Collaboration with government scientists and engineers can be seen in a variety of contexts. In this and the next two newsletters, we will do a deep dive into who these people are, and what you can expect when you consider building relationships with them. In the spirit of government jargon, I’ll give them an acronym – GSEs (Government Scientists/Engineers).

GSEs are in laboratories across the nation. Their facilities are parts of agencies and non-academic organizations like DOE, USDA, NIST, and DOD. GSEs conduct research, both basic and applied. In many ways, how they do their research is similar to how you do yours. But there are differences and, perhaps most importantly, there is greater variability in how their research fits into their day-to-day activities and careers than there is among faculty.

Let’s explore some of the ways these differences play out before we discuss how collaboration with GSEs can benefit your career (Week 2) and how you can begin to make connections with them (Week 3). For today’s discussion, please consider GSEs who are involved in non-sensitive (i.e., not classified) research that leans basic, rather than applied.

The table below is shown to help convey how a GSE’s goals or traits can vary across a number of categories relevant to collaboration:

Publishing: How much a GSE cares about being published depends on numerous factors, including what is expected of them in their job, as well as individual preferences and career goals. For example, someone considering moving to another organization or an academic institution might be highly motivated to publish. Others, less so.

Collaboration with outsiders: Collaborations may be expected for government agency employees to be promoted. Work completed as part of a team may reach wider audiences and therefore convey more prominence to its team members than solo publications. Also, invitations to give talks or to contribute to journals or working groups could be viewed favorably within the organization.

Time availability: This is a third potentially relevant variable. The GSE’s ratio of research to other job responsibilities may vary dramatically and it will be to your advantage to learn what the research component will be for the purpose of better understanding what your expectations should be in a collaboration. Some GSEs may spend 90% of their time on research and others 10%. Most fall somewhere in between.

Access to extramural funding: These are funds that will be invested outside the GSE’s organization. This varies greatly, as does their ability to influence where such funds go. If one is involved in extramural funding decisions, the funding vehicles (i.e., types of grants or contracts) may also differ. Don’t use an experience with GSEs at one organization to form assumptions about how things may work elsewhere.

Mentoring potential: A GSE’s interest in mentoring students and postdocs will vary as well. Major determinants will include the existence of programs that make it easier to bring outside collaborators on board, the bandwidth the GSE has for mentoring, and their feelings about serving as a mentor.

What all this means for a PI is that you want to approach potential collaborations with GSEs with an open mind, rather than pre-existing assumptions about a future relationship. And you want to make an effort to understand the likely priorities and constraints of any potential GSE collaborator through conversations at the outset.

With a better understanding of who GSE’s are, next week we will review the benefits of working with them.

How not to talk to funders at a conference

It's normal to feel pressure to make important connections, especially with funders, at a conference.

In this video, I describe what to do (✅ get a commitment for a follow-up meeting) and what not to do (🛑 go on a long monologue about your research).

I also explain why sharing the impact of your research is a good strategy to get them to remember you and your work.

When you are ready, here’s how we can help

Need to get your research funded, this year? Check out our 10-week program to get you there.

Ready to book a call to discuss our program or to have Dr. Barzyk provide training at your institution? Let’s chat!