It is not news that the research workplace has changed considerably over the past decade. As with many businesses, laboratories have come under pressure to generate better results with ever greater efficiency.

By now we all know that the life sciences industry is radically changing

For too many years at academic institutions and some companies, health, safety, and the environment have been something extra. It's time that they become part of the process. 

Imaging encompasses a wide range of techniques that enable visualization of hidden features of samples, structures, or organisms. Imaging occurs at many scales, from medical magnetic resonance imaging of patients to individual atoms. This INSIGHTS on Imaging Systems focuses on the lower end of size domains in the typical operating range of—but not limited to—microscopy.

Assays using immortalized cell lines and plastic labware have been used for decades as an in-vitro mimic of how a putative drug may work in the human body. 

Work-family conflict is increasingly common among U.S. workers, with about 70 percent reporting struggles balancing work and non-work obligations. A new study by University of Minnesota sociologists Erin L. Kelly, Phyllis Moen, Wen Fan, and interdisciplinary collaborators from across the country, shows that workplaces can change to increase flexibility, provide more support from supervisors, and reduce work-family conflict.

Steve Thomas, an investigator within the Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics department at GSK, talks to contributing editor Tanuja Koppal, PhD, about his experiences implementing a database of
metabolic knowledge that helps the company store, share, and search data around the globe. The process involved analyzing internal needs, evaluating several options, and finding the right informatics solution to give GSK scientists access to each other’s findings to prevent error, repetition, or inefficiency.

As a consultant and professor, I see it all of the time. Organizations are structured to fail. We make it almost impossible for some people to succeed. One simple example (which we can detail in another article) is mixing short term and long term oriented groups under one manager.

“It’s extremely important that the user keeps an eye on the status of the rotor, maintains it properly, cleans it, and prevents aggressive chemicals from getting in,” product manager says

Stereotypes waning as workplace values new paradigms.

Merely observing stressful situations can trigger a physical stress response

Analysis, elbow grease, and legwork can bring in new business at little or no cost