Creating a Lab

This guide explains how to create a new lab in AcaTrove and configure its initial settings. Labs are long-lived workspaces for your research group, so taking a few minutes to set one up properly will save time as your team grows.

Before You Start

Gather the following information before creating your lab:

• Lab name -- A clear name that identifies your research group (e.g., "Chen Computational Biology Lab" or "Marine Ecology Field Group").
• Description -- A brief summary of the lab's research focus.
• Principal Investigator -- The faculty member or lead researcher responsible for the lab.
• Personnel -- A list of current lab members you want to add after creation.

Step-by-Step Creation

1. Navigate to Work > Labs in the sidebar, or go directly to /labs.
2. Click the New Lab button in the upper-right corner.
3. Fill in the required fields:
   • Lab Name -- Enter a descriptive name for the lab.
   • Description -- Describe the lab's research focus and mission.
   • Principal Investigator -- Select the PI from existing AcaTrove users or enter their information.
4. Configure optional settings:
   • Department -- The academic department the lab belongs to.
   • Institution -- The university or research institution, if not already set at the account level.
   • Draft Mode -- Toggle this on if you want to configure the lab fully before making it visible to members.
5. Click Create Lab.

You are taken to the new lab's detail page, where you can begin adding personnel, equipment, and inventory.

Lab creation form with required fields and optional settings

Using Draft Mode

Draft mode lets you build out your lab's configuration before anyone else can see it. While a lab is in draft mode:

• Only the creator (and account administrators) can view and edit the lab.
• No notifications are sent to personnel you add.
• The lab does not appear in search results or other users' lab lists.

When you are satisfied with the setup, toggle draft mode off from the lab's Settings tab. At that point, all added personnel receive a notification and gain access according to their assigned roles.

Draft mode is optional. If you prefer to set up the lab collaboratively, skip it and add members immediately.

Editing Lab Settings

After creation, you can modify lab settings at any time from the Settings tab:

• Name and Description -- Update as the lab's focus evolves.
• Principal Investigator -- Transfer PI designation if leadership changes.
• Department and Institution -- Adjust if the lab moves or reorganizes.
• Draft Mode -- Toggle on to temporarily hide the lab during a reorganization.

Lab settings page with editable fields

Soft Delete and Recovery

If you need to close a lab, navigate to Settings and click Delete Lab. AcaTrove performs a soft delete:

• The lab is hidden from all user views.
• All data (personnel records, experiments, inventory, equipment bookings) is preserved.
• Administrators can recover the lab or permanently delete it.

Soft delete supports legal hold requirements. If your institution mandates data retention for a specific period, soft-deleted labs satisfy that requirement without cluttering active views.

Tips

• Use draft mode when setting up a lab with many personnel and complex equipment. This avoids sending a flood of incomplete notifications.
• Set the department and institution fields to help administrators generate accurate institutional reports.
• If you are creating a lab for someone else (e.g., an administrator setting up a new PI's lab), assign the PI immediately so they can take ownership.