Ten simple rules for establishing an experimental lab

Computational researchers often collaborate with experimental researchers, but what about starting their own experimental lab alongside computational work? While collaborating with experimental colleagues might be beneficial, maybe you have ideas for experiments that have not been done or maybe you want to measure parameters that would be useful for models, but that have not been obtained in experimental studies? Or maybe you want to simply test whether the predictions from your computational models are true for biological systems?

The move to experimental studies might occur at different career stages. After completing a theoretical or computational undergraduate degree or PhD, one might move into an experimental lab. However, moving into experimental work becomes more challenging when moving from a career and track record that is solely based on computational research. Here, we share Ten Simple Rules in an attempt to make this transition feasible at later career stages.