PI @ IMBA

There are plenty of books dealing with the life of a Principal Investigator (aka “PI”), especially with the beginning of his or her career. The topic is of particular interest and in fact often a burning issue for PostDocs who feel ready to start a group. It is no secret that PIs are a very active species and that, in addition to doing science, a lot of thinking and planning keeps them busy between group meetings, PhD committees, grant-writing and paper-writing. On top of this, it entails the joyful but also delicate task of handling a lab full of individual personalities.

So, if this applies to every PI, what is special at IMBA?

We believe that one of the strongest qualities of IMBA is the spirit of its strong community.  We work in a very friendly and dynamic atmosphere. This is especially true for the Junior PIs at IMBA who join up with the Juniors from the neighboring institutes IMP, GMI and MFPL on several occasions to foster scientific and personal interaction. With their often related research areas and the common infrastructure, the “IMBA-IMP” institutes are in the heart of the research community at the VBC campus. Both faculties meet twice per month for a faculty club lunch with science discussions. Clearly, the high density of excellent groups and the outstanding scientific core facilities make the difference why this is one the most successful research centers in Europe.

The step from PostDoc to PI might feel like jumping in at the deep end. So what is it really like to set up your lab at IMBA?  The institute’s philosophy here has always been “to make the water shallow”. In fact, that is how it has been felt by the faculty starting at IMBA. All of us were astonished how quickly the lab was fully equipped, and up and running. Besides infrastructure, support and service units, this is largely owed to the excellent international PhD programs - one of the first of its kind in Europe. Generous starting packages allow you to have a team of eager and highly qualified students working with you right from the beginning.

Next to scienctific issues, IMBA offers a number of social activities. For example the annual ski- trip, the IMBA employee day, Junior group leader dinners and much more...

Join IMBA to do science on the highest level. Let’s discover together!