Shared resource administration is uniquely different from running a PI research lab. The University of Pittsburgh encourages our Laboratory Directors to participate in organizations that furthers their skills and grows their network of those in similar positions. Two important organizations for this are ABRF and UGIM. Pitt’s Katz School of Business will also offer a week long summer course for those working in these positions, covering the essentials of leading such an organization and working with faculty.
ABRF offers a business skills workshop that helps orient new core directors to the requirements of federal funding and networking opportunities to share best practices with others in their field, whether that is specifically a technical field, or the challenges common to shared resources.
For technical staff, both UGIM and ABRF offer research groups that develop and carry out benchmarking studies and technology comparison experiments. Working with colleagues to design a robust and reproducible experiment hones staff members’ skills, improving the support they offer users and thus the rigor and reproducibility of those projects.