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Molecular Biology Personality QuizDiscover your research style |
Are you sometimes overwhelmed with impending deadlines? Do you ever plan the perfect experiment, then have trouble carrying it over the finish line? Do you have a lab mate that you don’t gel with, but you’re not sure why?
Whether you’re working with lab mates, a council of scientists, a team of researchers, or a group of investigators—you need to have a group that gels.
By identifying your unique strengths and understanding your areas of weaknesses, you can understand how to work more efficiently in the lab and gain clarity on the types of tasks that to collaborate with your lab mates on, so you can focus on your area of genius.
Their strengths: When it comes to converting RNA to DNA, they know what needs to happen to translate necessary information over. They’re careful about the environment, have the right template in place, and know the routine that a great conversion requires. They’re also skilled at building bridges between unlikely groups of people or translating differences across communication styles. They often feel disappointed—frequently more than others—when they see unmet potential in other people or in their environment.
Pairing perfection: Sometimes, they are too protective. They may care more about the dynamic of their group than they do the outcome of the project, so they dislike working with unmotivated teams. They should pair up with a Gel Analyst, who’s ability to focus on data pairs well with Ace Interpreter’s people-centered approach.
Their strengths: They’re a foundation builder. In the same way that the PCR amplification process produces many copies to get going, they’re great with setting the foundation that projects need for kickoffs. Just like a thread of DNA that they’re unwinding, they’re able to pick apart projects before others begin to see what’s required. They prefer to create something from a clean slate, rather than working on something that has already been created.
Pairing perfection: Follow-through can be an area of weakness for them because their energy is derived at the onset of starting an endeavor. They should pair up with an Ultimate Expressor to make sure projects get completed.
Their strengths: They’re a creative puzzle solver. In the same way that they’re able to take isolated DNA and get it into the right plasmid to express a protein, they can look at a situation or problem and see the unique ways that the puzzle pieces can all fit together. They know that through careful and creative analysis they can find the right ‘scissors’ for the job —and similarly to how they take great care in their plasmid selection, they’re careful that the solution they’ve identified is the right one for the job.
Pairing perfection: While coming up with a new concept is a breeze, carrying it to the finish line might feel like a struggle. They should pair up with the Taq Trailblazer to make sure that their new concept makes it past the drawing board.
Their strengths: Just like electrophoresis picks up where amplification left off, they’re skilled at taking what’s been started and making quick decisions to move things forward. Analysis of amplification takes attention to detail—and that’s where they thrive. Characterizing and identifying what they’re seeing, and matching up their sample to the DNA ladder, is a breeze for them. They find analyzing lots of information and making quick, complex decisions based off their analysis to be simple. Others might say that they’re relentless in their attention to detail and desire to complete a goal.
Pairing perfection: Sometimes, their attention to detail and “stick to the facts” personality makes it hard to see things from a different perspective. Working with a Clone Crafter can help spice up their projects and keep things interesting.
Their strengths: In the same way that they get great satisfaction from seeing if their isolated clone can be expressed, they derive joy from carrying projects to the next steps and seeing the results. The feeling they get watching a certain cell express their protein is a sign that they have achieved a goal and is only matched by the feeling they get when a project is successfully moving forward or coming to a close. In fact, they may feel more satisfaction and fulfillment than most people from seeing a project through.
Pairing perfection: They might find it hard to leave projects unfinished because they don’t experience that tangible sense of closure. Working with an Ace Interpreter may help them focus more on the team dynamics as a measure of success, and less on finishing the deliverables.
Check out this article for seven easy-to-implement ways you can begin to build a sense of rapport in your lab, starting today.
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