Identify and Design the Research Project
Once you have identified your mentor(s) and have selected an area of interest for your research, you have to begin to define a specific project or question within your area of interest. If you are developing a project of novel design, this process may be time intensive and require significant assistance from your mentor. Tasks involved in creating a novel research project might include establishing and optimizing experimental protocols and assays, and subsequently obtaining preliminary data. If your project is an extension of an ongoing research project, you may have the benefit of previously optimized protocols and assays, and in fact there may exist preliminary data to support your project prior to your arrival. Of note, it is not impossible for a highly motivated and persistent individual to undertake the development of a research project and the associated grant-writing process without a mentor. This is most plausible when the individual has identified their specific research project/question, and already possesses the set of skills necessary to implement that project.
