For a new PI, establishing your independent career and leading your first research group can feel like both an exciting and daunting time. You are navigating the transition from being managed and led, to setting your own strategy and priorities, whilst also leading and being responsible for the success of others. Turning your attention from managing research to managing and supporting people can catch some new PIs off guard. Fixing a problem with a piece of research equipment or adapting a protocol of research method requires a rather different skillset than addressing the development needs of a postdoc or PhD student.

“The gear shift to being a PI can be daunting. You’re all of a sudden steering the rudder. It’s far more like running a small business than I expected.”
- Dr Luke Allsopp, Lecturer, National Heart & Lung Institute

The Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers specifies obligations that you, as a manager of researchers, should uphold.  The PI Code of Practice  incorporates these obligations and details your responsibilities as a line manager of early career researchers at Imperial. 

Here we provide you with support for typical challenges and processes that new PIs find they need support with: