# 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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).
11. 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.
12. 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.)
13. 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.
14. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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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