Is it Unethical to Work in Two Labs at Once? I am a post-bac who is looking to gain some more experience doing psych research before applying to PhD programs in the fall. I am currently a lab manager at a cognition lab, but am essentially part-time until the fall due to COVID, so I have a bit of free time that I can dedicate to other things. As such, I went out looking for labs that I can volunteer a few hours at. I found one that piqued my interest, and after reaching out, I landed an interview. However, now I'm sort of worried that my other PI might get a bit upset, even though I'm only looking to volunteer until the end of the summer. I know working under two labs is technically not a taboo, but I don't know if doing something like this would be considered rude/unethical (since I am hired at one position and not the other)...
Unless there are real or perceived conflicts of interest there should be no ethical issue here. If the two labs are sufficiently distinct then conflicts are unlikely.
But, to protect yourself, you should let the PIs of both labs know of your work in the other. Don't try to hide it or questions might be raised.