Should I change my lab after working for one year on my project

[PhD victim]

Hello, I am in my second year of PhD but technically have been working on my real project for just one year. It is mandatory in my school to finish coursework in the first one year. So before moving abroad for my PhD I was supposed to join a particular lab but after joining the program I realized that the project I was told I will join has been discontinued. Left with very less options to choose from, I decided to join another lab. My professor seemed to be a nice person in the beginning but eventually I found out that she is very disorganized and fickle minded. The postdoc who works in her lab is very short-tempered but helpful when she is in a good mood. She is an experienced person and has taught me a lot but my professor doesn't like it if I consult with her about any experiment. My professor's disorganized nature makes her change plans and her decisions like sand dunes. This throws me off my timeline and goals and is delaying my progress. Half way through the experiment she asks me to stop everything. For the last one year I tried various means to adapt to her whimsical and fickle minded nature and even tried to tell her directly and indirectly that I find it hard to focus without a clear goal. I did not have the liberty to choose my project, nor to come up with a self-designed plan for the topic I was given. After designing a certain hypothesis for 2 months, I was told to follow what the previous grad student had done with some additions here and there. Whatever I suggest during our lab meeting is outright rejected by the post doc and my professor. I feel there is no freedom of suggesting things or deciding my course of action. If I ever design an experiment she doesn't even take a look at it. This is not letting me develop the skills that I need to learn in grad school. There is too much of micromanagement with respect to time and work and it is suffocating me. After working 7 days (roughly 9-7 per day) a week for 5 weeks, she tells me I need to spend more time in lab. I am expected to be inside the lab for strict number of hours each day. If I ever fall sick and need to take leave, I am interrogated thoroughly the next day. This suspicious attitude of my professor can be attributed to her cultural background. Things seem to work that way in her country. But it is getting on my nerves. I feel so depressed and disinterested every time I think about my work. I have 3 to 3.5 years left to complete my PhD. I am wondering if switching to a different lab will be a better option. Kindly suggest. I really need help to get out of this frustrating situation. 

[Aminoacidalanine]

It really sounds like you are in a tough situation, and it is unfortunate that some of these things you mentioned were not apparent when you made your selection of the program. From what I understand, here are some options (please know that these are mere suggestions based on the info you provided, and there could be other options that I am unaware of):

1) Switch advisors

Pro: you do not have to switch your program, and you can get similar training you intended to get when you started the program; this is a good option if there are other advisors doing research you are interested in; I would talk to maybe your department head/ombus person, whoever is in charge of this process

Con: you have to let your advisor know, and you will see this person probably multiple times during the rest of your degree; also some professors may be hesitant to take you in fear of breaking a good relationship with their colleague

2) Get a co-supervisor

Pro: you do not have to go through the hassle of switching your supervisor or program; again this is useful if there is someone else doing research you are interested in

Con: no co-supervisor will fully eliminate all of the struggles you are currently facing with your current advisor

3) Switch programs

Pro: the chances of you bumping into your advisor is slim; I would do this if there are other aspects of the program you are unsatisfied with and/or there is no other potential advisor in your program; there is an option of doing this after you finish the requirements for your masters degree, so you at least get a degree for it

Con: most of the courses you took at your initial program probably won't transfer, and also during the interview for your new programs, people will question why you switched programs in the first place; some advisors may be wary of this as they may take it as sign of your lack of fit for the program (unless you will be applying to a slightly different program)

This is a tough process. I hope my comment is helpful and I wish you the best of luck!