Going Big: A Scientist's Guide to Large Projects and Collaborations

(Paperback)

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All the crucial skills scientists need to make a professional transition into large projects and collaborations that require governance and project management. For centuries humans have undertaken ambitious projects that require extraordinary time, labor, and funds, from the pyramids to road networks. Modern science increasingly tackles ambitious projects whose size and complexity require an equally ambitious coordination of efforts, schedules, and resources. In Going Big, Harvard Professor and Dean of Science Christopher Stubbs provides the essential resource for scientists who are ramping up the scale of their scientific enterprises and working within the various hierarchies and sociologies of large scientific teams. An experienced project scientist, Stubbs focuses on technical project management for the construction of large facilities, instruments, and software development, and guides both junior and established scientists on how to work in big, structured collaborations. Stubbs supplements scientists' formal training in their fields with the logistical, sociological, and strategic knowledge they need to tackle modern science's increasingly ambitious projects, from matters of risk, cost, and performance to the issues of budgeting, scheduling, and human relations. Chapters address technical documentation, risk mitigation, tracking progress and milestones, health, safety, and environmental considerations, as well as ways to be an effective team member and defuse interpersonal conflicts. Scaffolded with real-world advice and suggestions for success, Going Big covers the lifecycle of large projects to equip scientists worldwide, at every stage of their career.

Author Bio

Christopher W. Stubbs is Professor of Physics and of Astronomy at Harvard University, where he also serves as Dean of Science. His research lies at the interface between gravity, cosmology, and particle physics.