3 Expectations
Each one of us is on a different trajectory through life. We arrive to the lab with different histories, work towards different goals, and will leave with different sets of experiences. Thus, the exact nature of what it means to have had a “successful” time in the lab will differ from person to person. Nevertheless, there are a few expectations I have for everyone in the lab that I hope will help us establish a shared culture and lab vision, and to ultimately achieve our shared goals.1
1 If you feel that any of the expectations in this chapter are inconsistent with your values/outlook, or with how we can achieve success more generally, please (please!) discuss with Gaurav or propose a discussion topic for lab meeting!
3.1 Research expectations
Thematically, projects in our lab will generally center on questions about plant ecology/evolution, or on questions about the process of doing and teaching ecology. Given the value of integrating ideas, and results from theoretical, experimental, and observational approaches, I expect all lab members to develop expertise in each of these areas. In return, lab members can expect that I will provide the necessary resources and environment for developing such expertise.
3.1.1 Scope of research
Undergraduate students
When undergraduate students join the lab, you will initially be assigned to help with ongoing projects in the lab that are being led by a graduate student and/or postdoc. This period of working closely with a more senior lab member will help you learn the culture of our lab (and of ecology research more broadly), and will help you think about particular questions within plant ecology that might be most appealing to you. After a year working in the lab, you will be encouraged to develop ideas for an independent research project that fits then general types of work ongoing in the lab.
Graduate students
As discussed during recruitment meetings, I expect graduate students to take charge of defining both the general theme of your dissertation research, as well as the details of your dissertation chapters. That said, I recognize that achieving such independence takes time, and in fact can’t be achieved alone, and will always be available to support you in working towards this goal. In some cases, graduate students will be paid as RAs for a specific grant; in this case, please plan to spend 20 hrs/week on the specific project-related work. I will always work hard to offer RAships that match your dissertation theme.
Postdocs
The exact scope of postdoc work will depend on the source of funding, and will always be discussed with the individual postdoc both during recruitment and after starting in the lab (e.g. as part of the self assessment/evaluation exercise). In general, postdocs projects will be closely aligned with the major research themes in the lab, but I also strongly encourage postdocs to bring their own unique perspectives to our work. This has a number of benefits, including that will help us expand our own scope by learning new ideas/techniques, and that it will help you further define yourself as an independent scientist and prepare for the next step of your career (see thoughts on career mentorship for more on this).
3.1.2 Publications
Undergraduates
Undergrads who demonstrate sustained commitment to a project (i.e. helping on a given project for \(\geq\) 2 semesters) will generally be invited to participate as authors for any resulting publications. The exact details of what “sustained commitment” means will vary by project, and can be discussed with Gaurav and/or the graduate/postdoc mentor. Undergraduates who propose and carry out an independent research project will be encouraged to lead efforts in paper writing, and can expect sustained mentorship and support from the lab in this endeavor.
Graduate students
PhD students can expect to develop 3-5 dissertation chapters, each of which should result in a peer-reviewed publication (usually co-authored with Gaurav, but not strictly necessary). Our department’s PhD guidelines require that at least one of your dissertation chapters is fully published prior to your graduation, and whenever possible you should aim to have all of your chapters at least submitted by the time you graduate.
Postdocs
Postdocs should aim to lead at least 1 paper per year coming out of research in our lab. I also understand that postdocs might also be finishing up papers from previous positions, and ask that you communicate your plan for this work with Gaurav during self-assessment/evaluation checkins.
3.1.3 Collaborative projects outside of the lab
Throughout your career you will get lots of opportunities for working with researchers outside our group on collaborative projects. I encourage you to seriously consider such opportunities, as they will help you develop new skills and build a professional network beyond our lab.Before you commit your time to working on an “external” project, please share your plans with Gaurav so that we can discuss how this project fits in with your long- and short-term goals.
3.1.4 Lab notebook
Undergraduate students are required to maintain a physical or digital lab notebook throughout their time in the lab. If you prefer to maintain a physical notebook, the lab will provide one; if you prefer to maintain a digital lab notebook, please create a Google doc and share it with Gaurav.
Everyone else is expected to maintain a lab notebook in the format of a Quarto book. Please start your lab notebook using the provided lab notebook template. Before you are ready to start this lab notebook, you will have to set up a GitLab account and SSH. Then, you can follow the steps in the lab notebook index.
3.2 Graduate progress
Progress in graduate school is often nonlinear, and can never be the same for any two students. (This is why we do self-evaluations/checkins! To ensure that everyone is clear about their own unique paths). Nevertheless, the entry, progress, and exit checkpoints of graduate school can impose a considerable mental burden on students, and to help address this burden, this document lays out some guidelines to keep in mind as you progress through the years.
