Taking control of your research

One of the things I love about the fall semester is welcoming our newest faculty members. It's exciting to watch these new assistant professors infuse the university with their unique research and ideas. Although most new faculty come in raring to go on their research, the first barrier they run into is teaching their first classes. Suddenly, all of the excitement to kick off their research agenda is replaced by stress in developing a syllabus and managing multiple classrooms.

This is understandable, teaching is intensive, and particularly when you're teaching a class you've never taught before. But, oftentimes after a successful fall of teaching, new faculty take a well-deserved break over the holidays, and come spring, there is a whole new crop of students sitting in class ready to learn. Next thing you know, it's fall of your second year, and you feel guilty for letting your research lag...

Don't let this happen to you! When it comes to kicking off your faculty research, here are some tips:

Outline your plan
If you're coming directly from getting your PhD or completing a Postdoc, you're certainly no stranger to research, but you may not have had total control of your research agenda until now. Even as a Postdoc, usually you were working on the projects of your mentor. Now, you have your very own gig, but with this freedom can come some dilemmas. To keep this empowerment from overwhelming you, take some time to review and develop your research agenda. What research can you start on to get your feet wet and get some preliminary data to begin applying for grants? And, what's your end game? What do you want to have a reputation for in 10 years? Make sure your research agenda and plan are steering you toward your ultimate goal.

Find mentors
As mentioned, as a new Assistant Professor, you have a lot of freedom about what you work on and how much and when, but sometimes you may feel like you're spinning your wheels while you figure that out. This is where mentors are so important. Find research mentors who can work with you to sort out what you want to do and give guidance on prioritizing your work. Mentors have been there and done that. They've made mistakes that they might be able to help you avoid, or at least help you work through if you make the same mistake. So, find a mentor, or a circle of mentors, to support and advise you.

Develop a schedule and good habits
Once you know where you're going in terms of your research and have a mentorship team to support you, time to get to it. Make sure you set yourself up for success by mapping out when you will conduct your research and write. Know when you are most effective during the day and capitalize on your most productive time by doing your most important work then. Perhaps create a writing group with other early career researchers to create some accountability and get feedback from your peers. You likely know your bad habits. So, combat them by planning against them. If you tend to procrastinate, try to build new habits that allow you to complete tasks early or by your own fake deadlines.

By putting your research first, you'll find that by next year, you will still be busy, but you will be and will feel productive!

Resources:
Do You REALLY Want to Be a Professor - Kerry Ann Rockquemore
30 Tips for Successful Academic Research and Writing - Deborah Lupton