About our lab

Text and ideas in places are borrowed from Paula Hammond and Emily Puckett, who borrow heavily from Jeff Ross-Ibarra who says he borrowed heavily from Rubén Rellán-Álvarez. Thanks to all those who have helped us develop our lab and clarify our values.

This is a living document designed to facilitate the continued growth and development of our team by providing guidelines on broad cultural values as well as some specifics for implementation. This document outlines role-specific expectations for lab members.

Values

My hope is to create an environment in which every lab member is free to achieve their potential – which means that:

Respect for ourselves and each other is key to maintaining this environment, and it is this mutual respect that is a constant part of the theme for the lab culture, values, and policies stated below.

Poster design and pledge courtesy of Sammy Katta.

Expectations

Professor (Becky) Willits

As a faculty member, my job is to facilitate the training and intellectual advancement of lab members to pursue their dream job. I accept students with diverse career goals and help guide training toward each person's future. I believe that each team member is an individual and that diverse teams enhance innovation. Therefore, I encourage discussions about and support for increasing representation in science and engineering. Part of my role is to help you think about your interests and career options, and help you examine the possibilities open to you. I also believe it is my role to:

I will try to be present and available to you to have the critical discussions needed to map out your research problem, discuss results and analysis, and in a much broader sense, guide your research and career. I will support your professional development, provide you opportunities to attend conferences to present your work, engage with peers, and connect to the research community. Should you ever have conflicts with fellow lab members, you can feel safe coming to me to see if we can address the issue. If you ever need to speak with me one-on-one, you can let me know and we will set up the time. 

It is important for me to state that it is experience, not title, that refine a team member's role and expectations. However, below is some guidance on baseline expectations for each type of trainee. Our lab has a laboratory handbook to help lay out more specifics. 


Doctoral Students

Just like all new lab members, the early stages of your PhD should revolve around questions! Communication is important, and understanding what questions to ask and how will be a focus during the early stages of a doctoral program. Be diligent in crafting new ideas and open to different views. You should apply for external funding if possible – I will gladly assist! While your projects are developing and classes are in full swing, it is also a good time to get your feet wet through training and then with common laboratory techniques by assisting on ongoing projects in the lab. This stage can seem filled with uncertainty – don’t be afraid to lean on the senior lab members, who have been there before (including myself!). You will begin executing your own project in a more independent fashion by the second year, and set (and meet) your own goals for research outcomes. As a senior lab member, you will be expected to take on leadership within the lab, including possible mentorship of younger students. You will be asked to assist with manuscript and grant preparation as well as preparing for your own thesis papers.

Postdocs 

This stage is about achieving independence and working toward the next stage of your careers. I will readily help with writing postdoctoral fellowship applications, developing project ideas, including independent projects that can be taken with the postdoc, and big-picture project strategies and design. Postdocs are expected to act independently when writing and submitting manuscripts, readily mentor and train more junior members, and act as leaders within the lab. Depending on your career preferences, you may be more or less involved in grant applications as a key component of your own training.

Undergraduates

Undergraduate research takes on many forms, depending primarily upon the research advisor. In our laboratory, undergraduates go through required training on laboratory safety and techniques such as maintaining a laboratory notebook, tissue culture, and protein assays. Undergraduates may directly meet with Dr. Willits to examine their progress, develop their procedures, troubleshoot problems, analyze their data, and present their findings. This process means that we have high expectations of our undergraduates to work independently and ultimately excel in research. Undergraduates have mentored new graduate students, other undergraduates, and high school students, depending on their future interests and experience. 

People

Professor (Becky) Willits


Postdoctoral Fellows


Graduate Students


Undergraduates (@ Northeastern)


Alumni


High School Students