner 🏆
The Project Owner is the visionary—the one who ensures the project is moving in the right direction and achieving results:
- The Visionary: Keeps the project’s big picture in mind and sets the research goals.
- The Prioritizer: Constantly adjusts the research priorities and long-term goals, including publication plans.
- The Decision-Maker: Makes final calls on project requirements, whether to publish, and whether to keep pushing forward with development.
- The Guardian of Interests: Considers funding bodies and the scientific community’s needs in every decision.
- The Leader: Guides the team but might still roll up their sleeves and contribute as a team member.
Team Member 🤝
Team Members are the engine that powers the project. They do the hands-on work and collaborate closely:
- Cross-functional All-Stars: Write code, collect data, test software, proofread papers—whatever the project needs!
- Self-Managing: Organize and manage themselves, without needing a boss to tell them what to do.
- Collaborative: Work intensely with others in the team (think: constant communication, shared problem-solving).
- Commitment: Ideally, they focus on one project at a time and stay with the lab for the long haul.
- Leadership: Even as contributors, Team Members have a leadership role in driving their area of the project.
Project Coordinator 📅
The Project Coordinator is the glue that keeps everything together, making sure the team is staying on track and that the research process is smooth:
- Impediment-Buster: Helps remove any roadblocks that could slow down the team.
- Environment Creator: Ensures the team has the space and freedom to self-organize and thrive.
- Data Guru: Tracks progress and adjusts forecasts (you’ll see weekly updates in Microsoft Teams).
- Team Shield: Protects the team from distractions, so they can stay focused.
- Timeline Enforcer: Keeps an eye on deadlines and ensures the project stays on track.
- No Authority: The Project Coordinator has no formal management power over the team—they’re more like a helpful guide. (For now, that’s usually the Lab Coordinator or Hemanth).
Collaborator 🌐
Collaborators are the specialists who offer occasional help but aren’t fully embedded in the project:
- The Helper: May provide data, equipment, consulting, feedback, minor analyses, or administrative support (like scheduling).
- The Backstage Player: They aren’t involved in day-to-day project decisions and generally don’t attend regular meetings.
- Paper Recognition: If their contribution is significant enough, they may be mentioned in acknowledgments, but usually not as co-authors.
Collaborators are a big help when needed, but they stay in the background unless they’re ready to step up into a bigger role.