You’ve finally landed the academic job you’ve been after. After years of experiments or theoretical contemplation at your supervisors’ behests, and you’re now running your own group, ready to make your impact on humanity’s collective knowledge. But here’s the catch: being great at science is only a tiny part of being a great scientist.
Behind every successful research group is a leader juggling funding, collaborations, lab dynamics, politics, and a variety of egos. I first appreciated this as a postdoc at UC Berkeley in Xiang Zhang’s group. (Xiang is now the Vice Chancellor of Hong Kong University.) With the help of a lab manager, his group serially produced world-leading results over more than decade, largely because he shielded his team from the administrative and political noise, allowing brilliant young scientists to lead and excel. Being shielded showed us the importance of politics: productivity soared when those pressures were contained and stalled when they leaked into the lab. The lessons my lab mates and I took were twofold: politics and institutional dynamics profoundly shape research outcomes, and effective leadership means buffering your team from that turbulence while teaching them how to engage with it.
There is no getting around the directions that the academic politics of the day may pull us in, each requiring its own kind of awareness and skill. It draws you down to the everyday operation of your team, up to the higher echelons of your department and university, and sideways across your peers and collaborators. Understanding this political compass early saves headaches later. Upward politics involves taking on the roles and responsibilities that keep your department running smoothly. Downward politics demands strategy and finesse in supervision; balancing credit, opportunity, and personality within your team while creating the platform that allows each of them to excel. Sideways politics is the art of managing peer relationships; the colleagues who could be your strongest allies or fiercest competition. When in doubt, remember that your research, team and networks are the foundation of your political capital and your priority. A clear strategy to negotiate these political directions will get you halfway to surviving department politics.
Just as every research group has its own dynamics, every department has its own political ecosystem of committees, leadership roles, and hidden hierarchies. Universities are self-governing ecosystems run by the same academics they serve. No two departments are quite alike, so getting the most out of your system requires you to be part of it. Remember that every committee, policy, and mysterious teaching allocation has an academic behind it, probably doing the best they can, while also trying to finish a paper or hit a grant application deadline.
Here’s a myth worth burying immediately: time-consuming senior roles aren’t filled by people who’ve run out of research ideas. Quite the opposite. They’re usually taken on by the best, most organised, and occasionally most stubborn among us. The truth is, these roles matter and departments cannot thrive without good people stepping up. Aspiring to senior roles and taking them on will also unlock the next level of your mastery of academic politics and your understanding of university organisation and governance.
Sooner or later, someone will “volunteer” you for something, which means corner you in the corridor with a smile, where “no” just doesn’t seem like an option. When that day comes, you’ll need a plan already. Ideally, seek out roles that match your goals and available time. Discuss options with your line manager. There’s a whole buffet to choose from that depends on your career stage: seminar coordinator, admission tutor, head of teaching labs, chair of research or teaching committee, director of undergraduate or postgraduate studies, head of research, head of department… and, if you’re still hungry for more, maybe even consul or dean. Every duty should serve a purpose, either advancing your research or building experience useful for the future. Outward-facing roles such as journal editorships or strategic committees can also raise your external profile while also adding prestige to your department.
When I joined the Physics department at Imperial College London, my first administrative job was being the seminar coordinator, a great way to meet visiting scientists, make connections, and enjoy free sandwiches! Every role has its benefits but before long, I had somehow collected a few extra titles: Laser Safety Advisor, Undergraduate Admissions Tutor, and PhD Admissions Tutor. That’s when I learned it is ok to say “no”. Not all roles are development opportunities; they have a habit of multiplying, and there is only so much one person can do. Your colleagues who assign these roles do not always consider your wellbeing either. Before accepting new roles, arrange to offload old ones — I was so relieved when I realised that I could do this! Know your limits, pick your battles, decline politely (or firmly, when required), and focus your energy where it matters to you. In the end, you are just one person and a limited resource, so deploy yourself strategically.
As you rotate through roles, your reputation will grow, not just as a successful scientist, but as someone who gets things done. That reputation is gold. Beyond your department, visibility in the wider academic community also matters. People notice. Reviewing papers and grants, joining funding panels, organising conferences, and contributing thoughtfully to the broader scientific conversation all build credibility and are part of the equation for success. Tensions between personal goals and institutional needs are inevitable; balance them by building goodwill and contributing as generously as you can.
How much responsibility, and when? Teaching aside, early-career researchers should keep departmental duties to roughly half a day a week, focusing on research first, e.g., seminar coordination or some junior teaching administration roles. With each promotion, the balance will naturally shift from research towards leadership. Before senior roles, getting involved in research or teaching committees is a great way to learn about the department’s operation and gain confidence. Senior academics may spend up to half their time on administration, often offset against teaching. I am currently a Deputy Head of Department and could not possibly balance this role with my research agenda and a full teaching load. Make sure the roles you take on are suitably compensated with the time to do them. Make these trade-offs consciously: every hour spent on administration should ideally also support your long-term goals.
Academic leadership is in perpetual flux, creating pockets of experience and influence in unexpected places. While incumbent leaders keep things running, many decisions are informed by corridor chats, over coffee, or at social events. Learn who gets things done and who people really listen to. This might seem like a dark and scheming political underworld, but it is the natural evolution of a living network of relationships and reputations earned through academic service with regular turnover. If you are not part of this living system, it is hard to navigate it.
Here are a couple of final thoughts. Listen and observe carefully before you act, learn who holds influence, who just thinks they do, and who gets things done. Never burn bridges as academia is smaller than it looks! You will encounter every kind of personality, including the difficult ones you thought only existed in fiction. Disagree with ideas, not people, and when you win an argument, do it gracefully. I recommend a course on conflict management, which I wish I had done a lot sooner. Never mistake politics for pettiness, so don’t take it personally. It’s just how a group of ambitious, intelligent people negotiate limited resources and big egos.
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