It’s a public holiday here in SA, and I’m about to head into the lab for a full day, so I guess my answer is a lot? When I was an honours/PhD student, I worked very long hours in the lab. Now I have finished studying, I mostly only work around 9-5 in the lab, but sometimes when grants for more research money are due, or we have some other deadline looming, I do need to put in some extra hours in the lab. I think it will walso vary dependent on what you are researching, and how long experiments take. There is also work to be done at home sometimes, like answering emails, writing papers/grants/students work etc
Thanks for the question candygirl, lokroxs2013 & alexjk2000.
On average, I’m at work about 8hrs a day (usually 9-5). But the amount of time I spend in the lab (doing experiments) varies. It depends on how many experiments I’m doing, how complicated they are to set up and/or run and how quickly the results are needed. Quite often a few extra hours are needed in the lab. Other than time spent in the lab, the other hours I’m at work are spent (like Miranda said) on answering emails, reading papers and writing etc…
Science often is a more than full time job, but it is also very flexible. I don’t have to work 9-5 if I don’t want to – today I’ll be working 10-6. Tomorrow I might start at 8. If I have to come in on the weekend to do some work, I might take an afternoon off later in the week. That’s one of the things I love about my job, I can arrange my hours to suit me. But there sure are a lot of them sometimes!
I work a really long time! I usually get to uni around 8am and am here until about 6pm-ish. When I get home I’m also still reading and writing. Sometimes I also need to come in on weekends. It’s long days but in honours you only have 9 months to write a 100page long thesis so I try and pack in all the lab work I can.
I am working really hard because the results I get for my thesis this year will have a big impact on whether I can continue with a PhD next year or if I’ll go on a different path and get a job. After my thesis is due I’ll definitely be taking a holiday to have a good relaxing break before starting anything new!
Depending on what experiment I have, I spend 30-40hours in the lab, doing the actual experiment(s) and ~20-30hours in my office, reading journal articles, writing (notes, papers, report), updating my results, designing my next experiment.
I often come to lab on weekends as well, not because I have to but I really love what I am doing.
I dedicate my one day of the week for reading/writing only.
I don’t think 10 impossible things before breakfast like Alice (the one in the Wonderland) but I ask dozens of why and how questions about science everyday and try to devise a way to make an impossible idea possible while I’m sipping my afternoon tea.
Answering some potential follow-up questions or thoughts…
Yes I work long hours (it is 1am now – quite normal) and yes I have a partner (guess what she is a scientist, too:)) I sleep ~5-6hrs a day and no it doesn’t affect my productivity.
Best thing I learned from science is time management so I still can find time for many other extracurricular activities (I hope my supervisor is not reading this part…)
It’s a public holiday here in SA, and I’m about to head into the lab for a full day, so I guess my answer is a lot? When I was an honours/PhD student, I worked very long hours in the lab. Now I have finished studying, I mostly only work around 9-5 in the lab, but sometimes when grants for more research money are due, or we have some other deadline looming, I do need to put in some extra hours in the lab. I think it will walso vary dependent on what you are researching, and how long experiments take. There is also work to be done at home sometimes, like answering emails, writing papers/grants/students work etc
0
Thanks for the question candygirl, lokroxs2013 & alexjk2000.
On average, I’m at work about 8hrs a day (usually 9-5). But the amount of time I spend in the lab (doing experiments) varies. It depends on how many experiments I’m doing, how complicated they are to set up and/or run and how quickly the results are needed. Quite often a few extra hours are needed in the lab. Other than time spent in the lab, the other hours I’m at work are spent (like Miranda said) on answering emails, reading papers and writing etc…
0
Science often is a more than full time job, but it is also very flexible. I don’t have to work 9-5 if I don’t want to – today I’ll be working 10-6. Tomorrow I might start at 8. If I have to come in on the weekend to do some work, I might take an afternoon off later in the week. That’s one of the things I love about my job, I can arrange my hours to suit me. But there sure are a lot of them sometimes!
0
I work a really long time! I usually get to uni around 8am and am here until about 6pm-ish. When I get home I’m also still reading and writing. Sometimes I also need to come in on weekends. It’s long days but in honours you only have 9 months to write a 100page long thesis so I try and pack in all the lab work I can.
I am working really hard because the results I get for my thesis this year will have a big impact on whether I can continue with a PhD next year or if I’ll go on a different path and get a job. After my thesis is due I’ll definitely be taking a holiday to have a good relaxing break before starting anything new!
0
~60-70hrs/week
Depending on what experiment I have, I spend 30-40hours in the lab, doing the actual experiment(s) and ~20-30hours in my office, reading journal articles, writing (notes, papers, report), updating my results, designing my next experiment.
I often come to lab on weekends as well, not because I have to but I really love what I am doing.
I dedicate my one day of the week for reading/writing only.
I don’t think 10 impossible things before breakfast like Alice (the one in the Wonderland) but I ask dozens of why and how questions about science everyday and try to devise a way to make an impossible idea possible while I’m sipping my afternoon tea.
Answering some potential follow-up questions or thoughts…
Yes I work long hours (it is 1am now – quite normal) and yes I have a partner (guess what she is a scientist, too:)) I sleep ~5-6hrs a day and no it doesn’t affect my productivity.
Best thing I learned from science is time management so I still can find time for many other extracurricular activities (I hope my supervisor is not reading this part…)
0