Welcome
Hi! Welcome to the Vásquez lab! This page is designed to give you a an idea of how the Vásquez lab operates and what it values. Below are some excerpts from our lab’s handbook.
I developed this lab handbook as a guide for new and current Vásquez lab members. The goal of this handbook is to provide resources and be a general guide towards fostering an inclusive scientific environment that values scientific excellence and personal development so that all lab members can thrive. This handbook is always a work in progress, we evaluate it quarterly.
This handbook is inspired and adapted by several other handbooks and lab manuals from the Schweppe Lab, Nichols Lab, O’Brien Lab, Barber Lab, Aly Lab, and beyond (read: conversations with others, twitter threads, and so on).
Values
We believe that anyone can and should be a scientist. To this end we believe that it is the responsibility of the entire academic community to take persistent actions that work towards a community that is truly welcoming and works towards the advancement of all individuals. One way to foster an environment of inclusion is to codify and provide guidelines for lab norms and expectations (this document is a start!).
The Vásquez lab does not tolerate harassment of other members in any form. We are dedicated to providing a harassment-free and welcoming environment for everyone regardless of gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, race, national origin, physical appearance, body size or religion.
Lab member expectations and responsibilities
We *all* want to do good science and have fun along the way. To do so we need a few guidelines of expectations and responsibilities so that we’re all on the same page. Academia can be a flexible environment – this is a trait that cuts both ways, it can allow for freedom to think and explore new and exciting ways to work but left unchecked it can leave people feeling unsure of what they are supposed to accomplish and how.
For everyone
The following applies to anyone who works in the Vásquez lab:
- Do work that you are excited about and that you are proud of. If you feel that your work does not meet these standards, let’s work together to find a solution.
- Be careful and double-check your work. We are conducting cutting-edge science, which can sometimes be complicated (see: Uri Alon’s concept of “the cloud), and yield complex results. Plan ahead, take your time, scrutinize your work, and ask for help!
- Be supportive of your lab mates! We are an inclusive team and science is a collaborative endeavor. Ask if you can help your lab mates if you see them struggling and share your knowledge (new protocol, thinking through testing a new hypothesis, they need to vent, etc.). Ask for help if you are struggling!
- Respect each other. Respect your lab mates’ strengths, weaknesses, differences, and beliefs and help to maintain an atmosphere of inclusion in the lab.
- Participate! All lab members are expected to attend lab meetings and be active participants. We will also have regularly scheduled one on one and/or subgroup meetings (where applicable).
- Stay up to date on research and post interesting and/or relevant articles in the #papers channel! Check the drive resources for more information on how to find interesting literature!
- Apply for funding that you are eligible for. This doesn’t mean to apply for everything you are eligible for or that you have to be awarded funding but that you should apply. The act of preparing an application is useful for you and training for your career (academic or otherwise). I will try to highlight opportunities and you should also alert me to different opportunities and we can discuss together whether this is one that makes sense for you to apply for based on your project and current (lab) life.
- Find balance. Academia is different from other jobs – but it is still a job. Treat coming into the lab with the same respect that you would have in any other position and take the time to enjoy time outside the lab. I do not expect you to be in the lab all night or on weekends on a regular basis, if you feel like your experiments are requiring you to do one or both of these please let me know so we can talk about different strategies to avoid or mitigate this lifestyle. Sometimes your experiments will necessitate staying late or coming in on weekends – work to find a balance. Talk to me if you have questions. I expect you to take time off for vacations, practice self-care, prioritize your health (physical and mental), family reasons, religious observances, and other events relevant and important to you.
For the PI
Expect me to abide by all of the above, in addition, you can expect me to:
- Establish and maintain a vision of where the lab is going
- Apply for and secure funding necessary to keep the lab going
- Support you as a whole person
- Give you feedback in a timely manner on your project, manuscript, figures, poster, talks, grants, etc. Timeline depends on the type of feedback and the deadline. Please remind me about deadlines, tell me what a good turnaround time would be for you.
- Meet with you regularly to discuss your research projects. What regularly means may change over time pending on the project and/or your needs. For now, the default is once per week.
- Be available in person and online. My availability is not limited to scheduled meetings, please ping me or stop by my office whenever the door is open for an ad hoc meeting. I like chatting with you all, and you do not have to save up for our weekly meetings.
- Work with you to develop a mentoring and research plan tailored to your interests, needs, and goals.
- Share my own perspectives on academia and issues related to professional development.
- Support your career development by introducing you to other researches in the fields, writing recommendation letters, attending conferences, and promoting your work in talks.
- Care about you as a whole person (not just a scientist). If there are any circumstances that are inhibiting your progress or development, I am happy to discuss them with you and provide resources – but the choice to share and how to share is entirely up to you.
There are additional expectations depending on role (undergraduate student, graduate student, research scientist, and postdoc)
Meetings
Weekly lab meetings & journal club
We have a weekly joint lab meetings with the Kwon Lab. Most often these lab meetings are an informal opportunity for lab members to present their work. Sometimes we will use this time (or ad-hoc scheduled meetings) to give practice talks, receive feedback, and prepare for upcoming presentations.
We hold a weekly journal club. We have a few different formats that include discussing an article, sharing skill(s), and so on.
Individual meetings
At the beginning of each quarter we will set a schedule for weekly one-on-one meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to be helpful to you and help you move forward with your project(s). That being said, the structure and frequency of these meetings can/will change depending on your and your project’s specific needs.
Working in the lab
Lab notebooks
You will have an electronic lab notebook. The format is up to you, but it is required to that you keep note of your experiments in a way that is readable and reproducible by others (especially when you are no longer in the lab). If you want or have questions about what to include and how to include it, please talk to me and others in the lab.
Cellies (Celebrations)
In this lab we celebrate birthdays with a treat, preprints with a treat, submissions with a treat! One day we may have specifications for these treats but for now they are all treats! See our news page for examples of recent celebrations.