If you're contemplating a PhD, this is my advice to you: make sure you have a passion for science & research, it's not an easy road but it's well worth it if you give it your all.
I was given some fantastic advice when I was trying to decide where to do a PhD and in which area of research, here's an overview of what you should look for:
1. PubMed the PI and others in the lab. It's vital to join a lab that are publishing, and publishing high quality research in good journals.
2. Make sure there are at least 2 or 3 active PostDocs in the lab-they can help you with all of your experiments, they know the ropes & can give you brilliant advice which will save you a lot of time when it comes to optimising things.
3. Look for a lab affiliated with a good institution or university, try to find out the funding body and ask lots of questions-will the grant cover me for 3 or 4 years, will there be opportunities to travel to conferences etc.
4. Try to get paid as much as you possibly can; a PhD is tough going, long hours, repeating experiments over and over to try to get them to work, a lot of the time having no results and having to persevere-which can be quite tough on your spirit. Working a huge amount of hours every week for less than minimum wage may seem like a huge no no for some, but it is worthwhile, the creative freedom and opportunities academia afford you are brilliant. Just ask about salary and see what they can offer you.
5. Don't be blinded by keywords e.g. cancer research; ask what techniques will be used and what access will you have to other labs, patient samples and equipment etc. It's a necessity to become a well-rounded scientist who can apply themselves to many tasks in any area, therefore you don't want to be doing the same thing over and over for 4 years-ask if there's room for manoeuvre and who your potential collaborators will be. Develop your repertoire of techniques and experiments, this will enable you to work in any lab anywhere in the world. Your PhD is training to be an independent scientist, therefore approach ideas simply, cover all your bases and work from the bottom up, ticking all the boxes as you go.
A PhD isn't easy, but it's enjoyable, hugely rewarding, exciting and each day is different from the one before, you're solving problems logically each day and helping the world to understand how we all fundamentally work...and at the end of it all, I get to call myself Dr. Rachel...what more could you want, right?! ;)
If anyone has any questions don't hesitate to ask.
Rachel xxx