3.3 Work hours
I trust all members of the lab to be conscientious about setting your work hours and developing work habits in a way that enables you to progress towards the goals that we have discussed in our self reflection/evaluation conversations and in weekly meetings. In return, I ask that you communicate regularly and openly with Gaurav about your work hours/habits, including when you think that making adjustments to your working hours that will facilitate your progress. In general, please remember that my priority as an advisor is to help you achieve your professional goals, so you are always welcome to talk to me if you feel that something isn’t working.
3.3.1 Gaurav’s work hours
During the semester I expect to work from home for a few hours in the morning and on campus between ~10.30am-5pm. I will post a message in the lab discord on days when I have to be away from campus for extended periods.
Note: I often work on weekends, because this works for my lifestyle and tempo of work. This might include sending emails or messages on Discord. I definitely don’t expect you to respond to these immediately; please take your weekends off!
3.3.2 Undergraduate students
Most undergraduate students will be earning course credit (Biol 3999) and/or hourly pay while working in the lab. In either case, we will agree upon weekly time commitments at the beginning of each semester, and I ask that you stick to these throughout the semester. That said, I understand that some weeks might be especially hard due to course exams and other assignments. In these cases, please give me (and more importantly, any graduate student with whom you might be working) a heads up about such busy weeks. For example, check your exam schedule as soon as you confirm your classes, and if you know that you have 3 difficult midterms back-to-back in a given week, give us a heads up so that we don’t schedule a big lab push during the same week.
Note that lab activities like lab meetings, individual meetings with mentors in the lab, attending SEE seminars, and time spent driving to field sites (as well as any time you might spend preparing/cleaning up after field visits) all count towards working hours.
3.3.3 Graduate students
As mentioned above, I expect graduate students to set your own work hours towards the goals that we discuss together. I ask that you are you are generally present in the lab and are an active participant in formal and informal lab activities. If for any reason you need to be away from lab for an extended period, please discuss with Gaurav well in advance so that we can make sure that we can maintain open communication during this time. I encourage graduate students to take vacations when possible (I trust you to judge what this means, and to let me know of your vacation schedule as soon as you can).
At the same time I also encourage graduate students to acknowledge that during your grad career, there will likely be periods during which you have to put in long hours to ensure the success of your dissertation studies. Please feel free to communicate with Gaurav about ways in which we can support you through these intensive periods.
3.3.4 Postdocs
As mentioned above, I expect postdocs to set your own work hours (including days to work from home, etc.) towards the goals that we discuss together. I ask that you are you are generally present in the lab and are an active participant in formal and informal lab activities. If for any reason you need to be away from lab for an extended period, please discuss with Gaurav well in advance so that we can make sure that we can maintain open communication during this time. I encourage postdocs to take vacations when possible (I trust you to judge what this means, and to let me know of your vacation schedule as soon as you can; note that as full time employees at LSU, postdocs are contractually guaranteed 14 paid vacation days annually). The exact balance of work will change depending on various factors, but as a rough estimate, postdocs can aim to spend 60% of time on their primary research project, 20% of time contributing to the lab/department culture, and 20% of time on outside projects (e.g. finishing up PhD work, applying to future positions). I strongly encourage time-tracking as a way to maintain this balance and practice good time management.
3.3.5 Research staff
The time guidelines for research staff will vary based on exact project. In general everything written above applies to such positions: please ensure that your work schedule enables you to achieve the work goals that we discuss together, and that you communicate regularly with Gaurav about any expected or unexpected deviations. In general we will try to ensure that you don’t have to work on any weekends or University holidays, some work may be unavoidable (e.g. if an experiment needs daily watering). In such cases, please count these as 1.5x hours.
3.4 Lab events
3.4.1 Lab meetings
I expect all graduate students, postdocs, and research staff to actively participate in weekly lab meetings, whose exact timing will be determined at the beginning of each semester. These meetings will last ~1.5 hours. Undergraduate students are encouraged to join these meetings, but it is not required.
3.5 Department events
3.5.1 SEE seminars
I encourage graduate students and postdocs to attend as many weekly SEE seminars as possible. These seminars are always held at 1pm on Mondays in LSA 101. Please let Gaurav know if you consistently are unable to join seminars (e.g. because you need to be away from campus at that time every week). Lab members might also be interested in other departmental seminars, including those held on Friday afternoons in the Museum of Natural Sciences.