Recombinator - Lab Philosophy

Science is hard, which makes it essential to work in a positive, encouraging, and supportive lab environment. We want the lab to be a place where members look forward to coming in everyday (well, at least on most mornings😁). We celebrate each other's successes and try to learn from our failures. We learn from one another because everyone is willing to teach each other. Sandeep does his best to set the tone and tries to recruit people who fit into this mold. It's extremely important to us to establish a lab culture that fosters an open, collegial, and collaborative environment where each member is invested in the success of others.

MENTORSHIP STYLE

Sandeep views his primary job as empowering the members of the lab to achieve their goals, whatever that might be. Lab members can expect to routinely discuss their career goals to ensure they are making positive progress towards achieving these goals. Sandeep also does his best to introduce members to people/events/articles/courses that are relevant for their personal goals, thereby helping each member build a professional network and knowledgebase to help them on their career journeys.

Sandeep also strongly believes in rigorous scientific training. This includes lengthy discussions on the logic behind performing a given experiment, as well as the limitations of a proposed experiment. A significant amount of time is spent on thinking about "what is the data saying?" In addition to the day-to-day science, Sandeep also makes an effort to ensure trainees gain other skills such as the ability to give compelling story-based presentations, preparing/writing manuscripts/grant applications, involving lab members with reviewing manuscripts, reviewing lab members' CV/Biosketch, etc.

Ultimately, the success of each lab member reflects on Sandeep's own mentoring abilities so he is fully committed to helping each member achieve their goals.