In the corridors of academic institutions, amidst the hum of centrifuges and the scribbling of hypotheses on whiteboards, lies a responsibility that often goes unspoken and is sadly sometimes not valued as it should be by our most admired science heroes: ethical leadership. Take for example the recent resignation of Stanford’s president Marc Tessier-Lavigne over…
I’ve heard it countless times from my Six Sigma* Master: “Variance is the enemy.” Well, for the sake of simplicity, let’s call it “variability” today, even though it’s not exactly the same thing. We won’t delve into statistics here; we’ll keep it light for this blog post. Variability refers to unevenness, inconsistency, or deviation from…
Giving feedback is truly an art. It’s not just about following a set of rules or learning specific techniques; there’s much more to it. You have to: I know, these are plenty of “you have tos.” And that is why, when you can provide ongoing feedback without leaving a trail of scorched earth behind, you…
A couple of questions a lot of us research team leaders struggle with is: “What do I do when team members are underperforming?” or a variation thereof: “How do I motivate my team members to be more engaged?” And to those of you who are tired of being the cheerleader–we hear you! And yet, when…
When it comes to addressing performance in team meetings, there are often inherent challenges that both team leaders and team members face. The discomfort surrounding performance discussions can make finding the right words a difficult task. Nobody wants to insult or demotivate their team members. The goal is to help each individual to perform to…
I have individual meetings with my team members once a month and typically include summer students. When I asked the student about her project, I noticed she couldn’t quite articulate it. I had delegated supervising the student, let’s call her Terra, to a postdoc in my lab. I asked the postdoc, Anna, to join our…
In last week’s blog, I discussed the challenges you face as a new PI. These do not only apply to new PIs BTW. They are problems that many faculty face if they haven’t shifted gears. This week, we will share seven fundamental principles that will help you navigate your faculty role. Research informs us that…
You are an excellent researcher. Otherwise you wouldn’t have been given a lot of money, space, and the opportunity to lead a research program. And for having done whatever it took to get you here (likely a lot of research with a lot of trial and error and failure, a lot of persistence and resilience),…
In our previous blog post, we addressed the systemic issues afflicting academia, ranging from subjectivity and bias in merit evaluations to overemphasis on competition and narrow focus on metrics, to the disregard for teaching and service. This week, we delve into a series of countermeasures that could facilitate the transformation of the academic landscape. We…
The realm of academia, once held in high esteem as a fortress of knowledge and intellectual growth, finds itself grappling with a pressing issue—the pervasive mental health crisis and toxic culture that now permeate its hallowed halls. A growing number of faculty and students are finding the courage to speak out about the mounting levels…