Question

How does principal investigators look on student proposed projects? Financing of research and payment

Answer 1

Hey guys.
So I am about to finish my master degree and become jobless :(

So I am obviously looking for a new position, while I really want to continue a Ph.D I feel the need for doing some more experimentation with NMR, as my master has been almost exclusively theoretical.

I have found a laboratory that experimentally investigate what I did in my master using NMR, so I feel this is obviously a good place to start and I might be able to contribute to their primary research.

What I really want to do, is a project I however came up with my self in the progress of my master. The very same lab is the only lab nearby that owns the required equipment to do these experiments.

I thought it would be a good idea to send a research proposal, but I was also thinking about what I should expect in terms of who finance the research and if this would be paid work (after all I am M.Sc in biochemistry to that time)?

@Preetha @Hero @hectoroftroy

Answer 2

@abb0t

Answer 3

Just something to keep in mind here, that you \(really\) need to be committed to the research you pursue if you go into a PhD program. They can come with a lot of responsibility and be time consuming: teaching, researching, instructing, or being an assistant. It can be draining and lead you to not want to continue. That's one reason a lot of people drop their PhD's program. It's very common here.

I'm not entirely sure where you are, but a lot of PhD's are funded here in the states which include a stipend. That stipend generally comes from you teaching freshman/sophomore year level courses. Funding, on the otherhand, can either be fully funded, or partially. Again, it depends on the school.

Another thing to keep in mind is that your first year is generally full of rotations. You working in a variety of labs, learning new things, trying new methods, and so forth. It's sort of a waste if you already know what you want to do, but it's also a good way to get into a new field that sparks your interest. Some schools cut that process and actually have you interview professors who discuss their research projects and interests to you. You can pick the one you like to eliminate that rotation process. But, most do rotations.

Before you apply to a PhD program, it's best to know what you want to do. NMR is a fairly broad field that can be applied in a lot of job fields. Also, try and get some lab work. If you obtained a masters and have minimal lab work, unless you're trying to become a theoretical chemist, it can make the process harder for you as most PhD students have a strong lab background since your PhD is based more on your research over academic courses.

Answer 4

Oh yes, I have indeed been thinking about that, but then again "teaching, researching, instructing, or being an assistant" is exactly what I like to do!

Currently what I am thinking about is a project in between a master and Ph.D. I want to do some high pressure NMR on a protein my current group managed to purify which is without any titratable residues but remains soluble. Latest I just manged to get a crystal structure which introduce suggest that many of the cavities are removed, while the NMR structure suggest many cavities. As high-pressure unfolding mostly depends on cavities, I would use a combination of high-pressure NMR to study the full or partial unfolding of the protein and then determine the thermodynamic parameters (the change in volume and dG) This would both be done under the assumption of the isothermal compressibility coefficient being 0 (poor approximation as shown in recent litterature) and non-zero.

In a combination with high-pressure MD (probably with Amber16 on a CPU cluser at my own research group) I would attempt to hit the same thermodynamic values of the pressure-unfolding and thereby try unlock the structural information about the protein and compare this to the crystal and NMR structure.

Answer 5

And thanks @abb0t I really appreciate you being honest like that, it is a big choice to be taken.

Answer 6

In addition (if time and money left) I would try do a unfolding phase diagram and unlock all thermodynamic parameters of the protein. But this is of less importance and would only serve as proof of principle.

Answer 7

You're basically a higher up slave in a PhD program and until you obtain your PhD and get assigned your own lab, you don't have much freedom to choose your own research project. Unless your P.I. likes it, and i mean likes it A LOT, the process to start a new research project is time consuming. Something which a lot of professors don't want to take the time to do. Also, it would require more funding, which isn't something schools like to do. Especially if it doesn't convenience them or contribute to the University.

Answer 8

So maybe it is best just to search for a Ph.D position, and then pick up some experience during that?

I know here that P.Is are applying for many grants and both my current and the lab I am considering are very successful in getting them. The area of study is within their interest as it include NMR, protein dynamics and stability. But I sure fear if I need to provide the money in the form of a grant my chances are close to 0.

Answer 9

well then you better make sure your grant proposal is damn near perfect.

Answer 10

Oh man. Do you feel like writing a "damn near perfect" tutorial on grant proposals? ;)