Although your own research project will keep you very busy as a PhD student - developing your research project, getting some results and writing up a thesis - there are other aspects of a research career beyond the lab.

Some of the important activities outside the lab are:

Meeting other scientists

Joining a Learned Society relevant to your field gives you the opportunity to go to local and national scientific meetings. Your supervisor will probably need to sponsor you as a new member. At conferences and meetings you will be able to discuss your ideas with scientists working in related areas, learn to defend them and challenge other views - the process of scientific discourse. You will be able to present your results formally - as posters or short talks - and later in your studentship, take these to an international research conference.

Most funders provide some money for attending conferences as part of a PhD studentship. Additional money can be available from learned societies – see Funding section.

Read the INTERVIEW with Raphaela Kitson-Panton, about the benefits of engaging with your Learned Society.

Learning additional research skills

You will learn a lot of new skills and methods during your research project and sometimes you may need to learn a skill that your lab or department does not have. Spending some time in another lab, where it is routine, is a fast way of acquiring a new skill and there may be relevant workshops and courses that you can attend.

For example Cold Spring Harbour Labs and the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) run regular series of course.

Planning ahead

Think about what you want to do next. Finding and funding a postdoctoral position in a top lab takes some time – the best labs will often have waiting lists for places! Going abroad for a postdoc is both a good opportunity for personal development and good for your CV.  BTA or "Been to America" ...or France or Germany or Sweden… can be viewed as an unofficial qualification.