Lab Culture

It is refreshing to see that many (newer) labs have a spelled out their philosophy on how they want to do science. I find reading these very illuminating and a good antidote against some of the darker things that happen in science and anywhere else as soon as real people are involved... For example, here is an inspiring one from the lab of Dr. Brad Voytek.

So today, I am trying an attempt at spelling out the principles of the Frohlich Lab at UNC:

• We are a Family. this means we treat each other with respect and we care for each other. This also means, just because you graduate, you do not leave the Frohlich Lab. rather, we take pride in seeing you move on to the next step in your life but you remain part of the family.
• We never ever ever ever ever give up. The early years, when the lab was new and we were struggling to find an audience for what used to be unusual ideas (now much more mainstream..), were rough not just for me but for everyone in the lab. But it pays off to be persistent. And, by the way, walking away from something which is doomed should not be confused with giving up. rather, saying no and terminating certain things and projects are incredibly important to succeed overall.
• We own our mistakes, never make excuses, and learn from them. Most importantly, you do not get punished for mistakes you make in the Frohlich Lab. I was shocked to hear that some labs charge lab members for the glassware they accidentally break - very weird! Now of course there are exceptions to this. Certain process, especially around human research, do not allow for any mistake, so the level of care I expect is very, very high. Also, if the same mistake occurs over and over again, the conversation starts to feel differently. The example I provide is the aviation industry, where pilots can report mistakes without fear of repercussions. The resulting findings are then included in the training of the pilots. A very successful model - given how safe air travel is. 
• We want to do world class science. This means no short cuts out of convenience, this means validation of all of our computer code, this means employing double-blind study designs if possible, this means many things. But mostly, this means that we try to do our very best to lead by example in terms of both the quality and the innovation of our research.
• We embrace and foster diversity. Our lab is an example for how the color of your skin or your passport (or any other descriptor people may want to use) does not matter. All that matters is that we do great science together and thereby change the world by helping patients!

Yours,

Flavio