Hey everyone, sorry this is my first thread (sorry in advance if it’s messy or I don’t type well). I’m 38, doing a PhD at a university in Chiang Mai. My main work is research and teaching. I’ve been feeling confused about the atmosphere in our research room for the past two months so I want to vent and get some advice from you folks.

Before this it was super chill. People talked loud sometimes, joked around, sometimes we ate together in front of the faculty. Mornings around 6:30 I usually stop by the street stall at the soi entrance and order khao kua gai with a fried egg — so good, seriously. There was laughter, blue pens smudging on sticky notes, work moved fast, problems got fixed directly. We’d sit as a team; if someone got stuck, people would sit and help for like fifteen minutes and then carry on.

But for the last two months someone new joined as a post-master researcher and there’s a government admin cut in to help with paperwork, and the vibe changed slowly but noticeably. It’s like there are new unwritten rules no one told us about, but everyone started following them. I’m not great at explaining but it’s seriously weird.

Meetings changed. Agenda items look shorter but everything got way more formal. The room went quiet. Before if someone put up a rough slide everyone would comment right away, but one day the newcomer said, “Send the draft in one go and the admin will type it up,” and everyone fell quiet. Nobody asked for details. The silence was tangible.

Internal emails changed too. We used to send short notes like “Lab meeting tomorrow at 10.00 — anyone got points?” Now if you send that someone will reply with a long message like “Please provide a one-page summary by 17:00 so the admin can prepare,” and there’s an attachment. We spend about half an hour preparing it but everyone’s schedule is packed. Some things could be settled in a quick meeting — done, done — but now it’s all slower.

I’ve been doing research for years but now I feel like I’m being micromanaged. A little tense but more tired. Is this just an unreasonable change or am I overthinking? Weird. Some people are starting to be afraid to ask straight questions, worried they’ll be seen as clueless, even though some things are normal experimental stuff.

One time I suggested a small tweak to a subproject to maybe get more data, but the new person said, “Don’t change the plan now — follow the protocol first.” I was a bit irritated but tried to explain at length and in the end I did a mixed approach quietly in my head. Awkward and uncomfortable, but I don’t want to be the antagonist or the stubborn one in the lab.

Some nights I’m working until 23:10 at the library, half a cold coffee, thinking I want to talk to colleagues to clear this up but I’m worried if I raise it it’ll become a big deal. The room has young master’s students in their early twenties and a couple of slightly strict professors. I’m 38 — should I stick to how I’ve always been, or adapt and let the quiet vibe flow? Or am I just worrying too much? Maybe it’s normal when the team changes. But after eating with friends at the faculty and hearing the same thing it’s getting heavier. I don’t want research to turn into bureaucracy because sometimes you need a bit of fun and reckless creativity to get ideas.

So should I talk directly with the PI about keeping a relaxed atmosphere, or should I adapt and wait for the new people to settle in? Is there a gentle way to encourage everyone to ask more questions without stirring up trouble? I’m so confused like half joking half mad haha lol.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts. I want to hear from people who’ve experienced changes like this in a workplace or lab — what did you do? Be straightforward professionally, or adjust slowly?

P.S. Sorry again if this is long T_T