This is a working document created to establish best practices for lab interactions and culture. The goal, as I see it, is to clearly lay out my expectations for behavior within the lab in an effort to encourage an inclusive lab culture.
If you have suggestions for this document -- whether you are inside the lab or not -- feel free to suggest them by filing an issue or by issuing a pull request. Much of this document is based on other documents (see footer for sources).
Science is tough, and it's easy to get down about the barrage of rejections or challenges. However, it's also pretty great, and the list below is designed to make sure it has the potential to be great for everyone.
Unacceptable behavior includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of discussions, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. We do not tolerate harassment or discrimination by and/or of members of our community in any form.
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Be kind to yourself. Be mindful of your limits, and do not exhaust yourself.
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Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other contributors.
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Behave professionally. Remember that harassment and sexist, racist, or exclusionary jokes are not appropriate.
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Please make an effort to make an inclusive environment for everyone. Give everyone a chance to talk and an opportunity to contribute.
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All communication - online and in person - should be appropriate for a professional audience including people of many different backgrounds. Sexual or discriminatory language and imagery is not appropriate at any time.
This is a tricky one, but it doesn't have to be. My door will always be open, as well as my email inbox. Lab members are encouraged to talk to me about any issues. All communication will be treated as confidential.
However, if lab members do not feel comfortable discussing issues with me or people within the lab, LSU offers conflict resolution through the Office of the Ombudsperson.
Researchers in the Dallas lab are expected to be present in the lab from 9am - 5pm. However, this is flexible depending on the personal schedules of lab members. The 9-5 workday concept was instilled in me by my PhD advisor, whose work-life balance is ridiculously good (in my opinion). The idea is that in order to foster communication and interaction among lab members, having people together in the lab during the workday is useful. Further, it allows a slightly more clear separation between work time and personal time. I am not the master of work-life balance by any means, but treating research like a job with clear hours has helped me draw boundaries in the allocation of my time. That being said, if lab members feel that they cannot abide by the 9-5 schedule, they are encouraged to come talk to me.
The lab space belongs to everyone. I expect that lab members will respect the space and other members utilizing this space. As a member of the lab, I will ensure that you have access to the resources you need to do your best science. This means that you will be issued a:
- lab notebook
- computer
- desk space
This list is not exhaustive, and more information is available in the mentoring.md file in this repo.
Please contact Tad Dallas if you have any questions or concerns.
The material in this document is inspired by and derived from "Bahlai Lab Project Management" by Dr. Christie Bahlai and the Bahlai lab team, "Whitaker Lab Project Management" by Dr. Kirstie Whitaker and the Whitaker Lab team, used under CC BY 4.0, and Tim Poisot's Lab Code of conduct, used under CC BY 4.0.