Lab Values

Maximizing Impact

Measuring “impact” is useful in principle because it can help prioritize allocation of resources to potentially consequential research. However, rather than focusing on H-indexes and citation counts, we prefer to ask: how much more time would it take for the scientific community to achieve a result if we don’t work on the problem now?

Therefore, we avoid potential duplication of effort, avoid crowded research areas, and try to focus our efforts on topics where risk has been overestimated. We strive to engage enthusiastically with new developments, from artificial intelligence to 3D printers, and new ways of funding and incentivizing science.

Diversity Fuels Discovery

Truly impactful discovery is often serendipitous, so the primary goal of my lab is to teach and encourage curiosity-driven exploration. People are the priority and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Everyone is welcome because diversity is an asset.

Integrity

In any profession, there is a self-evident difference between good performers and good actors, and good performers who are bad actors may be described as “cheaters” in an evolutionary scenario – too many, and the entire niche could collapse. Truth-seeking with curiosity, integrity, and kindness is a social good.

Embracing the Scientific Process

Trainees’ sense of self-worth is often too influenced by their successes or failures with individual experiments. We do not mourn failures, and we are wary of successes that could trick us into believing what we want to believe. We only celebrate when we figure out why we’re stuck on something, because then we can proceed to do the next experiment. It is not a race; it should be a messy and fun exploration.