Big Picture
Science is hard. But it’s also fun. In Geoelements, we want to make sure that everyone experiences a positive, engaging, hostility-free, challenging, and rewarding research environment. To maintain that environment, we all have to do a few things.
- Work on what you’re passionate about, work hard at it, and be proud of it. Be so proud of it that you have to suppress bragging (but it’s ok to brag sometimes).
- Scientists have to be careful. Don’t rush your work. Think about it. Implement it. Double and triple check it. Incorporate sanity checks. Ask others to look at your code or data if you need help or something looks off. It’s ok to makes mistakes, but mistakes shouldn’t be because of carelessness or rushed work.
- If you do make a mistake, you should definitely tell your collaborators (if they have already seen the results, and especially if the paper is being written up, is already submitted, or already accepted). We admit our mistakes, and then we correct them and move on.
- We all want to get papers published and do great things. But we do this honestly. It is never ok to plagiarize, tamper with data, make up data, omit data, or fudge results in any way. Science is about finding out the truth, and negative and unexpected results are still important. This can’t be emphasized enough: no academic misconduct!
- Support your fellow teammates. Help them out if they need help (even if you aren’t on the project), and let them vent when they need to. Science is collaborative, not competitive. Help others, and you can expect others to help you when you need it.
- Respect your fellow teammates. Respect their strengths and weaknesses, respect their desire for quiet if they need it, and for support and a kind ear when they need that. Respect their culture, their religion, their beliefs, their sexual orientation.
- If you’re struggling, tell someone (feel free to tell Krishna!). Your health and happiness come first. The group looks out for the well-being of all its members. We are here to help. It’s ok to go through hard patches (we all do), but you shouldn’t feel shy about asking for help or just venting.
- If there is any tension or hostility in the group, something has to be done about it immediately. We can’t thrive in an environment we aren’t comfortable in, and disrespect or rudeness will not be tolerated in the lab. If you don’t feel comfortable confronting the person in question, tell Krishna. In any case, tell Krishna.
- If you have a problem with Krishna and are comfortable telling him about it, do! If you aren’t comfortable, then tell a geotech professor (for smaller issues) or the department chair (for more serious issues).
- Stay up to date on the latest research, by using RSS feeds, Google Scholar Alerts and/or getting journal table of contents.
- Remember the lab philosophy: “We like to do good science and have fun”. Have a life outside of the research is important, take care of your mental and physical health, and don’t ever feel bad for taking time off work.
Small Picture
There are a few day-to-day things to keep in mind to keep the group running smoothly.
- Plan your activity every week and make sure your tasks are upto date on Asana. Provide weekly status updates on Asana.
- Attend all status update meetings and offer text updates, when you can't make it in person/virtuallgt.
- If you’re sick, stay home and take care of yourself. Because you need it, and also because others don’t need to get sick. If you’re sick, reschedule your meetings and participants for the day (or the next couple of days) as soon as you can.
- You aren’t expected to come into lab on weekends and holidays, and you aren’t expected to stay late at night. You are expected to get your work done (whatever time of day you like to do it).
- Show up to your meetings, show up to run your participants, show up to your classes, and show up to group meetings. You do not have to be in at 9am every day – just show up for your commitments, and work the hours you need to work to get stuff done.
- Make sure the door to the lab is locked if no one is inside. Turn off the lights if you’re the last one leaving for the day.
- Keep the lab tidy. Eating in lab is fine, but clean up food waste, crumbs, spills. Keep common areas uncluttered.
- Be on time for your meetings: respect that others have packed days and everyone’s time is valuable.
- Be considerate to others and their space. Do not have loud conversations or video calls in the lab.
All of the above, and I promise to also...
- Support you (scientifically, emotionally, financially)
- Give you feedback on a timely basis, including feedback on project ideas, conference posters, talks, manuscripts, figures, and grants.
- Be available in person and via Slack on a regular basis, including regular meetings to discuss your research (and anything else you’d like to discuss).
