Laboratory

philosophy

Main goal

The main goal of the laboratory is to maintain an environment where science and people thrive. We advance scientific knowledge by doing cutting-edge research on innate-like T cells and their role in various diseases. We aim to translate such knowledge into innovative diagnostics/therapies that have the potential to improve human lives. We advance researcher careers by providing an engaging, collaborative, supportive, friendly, yet challenging work environment where all members can grow and realize their potential.

Responsibilities of the laboratory members

• Aim for excellence: (a) Science: Make a serious effort to advance science: learn as much as you can, search for the information you need, take ownership of your project, and push it forward with your own ideas. Excellence and mastery do not come without dedication and intrinsic motivation. Think before you act: productivity requires both hard work and thoughtful planning and design (i.e. think, ask, discuss, use your peer and mentor as resources, prepare your reagents, make necessary reservations). Follow the protocols and SOPs and do not change them or the laboratory routines without approval. All work you do in the laboratory must be recorded, written in great detail and in a clear manner so that you (or your colleagues, successors) in 2-3 years can understand what you did, how, when, why, and what you noticed. This ensures that no experimental effort is wasted and all information is available for troubleshooting and improving the experimental design. (b) Career development: Stay realistic and humble about your strengths and weaknesses and develop realistic goals and SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timely) steps to improve. Seek the help and resources you need to do so. Being a scientist is not a degree or a job title, but a state of mind. As such, research is not a 9-5 job (e.g. work in the laboratory on weekends is not expected yet might be required at times) and there is always work to be done. Therefore, flexibility is both a requirement and a perk in science. However, beyond crunch times, being a workaholic is not desirable. A good work-life-balance and time off are required for your mental health and to stay creative (as everywhere in life, quality beats quantity).

• Stay professional: We aim for a productive, collaborative, and friendly atmosphere. This does not mean that your coworkers need to be your friends, but rather that they are not your enemies and that everyone can work productively with everyone. To achieve this, everyone needs to interact professionally and this depends on the behaviour of everyone. The quality of your experience here depends to a large part on you. (a) Be kind: Be considerate of others, respectful of their talents, needs, and points of view, patient with their weaknesses, and do not disrupt or distract their focus by noise or profanity. Be respectful and courteous in your interactions. We expect high ethical standards, towards the work (don’t lie, steal, or cheat) and the coworkers (i.e. a strict ‘no-gossip policy’, no disrespectful or hurtful comments directly or behind the back). Address laboratory or personal issues early on, before they fester and as long as you can still do so in a friendly and courteous manner. If tempers flare, take a ‘time-out’. If it is helpful, ask the PI to mediate. Certain issues (e.g. project definitions and overlaps, collaborations with other laboratories, authorship and its order) should always involve the PI. (b) Be supportive: Venturing into the unknown is a challenging endeavour. We are stronger together and collaboration greatly facilitates the progress of research. Every success in the laboratory helps you to succeed. Ask for help freely and kindly, without disrupting the work of others and show consideration for their time and effort. When you are asked for help, respond with courtesy and willingness to share your knowledge and expertise. If you cannot help immediately, let the other person know when you are able to do so. If you are able to support someone else’s project, please offer your help. We are all learners and experts in different fields. Discussions and informal brainstorming are the source of many insights, ideas, and creative solutions. Everyone can contribute meaningfully; share your knowledge, thoughts, and ideas. (c) Amend: Anyone learning something new makes mistakes. The goal is to prepare well and to learn from your mistakes. Take responsibility for your mistakes (don’t hide them) and proactively repair what can be repaired. Apologies for your mistakes, learn from them and do your best not to repeat them. Such a professional approach allows everyone in the laboratory to work productively with everyone else irrespective of the involved personalities.

• Look out for the laboratory: A major responsibility of all lab members is to the laboratory itself. The laboratory does not belong to the PI, it is your lab too and its quality depends also on what you make out of it. If you notice something, say something; reorder/restock right away (so no one is left without a critical reagent in the middle of their experiment); be safe and make the laboratory safe. Don’t waste resources; plan ahead, work smarter, not harder. When you use a piece of equipment or laboratory space, leave it as you wish to find it. Sharing laboratory duties makes everyone’s life easier. Be sure you understand your duty and be sure that you do it well, diligently, and in a timely fashion.

