Help! I do not want to ruin my career progression.

[Claudio R.]

Hi Laura,

Thanks for your reply and your support!
I am a very independent scientist, I just don't want to annoy a big name and have that affect my career.
I hate unfair things, I guess it just bothers me that after all the hard work I am putting in my projects I will not be credited for it if I leave.
I understand your point of leaving right away. I haven't done so because I have a funded course and conference to go to. The other reason is that one of my side projects its looking really interesting so if it seems like a big story I will just have to put up with the labs atmosphere and get that paper out. I think I will know by June what I am doing.
Thanks again and if you have any other comments I would be grateful.

Best Wishes,

Claudio

[L. B. Gage]

I see that you need to stay longer in your current laboratory to complete your courses and perform some additional lab work. If it all possible, I suggest that you use this time to collect all the experimental data and push towards submitting a manuscript before you leave (Just remember, any paper with his name is going to be a plus for you in this situation. Pick your journals carefully, focusing on those that will likely accept your paper with few or no additional experimentations.) I imagine, once your name on the paper, it would be impossible for someone to remove it midway through the review process. Meanwhile try really hard to please your current PI with good work and professionalism. No one should blame you for pursuing an opportunity at Harvard. In fact, a smart PI should be supporting his student on this type of endeavor as it reflects well on him as a mentor. I think you are on the right track. Take care and email me anytime you ever need a second opinion.