Lab values and expectations

Our lab believes that people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives enrich the community and enhance the research in the lab.

Expectations for Graduate Students

Academic Responsibilities: Graduate students are expected to take primary responsibility for the successful completion of their degree. This involves collaborating closely with their research advisor to develop a thesis or dissertation project and select an appropriate committee. Regular weekly meetings with their mentor are crucial for updating on progress, discussing results, sharing new ideas, and addressing challenges. Students should communicate openly about skills they wish to master and their career goals. It's essential to be aware of and adhere to all policies, deadlines, and requirements set by their graduate programs. Responsiveness to advice and constructive criticism is key, as is proactive communication with the mentor when feeling overwhelmed or in need of assistance.

Team Participation: Active participation in the academic community is vital. This includes attending and contributing to all lab meetings and relevant seminars, giving these events full attention, and asking questions. Students are expected to be excellent lab citizens, which encompasses participating in shared responsibilities, using resources carefully, maintaining a clean and safe work environment, and interacting respectfully with all colleagues. Engagement in collaborations both within and beyond the research group is encouraged. Above all, students should treat all individuals they encounter in the academic environment with respect and professionalism.

Research Skill Development: This includes presenting work at meetings and seminars, preparing scientific articles to effectively communicate research findings, and regularly engaging with relevant literature. Maintaining detailed, organized, and accurate laboratory records is crucial. When possible, students should take opportunities to mentor and train other people in the lab. Developing strong scientific writing skills through timely submission of manuscript drafts and progress reports is an important aspect of graduate study. The goal is to become a well-rounded researcher capable of conducting and communicating high-quality scientific work.

​Communication: Effective communication is fundamental to success in graduate school. Students should provide advance notification to their mentor and lab members of any absences. A commitment to truthful reporting of experimental results is paramount, regardless of the outcome. Adherence to mutually agreed-upon deadlines is expected, with proactive communication if issues arise. Annual progress and goal-setting discussions with the mentor should include open dialogue about any concerns or dissatisfaction with the graduate student experience. Clear, honest, and timely communication helps maintain a productive and positive academic environment.

​Mentor's Responsibilities (for Shan and other mentors in the lab)

Mentors are expected to teach the scientific method, provide regular constructive feedback, guide lab members through the scientific journey, and promote their careers through appropriate opportunities. This role involves fulfilling several key responsibilities, including providing scientific training, guidance in responsible research conduct and ethics. Leading by example and serving as a role model is crucial in this mentorship role.

A significant part of a mentor's duty is to facilitate the training of lab members in the research skills necessary for a successful scientific career. These skills include understanding key scientific questions, designing experiments to address these questions, data interpretation, troubleshooting, oral and written communication, manuscript and grant writing, lab management, ethical conduct, and scientific professionalism. Mentors commit to dedicating substantial time to ensure trainees' scientific and professional development. This includes providing regular feedback through both positive feedback and constructive criticism to foster individual growth. 

Mentors play a crucial role in their students' publication process and professional visibility. This involves discussing authorship policies, acknowledging students' scientific contributions, and working collaboratively to publish their work in a timely manner before graduation.

Students and postdocs are encouraged to attend and present at scientific meetings to present their major findings, with mentors making efforts to secure and facilitate funding for such activities. Teaching trainees to communicate in an organized, comprehensive, and understandable way is another key responsibility. Mentors should act as advocates for their students, helping them navigate and solve problems that arise. This mentorship extends beyond the immediate academic program, with a commitment to lifelong mentoring that supports the student's ongoing professional journey.

General expectation for lab members:

Productivity: Productivity in the lab is defined by steady progress, ownership of projects, and efficient use of time. Lab members are expected to set clear short-term goals and deadlines, follow through on agreed-upon tasks, and communicate proactively about progress, challenges, or changing timelines. Experiments, analyses, and writing should be approached with rigor, organization, and reproducibility in mind, with appropriate documentation and version control. When progress slows, the expectation is to identify bottlenecks, read relevant literature, seek input from all available resources, and adjust plans. The goal is consistent forward momentum that supports high-quality science, collaboration, and professional growth.

Efficiency: It is important to work in a focused, organized, and strategic manner to maximize scientific progress. Run parallel experiments. Read papers, write, or analyze results while you wait for your experiment. Lab members are expected to plan experiments and analyses, batch related tasks when possible, come on time and prepared to meetings with clear questions or decisions needed, and avoid unnecessary rework by maintaining careful documentation and file organization. Time on shared equipment should be used responsibly, with schedules honored and cancellations communicated promptly. When tasks can be parallelized or streamlined, individuals are encouraged to do so and to seek guidance early if a workflow is inefficient. The goal is to minimize wasted effort and delays while maintaining rigor, reproducibility, and sustainability.

Communication: Clear, timely, and respectful communication is essential in the lab. Email should be used for formal requests, scheduling, and documentation, while Slack or messaging is appropriate for quick questions and updates; complex or sensitive issues should be discussed in person. Lab members are expected to acknowledge important messages and respond within one business day during weekdays, communicate early if deadlines or experiments may be delayed, and provide brief status updates when responsible for a task. If instructions are unclear or obstacles arise, ask for clarification promptly rather than guessing. A professional, direct, and respectful tone is expected at all times, with the goal of supporting transparency, accountability, and a productive lab environment.

Collaboration: Collaboration in the lab is built on mutual respect, openness, and shared responsibility for collective success. Lab members are expected to contribute constructively to discussions, share expertise and resources generously, and give and receive feedback from each other. Credit and authorship should be discussed transparently and early, with an emphasis on fairness and scientific contribution. When working on shared projects, responsibilities and timelines should be clearly defined, and progress should be communicated regularly. The goal of collaboration is to strengthen the quality of the science while fostering a lab culture that values teamwork, trust, and inclusion.