expectations
Below I’ve listed some of the things I expect of graduate students (PhD students) in my group and also things that they can expect from me. A subset of this expectations also applies to BSc and MSc Students. Having an understanding of our mutual expectations is key to the success of a graduate mentoring relationship. This is meant to be a dynamic document that will evolve over time with student input. So let’s start this conversation!
My expectations of graduate students
I expect that you will seek my advice on issues related to your
professional and academic development (like choosing classes,
TAships, research directions, funding opportunities, conferences)
and will seriously consider that advice.
I expect that you will use your own judgement about taking that
advice. For example, if I suggest a conference to you and after
looking at it, you honestly don’t think it looks up your alley, I
expect you to go with your gut and look for a different place to
present your research. Ultimately, it’s your graduate education and
you are the driver.
I expect that you will pursue research that has some overlap with
my expertise and interests. Otherwise, I will not be in a solid
position to mentor you and help you have success. If your interests
shift away from the themes of the lab, I expect that you will
inform me and we can discuss options.
I expect honesty from you. I will not judge you for not knowing
something or for breaking something in the lab; everyone has
different educational backgrounds and everyone breaks something
from time to time.
I expect you to be resourceful concerning my time and questions you
ask. Many things ‘stick’ better when you have to work through a
problem. And I don’t know all the answers anyway! So by all means,
ask questions, sometimes I’ll have an answer and sometimes I will
point you to fruitful paths for answering those questions.
I expect that you will respect my time as I respect yours. If we
have a meeting scheduled, I expect you to be on time or to let me
know if you will be late.
I expect you to be a full part of this lab community. Graduate
students are the lab members (besides me) with the longest terms
and are really the heart of the lab. So I expect you to be at lab
meetings (on time), to participate fully in those meetings (by
presenting, asking questions, bringing snacks when it’s your turn),
to come to lab social events, to take part in at least some of our
outreach events, to help us host visiting speakers, etc. I also
expect that you will be supportive of each other -- say hello to
your labmates, help (if you have time) when they ask, be welcoming
to newcomers, etc.
I expect you to tell me when you can’t do one of these things. You
should typically be juggling just as many things as I am and
sometimes have to say no. This is fine and I expect you to do this.
I expect that you will usually respond in a timely fashion (24 hrs
if during the work week) when I email or Slack you. I also expect
that you will tell me when you will be out of town for extended
periods, in case lab issues come up and we are looking for you. I
expect you to communicate these things via our shared calendar.
I expect you to contribute to communal activities especially
during infection experiments. This lessens the burden for all of
us and makes a safety net in case of emergencies (others can step
in for you).
I expect you to invest time in the success of the lab, not just in
your own research. Running a lab is a huge collective effort, and
we all contribute to our collective success. For example, you
might be the one to set up the lab meeting schedule, organize
hazardous waste pick-up, order supplies, refill the paper towels,
etc. No one does these things for us, so look around, see what
needs doing (and that others are probably doing for you) and pitch
in. I will know and I will appreciate your efforts.
I expect that you will discuss issues of authorship of
publications, presentations and talks with me before
presenting/submitting. Typically, PIs contribute intellectually
and monetarily to student projects and are listed as senior
authors. However, if a project did not involve my effort in these
ways, I would not expect authorship (and in fact if you do side
projects that don’t involve me, that’s great. But see #3 above.)
I expect you will actively pursue funds to support your research, even if it is in line with ongoing projects in the lab. This is easily one of the most important aspects of your training -- learning how to sell your ideas -- and it takes lots of practice. I expect you to start in your first year and to continue to apply as needed to support your work. Your success in garnering grants will also be one of the main features (beyond your publications) that any future employers will consider, at least in research-related careers. This does not mean that I won’t help with paying for your research -- but it does mean that I need to see that you are putting in effort to support yourself.
I expect you to mentor an undergrad (BSc or MSc) or internship students at least once during your tenure. If you are here in graduate school, there's a good chance that a graduate student mentored you while you were an undergrad, and this is the time to return the favor (and also to figure out if you want to advise students as part of your career). However, I expect you to keep an eye on your time and not donate it all to undergrad mentoring. It can be a hard balance, but that’s academia.
Your expectations of me:
You can expect to meet with me regularly (roughly weekly and
appointment). I think it’s important that you have regular
one-on-one time with me.
You can expect me to ask for your honest feedback about the lab,
your graduate experience, and your perception of me as a mentor. I
can’t improve anything that you don’t tell me about.
You can expect me to give you my honest feedback about your
progress. I am here to support you in every way possible and giving
you feedback is one of the most important ways to promote your
success. If you want to think of it this way, I am like the person
who will be brave enough to tell you that you’ve got spinach in
your teeth, but in an academic way.
You can expect me to provide timely feedback on your grants and
papers. A week turn-around time is fair unless it is particularly
gnarly.
You can expect me to listen to your concerns and help you solve
problems. Some problems need to be strong-armed and when that is
the case, I will gladly step in. It’s my job.
You can expect me to write letters of recommendation for you, given
advance notice. Please give me one week lead time because I need to
find a 3-4 hour block of time to write you a good letter. Please
also give me all the information concerning the required scope of
the letter (i.e. what does the funding body want to fund) so I can
focus my evaluation of yourself accordingly. You can do the latter
by supplying a draft (i.e. also includin the address it has to be
sent to etc. which will save me time). This draft will not
interfere with my honest evaluation of yourself.
You can expect me to help you network. I will write emails to
introduce you to people in the field and I will connect you to
people at meetings. I will also guide you in knowing what to expect
from these interactions (having an ‘elevator speech’, asking them
questions.). These things are more important than you think in
getting a position after your degree.
You can expect me to work very hard with you on your posters and
talks. These are your face to the research community and if the
audience is giving you their time, you want to make the most of
it. So I will give you my time to make your talk or poster
effective and engaging.
You can expect me to keep a rough eye on your timeline. Ultimately,
you are responsible for making sure you hit the deadlines, but I
will help you plan things out so that events like your third
semester exam don’t ‘sneak up’ on you.
You can expect me to help you find funding sources. I will send
you all sorts of opportunities and you will decide what to pursue.
You can expect me to work as hard toward your success as you
do. The harder you push, the harder I will push to help.
You can expect me to ensure that you have a safe and supportive
environment in which to work. If you have any concerns about the
climate in the lab, I want to know as soon as possible. In this
context, it’s important to know that, as a faculty member, I am a
mandatory reporter, which means I must report any instances of
harassment or abuse. However, all information remains confidential
unless you chose to release it.
You can expect me to provide a model of professionalism in
academia, and you can look to me for guidance on issues related to
conflicts of interest, equity and fairness, ethical research, and
mentoring.
You can expect me to help you find other resources and other
mentors when you need additional support beyond my abilities.
Disclaimer
These expectations are (not so) specific to me (a first start for this actually copy-pasted from http://www.colorado.edu/smithlab/all-about-expectations but apply amazingly well), but additionally expectations of graduate programs apply if you are eventually enrolled in one. See the graduate program guidelines especially about TAC meetings and annual progress reports specifics. These guidelines might additonally cover things like course work, publication rate, conference attendance, teaching, etc.
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