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I thought the same thing -- given the choice, most PIs would just as soon hire a full-time "staff grant writer" and return to science themselves. Of course, you
by hyperbovine 9y ago
I thought the same thing -- given the choice, most PIs would just as soon hire a full-time "staff grant writer" and return to science themselves. Of course, you can't actually pay for such a position using government grants, and therein lies the rub.
- Fomite 9y agoYeah, if I had the money just swimming around, a grant writer or dedicated programmer would likely be higher on the list for me than someone to do work I'd rather be doing myself.
- xaa 9y agoIf we're talking about unicorns, a competent "staff grant writer" has to be the rarest of them all. To write a grant well, you have to deeply understand the specific science at hand and be a good writer. Someone who would voluntarily choose such a job would also be someone who enjoys the process of writing. So, in other words, someone perfectly suited to be a PI, a more prestigious and better-paying position with more freedom. Our institution has one you can ask to help write/review/correct grants. They are pretty useless because they cannot possibly understand the science each individual lab is engaged in at an adequate level. Usually they just offer superficial suggestions/corrections.
- Fomite 9y agoI think I've met one person with a dedicated lab grant writer and yeah, I'm pretty sure the PI would take a bullet for them.