…are three big words. Here is what they mean in the context of our lab:

Diversity: The O’Hare Lab recruits its members irrespective of race, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, religious belief, socioeconomic status, and all other aspects of personal identity that may lead to discrimination. Diverse backgrounds and perspectives allow us to tackle difficult questions from multiple angles and create a more dynamic and energizing laboratory environment. For us in particular, diversity extends to scientific expertise: we utilize approaches ranging from molecular biology to electrical engineering. If you find yourself excited by our questions and approaches, but are unsure that your training has prepared you to work with us, please reach out!

Equity: Dr. O’Hare practices equitable mentorship (see next section) in order to ensure that each lab member feels that they belong in the lab while they gain the scientific and career development training necessary to succeed. We define success not as a set of standardized metrics, but according to each lab member’s own stated goals.

Inclusion: All lab members are included in all projects within the lab, whether it be through collaboration or by presenting/participating in lab meetings, journal clubs, and code review sessions. Our reliance on diverse technical and conceptual expertise also necessitates broad inclusion of others in our projects - from within and outside the lab. We further believe in including laypeople and aspiring future scientists in our work via outreach activities. Last but not least, being included and feeling included are different things. We promote a sense of belonging in our lab members through team-based science, equitable mentorship, a culture of mutual respect that is explicitly described in our Lab Code of Conduct, and fun lab outings (coming soon).

If you are interested in joining our group, know that you will be welcomed, included, respected, and supported as you pursue your scientific and career goals.

No two lab members will have identical scientific and career goals. Drawing on strong experience mentoring scientists from diverse backgrounds and career stages, Dr. O’Hare’s mentorship style is tailored to individuals with the goal of providing equitable opportunities for all lab members to achieve their own goals.

To this end, each lab member will collaboratively create a personal development plan (PDP) with Dr. O’Hare upon joining the lab. A PDP contains a lab member’s scientific and career development goals and is a living document that may change with time. Its purpose is to (1) help maintain a big-picture view of what each lab member hopes to achieve and (2) track progress toward specific milestones that lead to the realization of those goals. PDPs are revisited with Dr. O’Hare on an annual basis with supplemental meetings on an as-needed basis. PDP meetings also provide an opportunity for two-way constructive feedback between the trainee and PI. Lab members will further have the option to provide completely anonymous feedback on the mentorship that they receive and can expect their feedback to be taken seriously.

Finally, it is strongly encouraged that lab members develop their own mentorship skills. Learning to work with and help others is a highly beneficial skill regardless of career goal. Mentorship opportunities will exist within the lab as well as outside the lab via outreach activities.

Our philosophy on “doing science” is summarized by three tenants:

1. Do what challenges and excites you. Good science is intellectually challenging and, when things aren’t going smoothly, can be psychologically taxing. To persevere through and grow from these challenges, take on a project that genuinely excites you!

2. Provide and welcome constructive feedback. While giving and receiving constructive feedback can feel uncomfortable at times, it is a learnable skill that is essential to scientific progress. We encourage open, honest, respectful, and constructive scientific feedback amongst our lab members - both positive and critical.

3. It takes a village. Due to the broad array of experimental techniques leveraged in our lab, we take a “special teams” approach to project management: while each trainee has their own project to lead, they also have opportunities to lend their expertise to labmates through collaborations.

To help maintain a positive working environment amidst the revolving door that is an academic research lab, we utilize a Lab Code of Conduct which all members review and sign prior to joining the lab. Our Code of Conduct is largely covered on this page and boils down to respecting common resources and fellow labmates. Current and prospective members are free to suggest changes to the document with changes adopted by a unanimous vote of current members. We view this document as a transparent means to collectively agree on workplace conduct and, when mistakes happen, to prompt a mature and objective conversation about how we can improve moving forward.