- Give my perspective on where the lab is going, where the field is going, and tips about surviving and thriving in academia.
- Read everything you write (from summary of litreature review, code, to your papers and dissertations).
- Support your career development by introducing you to other researchers in the field, promoting your work at talks, writing recommendation letters for you, and letting you attend conferences as often as finances permit.
- Help you prepare for the next step of your career, whether it’s a post-doc, a faculty job, or a job outside of academia.
- Care for your emotional and physical well-being, and prioritize that above all else.
All of the above, and you will also be expected to...
- Develop and lead your own research projects, aligned with the group's goals and your career objectives.
- Publish high-quality papers in peer-reviewed journals and represent the lab professionally at academic events and contribute to the group's overall research output and reputation.
- Actively pursue funding opportunities, including writing grant proposals and fellowship applications.
- Mentor graduate and undergraduate students, providing guidance on research projects and career development.
- Contribute to the intellectual atmosphere of the lab by participating in discussions, suggesting new research directions, and staying current with literature.
- Seek opportunities for professional development and work towards becoming an independent researcher.
- Collaborate with other lab members and researchers outside the lab to foster interdisciplinary research.
All of the above, and you will also be expected to...
- Develop your dissertation research. Your dissertation should have at least 3 substantial research work that answers a big-picture question. Much of your work has to be done independently, but remember that others in lab (especially Krishna!) are there to help you when you need it
- Help mentor undergraduate students in the lab when they need it – either because they ask, or because I ask you to. Undergrads can also help you with research and data analysis.
- Present your work at departmental events, at other labs (if invited), and at conferences
- Apply for grants (e.g., NSF grants). It’s a valuable experience, and best to get it early.
- Think about what you want for your career (academia – research or teaching, industry, science writing, something else), and talk to Krishna about it to make sure you’re getting the training you need for that career
- Make sure you meet all departmental deadlines (e.g., for your exams and thesis) -- and make sure Krishna is aware of them!
- Prioritize time for research. Coursework and TAing are important, but ultimately your research gets you your PhD and prepares you for the next stage of your career.
- Write as frequently as possible. Writing is a way to think, write everything from methods to your insights. Ask for feedback frequently.
- Work on most important task for the day (planned ahead).
- Update individual tasks on Asana.
- Track how much time you spend on each task and ensure you have spend quality productive time on your project.
- Write a short summary of the task you have completed at the end of the day.
- Plan the most important task you want to complete the next day. This way you start the day working on the most important task, rather than spending time on planning.
- Attend our weekly group lunch meetings.
- Update your project status on Slack in #status-updates channel.
- Update the Asana project status at the end of the week (Fri/Sun).
- At the end of the week, review last week and plan tasks and goals for next week.
- Meet with Krishna at least once a week.
- Plan the papers you will be writing this quarter.
- Discuss with Krishna and other graduate students what courses to take this semester. Register for the course.
- Check if your funding has been applied, if not let Krishna know.
- Complete any HR forms related to being a UT student.
- At least once a semester meet with Krishna to have a Mentor-Mentee 360. You can discuss any topic of your choice with Krishna.
- Y1: Complete your Qualifying exam at the end of Y1. Apply for candidacy and have a rough idea of your dissertation project.
- Y2: Aim to write at least 1 Journal Paper (or 2 conference papers) at the end of Y2. Select a comprehenisve exam committee.
- Y3: At the end of Y3, you should have at least 2 journal papers. Mid-Y3 - organize your PhD comprehensive exam.
- Y4: Have at least 3 journal papers -> Submit your PhD thesis as a collection of journal articles -> Defend -> Graduate! (congratulations).
All of the above, and you will also be expected to...
- Assist other members in the group with running analysis (unless you are working on your own independent project under the mentorship of another team member, in which case you should work on that)
- Develop your weekly schedule by talking to your graduate student mentor. You should be coming in every week, and scheduling enough time to get your work done
- If you are earning course credit for research, you must also attend group meetings when your schedule permits, present at one of these meetings, and submit a write-up of your research by the end of the semester