Clearly in the catbird seat, Nicolaou negotiated from a position of strength and chose a dream situation: two new labs, colleagues he respected at UC-San Diego, the opportunity to hire colleagues he wanted at Scripps, and, virtually, carte blanche to determine the direction of a new chemistry department at Scripps--on top, of course, of salary and benefits he describes as "very generous." Not bad.
Yet hammering out an agreement doesn't always go so smoothly; even impressive credentials and generous offers don't guarantee a positive end to a negotiation. Biosciences placement consultant Erwin Posner of Southfield, Mich., recalls a Johns Hopkins University professor he recruited for a position with a "deep-pocketed" major research firm. The scientist, late in negotiations, botched the deal by implying that the offer was only his second choice, says Posner: "He told them a pending [National Institutes of Health] grant would supersede their offer if it came ...
