Mentoring philosophy:

Excellence through creativity, collaboration, and inclusivity

First and foremost, I aim to train scientists who are technically adept experimentalists. I believe that technical prowess and comfort pursuing new and challenging techniques provides trainees with a foundation for both asking and tackling truly innovative questions. As biomedical scientists, the ability to develop, execute, and troubleshoot complex assays is a cornerstone in our training and career development. Coupled with didactic learning, this “hands on” skill set provides us with the tools necessary to grow as “out of the box” thinkers and pursue more intellectually challenging and boundary-pushing projects. 

In recognizing that a training background in biomedical science provides a broad skill set with applicability beyond academia, I view facilitating the individual career goals of trainees as an important part of my responsibilities as a mentor. Expertise in project management, time management, critical thinking, and hypothesis-driven research/analysis are important components of scientific training at all career stages. I encourage trainees to pursue career development plans that align with the goals of the lab as well as their individual career goals. 

As a principal investigator, I aim to foster a lab environment focused on collaborative independence, where each lab member – from undergrad to postdoc – feels that they are an equal opportunity shareholder in the success of the lab. In practice, this means:

(1)  encouraging open discussion of both successes and failures at the bench and recognizing that “productive failure” is a valuable and integral component of high-risk/high-reward science

(2)  guaranteeing that each trainee has a unique project that they can own and drive

(3)  encouraging a flexible environment, where trainees collaborate to contribute expertise in aiding labmates’ progress

(4)  engaging regularly with trainees on a one-on-one basis to tailor training plans to individual career development goals

(5) ensuring that trainees have a safe, inclusive, and healthy working environment and feel comfortable seeking advice and feedback

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