Send us your career questions. Deb Koen, the Naturejobs careers expert, columnist for Wall Street Journal online and president of Career Development Services, offers her professional career advice.

Here's the latest question: "I just finished my second year of graduate study in the neurosciences and my first in the lab I've chosen for thesis work. It's a big lab with four postdocs and a well known primary investigator (PI) with a long publishing record. I have access to all the equipment and resources that my research requires. I had really helpful critical discussions with my fellow graduate students, but my results point in the direction of several possible thesis projects. My PI provides encouragement when she's in town, but I'd prefer a stringent critical assessment of my work. She also may not be state-of-the-art, and I feel that I'm missing an essential part of my graduate experience. I'd appreciate your advice on choosing between continuing in a lab with nice pilot data for a thesis or finding a new home with an advisor who's more invested in my research?" Read more.