Academic poaching: when other PIs steal your trainees
There are many toxic behaviors in academia, but one we rarely talk about is #AcademicPoaching. Have you ever been a victim?
The scorpion and the frog
You probably know the old Russian fable. A scorpion wants to cross a river and asks a frog for a ride. “You’ll sting me,” the frog says. “Don’t be ridiculous,” replies the scorpion. “If I sting you, we’ll both drown.”
Halfway across, the inevitable happens — the sting. As they both sink, the frog gasps, “Why? We’re both going to drown!” The scorpion just shrugs: “I couldn’t help it. It’s my nature.”
If you’ve spent enough time in academia, you’ve met a few scorpions. The ones who repeatedly engage in bad and destructive behaviors — the completely unnecessary, self-serving moves that undermine students, hurt collaborators, derail projects, and erode trust. Not because they had to be done. Not because there was no other option. But because, for some people, it’s their nature. They couldn’t help themselves.
The sociopaths among us
The scorpions you meet in academia are just one brand of academic sociopaths. Statistically, sociopaths make up a few percent of any population, and some argue they’re overrepresented among high-achieving academics. Bruno Lemaitre, the fly immunologist, wrote a provocative book about this An Essay on Narcissism and Science where he frames it as narcissism — slightly different perhaps, but overlapping with sociopathic traits. Lemaitre goes as far as to say it’s pervasive among successful scientists. I wouldn’t go quite that far. I know too many brilliant researchers who are also genuinely decent human beings with impeccable ethics.
So what are we talking about when we say “sociopath”? Someone with a total lack of empathy who sees people as tools, not colleagues or students. They fail to give credit to others, but are first in line to force their names onto other people’s papers. In academia’s toxic ecosystem, their manipulative behaviors thrive.
The confusing thing about sociopaths is that they’re often charming. Disarmingly so. They know how to flatter and cajole, to make you lower your defenses. They can be superficially appealing — until you start to notice the small, chilling behaviors that give you pause. And that’s when you realize: the charm wasn’t kindness. It was the setup before the sting.
Do yourself a favor — learn to spot them.
Academic poaching
I think #AcademicChatter needs a new hashtag. One we don’t talk about nearly enough: #AcademicPoaching. Have you ever been a victim?
Academic poaching is what happens when another PI (Group Leader in European parlance) flatters, charms, or cajoles your student or postdoc into doing work on their project — using your grant money, your lab time, and your mentoring — without ever crediting you. It’s a particularly insidious form of sociopathic behavior: manipulating people while erasing the contributions of colleagues who make the work possible.
You’ll notice the pattern. The offending PI suddenly has “private” meetings with your trainee. Drafts and data get discussed without you in the loop. Early abstracts and manuscripts circulate, but somehow your name is missing. And when the paper comes out? You’re a footnote at best, if you’re acknowledged at all.
I’ve seen this play out too many times with tenure-track and other vulnerable colleagues. I’ve also seen it happen to female colleagues. Somehow, a senior PI decides their lab members are fair game — as if their authority doesn’t count. They bypass the PI entirely, approach the students or postdocs directly, cajole them into side projects, even hand out tasks — all without ever consulting their boss. It’s predatory and calculated, and it often targets those perceived as less likely to push back.
And of course, it’s no surprise that the same PIs who poach other people’s trainees are the ones who muscle their way onto other people’s papers. See the trend?
How to deal with sociopaths?
Over time, I’ve converged on three points that help me deal with academic sociopaths:
- Learn and avoid. As the saying goes, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice… well, that’s on me. Pay attention to patterns and, whenever possible, avoid those with a track record of sociopathic behavior. Peace of mind often comes not from what you add to your life, but from what you avoid and remove. Toxic people should be the first to go. I know that’s easier said than done in the tight corridors of academia, but remember the scorpion in the fable — they will always sting.
- Don’t be quiet. Don’t compromise. Fight back and expose them. When challenged, these people often fold quickly. Beneath the bravado, they are usually spineless and evasive, because deep down they know: they have no empathy, and they rely on everyone else staying silent.
- Protect the vulnerable. Keep the interests of younger scientists and more vulnerable colleagues in mind. The power differential is often so steep they can’t defend themselves. Make sure they are shielded. And when they see you confront toxic behavior instead of tolerating it, they learn an even more valuable lesson: that it can be done, and that they can do it too.
There are many resources out there to help you spot and deal with sociopaths. Please share your favorite resources and I will add them to this post.
Acknowledgements
I’m grateful to the colleagues — good and evil — who inspired this post. The article was written with assistance from ChatGPT.
This article is available on a CC-BY license via Zenodo.
Cite as: Kamoun, S. (2025). Academic poaching: when other PIs steal your trainees. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16499897