• Meetings: Regular laboratory meetings are essential to exchange information, discuss lab-wide business, clarify issues, and provide support and feedback, and all research personnel are expected to attend in full. Every participant has an important set of responsibilities: (a) the presenters are responsible for putting together a thoughtful, clear, well-organized, and appropriately illustrated and self-explanatory presentation (with introduction and outlook); and for dealing with input and suggestion with a rigorous but open mind; (b) the other lab members are responsible for listening actively, thinking rigorously about the project under discussion, voicing their opinions and suggestion in a constructive, courteous, and helpful manner with a wording that is understood by the least experienced/knowledgeable individual in the room; everyone is responsible for asking questions when they do not understand something (we all learn from questions, even if we think we know the answer). All communication is in English and all information shared during the lab meetings (scientific or personnel) is confidential. The participation of laboratory members at scientific meetings and conferences is encouraged but depends on the funding situation. However, all research personnel can expect to spend time in the laboratory of one of our European partners during a secondment.

• Hobby project: During the last two years of their thesis, PhD students and post-doctoral fellows are encouraged to develop a ‘hobby’ project. This can be any topic of their interest (as long as it is at least loosely related to the work of the laboratory) and 10-15% of their time can be committed to this. However, there are a few requirements: (i) the experiments cannot be too expensive, (ii) the project needs to be discussed ahead of time with the PI; and, most importantly, (iii) there needs to be a clear path towards failure ahead of time and agreed upon (i.e. how to get to the key experiment(s) asap, when to stop).

• Leaving the laboratory: Organize your lab notebook/notes and data and give these to the PI. Catalogue your portable reagents and hand them offer to someone else. Clean your workspaces and remove anything that cannot be reused or that is personal, things that can be reused should be handed over to someone. Provide the PI with your forwarding contact information (and update those when needed).

“Why is there always enough time to do it again, but never enough time to do it right the first time?”

“Chance favours the prepared mind” Louis Pasteur

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” Seneca (opportunities are often disguised as challenges, setbacks, or even failures)

Additional responsibilities of the PI

• Maintaining the laboratory: The main duty of the PI is to acquire/provide the resources to support the laboratory’s main goal and to allow the research and career development to proceed. As a scientific advisor, the PI shall provide a professional learning environment that supports all laboratory members to develop as researchers and prepare them for successful careers in the academic, private, or public sectors.

• Being a mentor: The PI aims to be not just a scientific supervisor, but also a mentor who supports the personal development of the laboratory members where he can. Although he has a direct personality, this is based on the best intentions and the strong belief that constructive criticism/feedback is an intense form of attention and an essential part of deliberate practice and achieving excellence. As such, the PI has an ‘open door policy’: see the PI whenever you need help, or would like some changes, or need things differently (different people have different requirements to perform at their best). The mentor-mentee interaction is work in progress and requires learning from both sides. As such, “Help me to help you!” and be proactive about any problems, issues, and expectations that cannot be fulfilled or on time. Learn how to become a good mentee (i.e. how to get the best out of your mentor) and request the support you need.

• Special agreements with senior scientists (post-doctoral fellows and visiting scientists) bringing their own grant funding (i.e. not fellowships) to the laboratory: On publications resulting mainly from the work done in the laboratory via the scientists-funded project, s/he and the PI will both be corresponding authors. If the first author is supervised by the scientist, then the scientist will be the last author (with the PI contributing equally as second to last). If another person is the first author, the two last-author positions (as corresponding authors) are negotiable. Any material produced during the project and any project ideas resulting from the scientist’s funded project, which is mainly done in the laboratory, can be taken by the senior scientist when s/he moves on to another academic position. However, the PI reserves the right to keep an aliquot (etc.) of the material(s) and to continue working on related topics on his own. Should the scientist leave academia, the resulting materials and ideas remain entirely with the PI. Patents/licenses resulting from senior scientist-funded projects, which are done mainly in the laboratory, will be shared equally (if not negotiated otherwise).

What we expect from people joining our laboratory

That you embrace and follow this laboratory philosophy and that you are willing to contribute significantly to our research and laboratory environment. Good English (written and orally) is essential.

• The aims of an MSc (2-2.5 years): (a) to learn the scientific method and critical thinking; (b) to run a small scientific project, including to troubleshoot and optimize the experimental design; and (c) to become knowledgeable in immunology. Seize opportunities to write and present often and early.

• The aims of a PhD (4-5 years): (a) to master the scientific method and critical thinking; and (b) to gain the knowledge, expertise, and understanding to be able to push forward the frontiers of knowledge on your own. To be able to take the qualifying exam you need to convince the PI that you can finish successfully.