My values
I view mentorship as a research collaboration, where we have the mutual goal of advancing our knowledge and expertise. Success in research collaborations is dependent on shared interests and the ability to innovate. I have broad interests and curiosity, and I love to share my ideas. However, I recognize that diverse perspectives will make important contributions to my science, and I welcome others to share their own ideas. Our future success will be built by broadening participation in science, and I hope to be a leader in enhancing opportunities for all students and community members to benefit from the academic excellence of the University of Wisconsin.

What I hope to offer
One of the most exciting aspects of mentorship is supporting new scientists as they develop independence and their own interests. My goals are to help my mentees 1) increase their efficacy as scientists, and 2) develop the professional skills and experiences that will support their career interests. To achieve these goals, I make a long-term commitment to people in my lab, which entails providing timely advice and feedback, intellectual engagement, ethical practice, financial support, and a supportive, safe working environment.

What I Expect from Mentees
Mentees should take responsibility for their educational experience and professional development. I expect mentees to be intellectually engaged, to be organized, resourceful, and ethical, and to work well in a team. You will need to make it a priority to communicate openly about your work and the external factors impacting your work, and you will need to pursue opportunities outside of the lab that benefit your career. This will include teaching experience, grantsmanship, and outreach, primarily, but may include other goals that I would like to help you achieve.

Lab Practices
Graduate degree requirements: I ask students to learn about the requirements in their program and take responsibility for ensuring those requirements are met. We should discuss plans for coursework, committee formation, research presentations and reports, conference travel, field work, and student mentoring, as these activities are tied closely to your research. I also encourage you to pursue collaborative research outside the lab, outreach opportunities, and other professional development activities, but it is helpful if I am informed about these efforts, and we agree that timely progress towards your graduate degree is your first priority.

Meetings: Students should expect to meet as needed to advance their research and careers. However, we will both become busy throughout the year, and we will need to ensure that we use our time effectively. I ask that my mentees meet with me regularly during the semester, and in advance of the meeting I recommend that you:
a) Develop and share your agenda
b) Summarize progress or pitfalls since our last meeting
c) Create a shared record of our meeting notes so that we both know what was discussed.

We will also meet regularly as a lab group, and attendance is expected. If you are unable to attend, it is respectful to explain your absence in advance of the meeting.

Record-keeping: Work conducted in the lab needs to be well documented so that the resulting data can be used by others. I expect students to maintain comprehensive digital and/or paper notebooks of their research, and to back up digital data to the cloud. Laboratory specimens should be labeled and organized, and spreadsheets should be generated to track those specimens.

Time management, hours and vacation: I do not track hours or have set expectations for minimal hours per day/week. I try to remain flexible to accommodate your work habits, especially if they involve remote work, unusual hours, or periods of leave related to health and well-being. But please communicate about your plans and work habits, so that I can understand how you are using your time. Time management is a very difficult thing for all of us to manage. Many of us will take on more than we can accomplish, so we need to set priorities and manage our commitments.

I expect you to be productive in the lab and to accomplish your research goals as a priority for being a graduate student. Being paid as an RA/TA/PA means you are an employee and therefore expected to work regular hours, with vacation period restricted to holidays and accumulated paid leave (Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures). Please ask prior to planning extended leave (multiple days off).

Shared lab space and resources: As a working lab, the equipment, space and materials are intended to be used for science. Students from other lab groups sometimes need access to our equipment to advance their research. We therefore need to be willing to share our space and be thoughtful of others in the lab, in order to ensure everyone is able to work effectively. This means chipping in to keep the lab safe, well organized, and clean, and helping train others as they begin working in the lab. I will occasionally assign lab jobs or organize a lab clean up. I ask all members of the lab to contribute as best they can, or to notify me if they are unable to complete these tasks.

We each need to be mindful about respecting boundaries and communicating about issues that are impacting our work. If conflict with others is occurring, please share concerns with me instead of trying to resolve them among your peers. It is fine to offer help and advice, but it should be done respectfully.

As a general policy, assignment of desk space is based on seniority. As space opens up, I reach out to those who have been here the longest to offer them the option to move their space. Other lab spaces are shared, and I ask that you not store personal belongings (bikes, equipment, plants, etc) in the lab, unless you can place them at your desk.

Authorship: Scientific publications are an important aspect of our work, and one of the clearest indicators about our roles in conducting research. Authorship is merited when significant contributions are made to the intellectual content, material content (i.e. data collection), or analytical content of a project. It is usually warranted to be inclusive in authorship, as science is a team effort. However, simply conducting routine lab work, participating in discussions, or providing editing does not constitute authorship. Additionally, financial support of research does not constitute authorship. Typical practice in the lab is for the individual who conducts most of the data analysis and writing to be the first author, while the mentor on the project is the last (senior) author. Corresponding authorship is often tied to the individual who will be contacted by other scientists for data or information about the paper but may be the senior author when the first author is moving on to a non-academic career path.