15

I'm going to be starting a research lab as a junior faculty, what is a good strategy for coming up with a lab name?

How important is a lab name in differentiating yourself in the field or potentially attracting graduate students?

Is it common for one to use their last name, i.e. 'Smith Lab' or should it be a term from the research domain?

Improve this question
  • 2
    I like "Smith's Research Domain." It imbues some sort of implicit domination. Really though, at my university, individual faculty get "NAME Lab" and groups of faculty get specialty names when working together. – Chris C Jun 10 '16 at 15:26
  • 4
    In some universities (US) you will need to be careful because certain designations must be officially approved at a very high level because the word has some sort of legalese meaning (i.e., Smith's "Center' for Great stuff needs high level approval, but Smith's Institute (or Lab) for Great Stuff doesn't need anyones. (Or vice-versa). Seriously, if the lab name is what is keeping you up nights, then I'd worry about you. – Carol Jun 10 '16 at 16:25
  • 1
    I've always hated the "Smith Lab" naming convention (which Smith? at which university? which years?), but my PhD advisor had a straightforward lab name the "CFD Lab" for Computational Fluid Dynamics Lab, which no one outside our university ever used, and there were lots of similar names within engineering and computing departments for their version of a similar thing (Comp. Fluid Mechanics Lab, Comp. Fluid Phys. Lab, etc., etc.). I don't think the lab name is useful at all for junior faculty unless you're already or nearly a rock star in your field. – Bill Barth Jun 10 '16 at 16:27
  • 6
    Obligatory Ph.D. Comic – tonysdg Jun 10 '16 at 19:38
  • @Bill Barth, like your last sentence. This is the exact concluding remark in the above discussion. – Mithun Jun 11 '16 at 15:14
5

You should use your own name in the name of your lab because it (likely) has existing name recognition. You should not include the subject of research in the lab name because it will evolve over time and shut you out of potential collaborations beyond the subject stated in the name.

Improve this answer
  • 5
    I'd never name a lab after myself: traditionally, in my country, if there is a lab named after a person, it's because he or she is dead... – Massimo Ortolano♦ Jun 13 '16 at 5:30
  • 1
    I second @MassimoOrtolano. It works the same in my (a different) country. – ASR Apr 15 '18 at 14:35
  • I think this varies by discipline. I think in biology "Smith lab" is the standard, but in computer science it would border on arrogance and instead the lab is named after the subject of inquiry. – Thomas Jun 11 '19 at 21:50

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.