I joined a famous lab in Europe to do a PhD. My second supervisor was and still is a really highly cited. He interviewed me and I got an offer next day.
The odd thing was I got an email a few days after the offer stating a different person I had only briefly met during my interview would be my first supervisor. This made me very suspicious. I did in fact reject the offer initially due to concerns over this, but they did convince me to accept it. Big mistake.
Things started going south after half a year. The group dynamics was very strange. My first supervisor, a young PI, was trying to block all project opportunities I had with my second supervisor. The latter was a very good guy, with some anxiety problems, and did not know how to play this kind of corridor politics games.
After two and a half years, things were in such a bad shape, I started applying to other programs. It's an interesting experience to apply to some places without recommendation letters. I got many weird looks during interviews. Fortunately, my CV is good and I got offers from half a dozen top 10 universities.
When I announced I would leave, shortly before the time I should start writing, everyone panicked. They guaranteed me I would pass, but I couldn't cope with the idea of handing in a rubbish dissertation. Maybe it was the wrong choice. It was a really exhausting situation, and I am still coping with some long-term burnout.
A year after I left, the lab melted down as they exhausted all funding. PIs were living a luxurious lifestyle. We would even have group retreats abroad in 5* hotels. Ridiculous and sad, because it was a lovely place.
I joined a famous lab in Europe to do a PhD. My second supervisor was and still is a really highly cited. He interviewed me and I got an offer next day.
The odd thing was I got an email a few days after the offer stating a different person I had only briefly met during my interview would be my first supervisor. This made me very suspicious. I did in fact reject the offer initially due to concerns over this, but they did convince me to accept it. Big mistake.
Things started going south after half a year. The group dynamics was very strange. My first supervisor, a young PI, was trying to block all project opportunities I had with my second supervisor. The latter was a very good guy, with some anxiety problems, and did not know how to play this kind of corridor politics games.
After two and a half years, things were in such a bad shape, I started applying to other programs. It's an interesting experience to apply to some places without recommendation letters. I got many weird looks during interviews. Fortunately, my CV is good and I got offers from half a dozen top 10 universities.
When I announced I would leave, shortly before the time I should start writing, everyone panicked. They guaranteed me I would pass, but I couldn't cope with the idea of handing in a rubbish dissertation. Maybe it was the wrong choice. It was a really exhausting situation, and I am still coping with some long-term burnout.
A year after I left, the lab melted down as they exhausted all funding. PIs were living a luxurious lifestyle. We would even have group retreats abroad in 5* hotels. Ridiculous and sad, because it was a lovely place.