How We Work Together | CBM NIMHANS

Welcome!

Hello there 😊 You are now part of the MGL/ADBS/CBM group, and we are really glad to have you here! We hope your time here will be meaningful, fruitful, and filled with valuable learning experiences. We hope you will fully immerse yourself in this environment, which exists at the crossroads of psychiatry, psychology, genetics, epigenetics, stem cell research, and systems biology.

Each of us, in different ways, is both a mentor and a mentee. We are equally responsible for shaping the collective dynamics of the group, one that is positive, engaging, challenging, rewarding, and free of hostility.

The purpose of this document is to share our vision for mentor-mentee relationships within the MGL/ADBS/CBM group. What lies at the core of this vision? Three tenets: commitment to (I) professionalism and transparency, (II) mutual care, support, and respect, and (III) clear and polite communication of mutual expectations. Together, these will help us stay focused on what we came together to do: Science. Planning it well, doing it carefully, and sharing it openly.

As the research group in charge, I (Biju) promise that I will try my best to:

Support and care for your well-being as a person and as a scientist, and engage with you directly and kindly.
Give you time for work discussions on a regular basis, and as needed.
Support your career development through networking, recommendation letters, and conference participation.

As both mentors and mentees, valued members of this community, I expect and encourage you to:

Proactively seek time with me and others for work discussions.
Respect your own time and that of others; communicate timelines clearly for work plans and be on time for meetings. Follow the due procedure for taking leave.
Participate actively in lab life. Present your work, engage in discussions, join lab cleaning sessions, and social events, take part in outreach activities when you can, and help host visiting speakers.
Address your colleagues (including PIs) by their first names, without salutations. This will help us foster a harmonious, non-hierarchical environment.

Together, we can co-create a culture of small kindnesses – greet colleagues, offer help when you can, welcome newcomers, and celebrate each other’s wins, be it big or small.

We are a large group balancing shared and individual priorities. So, naturally, conflicts will arise. When they do, or when you find yourself privy to a conflict involving others, I encourage you to resist the tendency to victimise, persecute, or rescue the parties involved. Instead, in a civil manner, invert this triad: create solutions, challenge, or coach them towards harmony. Encourage the parties involved to speak directly with each other. And yes, talk to me. Let me help you :)

Mentees

Expectations:

Reflect on the kind(s) of mentorship that helps you grow. Every mentor-mentee relationship is different, and it’s okay to explore what works for you. If an approach is not helpful, share this openly, kindly, and clearly with your mentor. Talk to me when you want help with this.
You may have one/more seniors working on the same/similar project as you, who are not your official guides. When they assign you any work, feel free to have a conversation about your work priorities and the time commitment expected from you. If you do not have the time required, know that you can voice the same clearly to them. Keep me in the loop through email.
Seek help any time: “Help will always be given at MGL/ADBS/CBM, to those who ask for it”.
Discuss with your mentors and me the kind of support you need for your success. Feedback is an ongoing part of learning, and we rely on your input. You’re encouraged to share what’s working and what could improve – both ways – so that we can grow together.
Plans will evolve and change as science develops. This can be unsettling. When it does, talk to other mentors and me. We will go through it together :)
Take ownership of your learning and research. Be curious, ask questions, and explore – that initiative can be the most stimulating part of your development as a scientist.
Be open to being questioned about your work by juniors and seniors. It's thought-provoking. Helps you look at your work dispassionately and self-critically. It is a very important part of your learning. Ultimately, you may get the same comment from an external reviewer!

Mentors

Expectations:

Proactively build your independent line of research and prioritise your time around that. Let me help you with it :)
Share your knowledge, experience and expertise openly: none of us reached here without that little helping hand!
Reflect on your experience as a mentee: what worked, what didn’t, and how that shaped your current mentoring approach. Remember how you felt then, not just what you know now. Let that decide your actions. Good mentors are built through training, reflection, patience, empathy, and creating a sense of community.
There will be many types of mentorship styles. A suggestion, nevertheless: start meetings with your mentees by asking how they are doing and what their biggest challenges were that week.
Ask for honest feedback from your mentees: about their lab experience and their perception of you as their mentor. It may not come naturally for your mentees to tell you directly what they think, especially if it is about you. Hear them out, sleep on it.
When you need the help of a junior person: ask about availability before assigning any work. Clarify time commitments – how much of their time do you need, for how long (an estimate will do). Email their direct guide, copying me, and defining the work you need help with.

Some additional points about general lab ethics for all

You spend a lot of time in the lab, make it your home – take responsibilities, take ownership. Take care of lab properties – work desks, instruments, equipment, etc. Help out in service and repair activities. Keep the lab tidy – clear up after use, clean up after eating.
Be honest. Reporting things as they are is at the core of doing science. No one will judge you for not knowing something. What matters is that you remain curious, transparent, open to new learning and changes, and develop the capacity to take responsibility. The same goes when you make mistakes at work or break something in the lab.
Invest time in the success of the lab, as you do in your own research. So, look around, see what needs doing and what others are doing for you, and pitch in. It will always make a difference and will not go unnoticed.
Complete your assigned lab work on time. The lab thrives when we pull our weights together.
Please inform your mentee/mentor ahead of time when you cannot participate in group lab activities or some planned work. Do send leave mails.
You could be juggling many things at the same time. You may have to negotiate clearly and openly with your mentor if there are additional responsibilities you are asked to take, in addition to your current workload.
Try to respond to work emails/messages from me or your mentor/mentee within a reasonable time frame (24-48h) to ensure smooth communication.
You are free to define your work hours, as long as there is steady progress towards your goals. Being present in the lab helps you learn from (and teach) other people – one of the best parts of doing science.
Lock the lab when empty; safety is the utmost priority.
Help in building a long-lasting and sustaining lab: ensure resources are used judiciously, and ensure your peers are mindful too.
Ensure you are maintaining a well-recorded and legible lab record notebook. It is required to retain and pass on knowledge learnt in the lab - also to trace back when needed.
Do not come into the lab when sick. Stay home and safe. Don’t risk getting others sick. Also, help out – take care of the wounded soldier next to you.
There are always culturally embedded factors at play; remain open to new learning.

Paper submissions

Maintain an evolving PowerPoint file for your work. Send a new version to the team each time with additional slides rather than editing old ones; clearly label final figures, include legends, sample IDs, and write key takeaways to avoid confusion over time.
Organise your references systematically so they are easy to retrieve when needed.
Writing can be fun. It is a process. Allow yourself the time to figure that out; talk to your other mentors and me.
Editing may take even longer than writing – get early, timely feedback on figures and results in group meetings and discussions with mentors. It would typically take multiple iterations of writing and editing with your co-authors. I / other mentors will help you.
Lead authors (first author - solo or shared) need to develop a timeline early in the process, with your mentor(s) and corresponding author(s) on the paper. Plan backwards! Include time for all co-authors to review the manuscript once a draft is ready from your side. Pass it along to the co-authors and give them a minimum of 3 weeks to provide feedback.
Confirm with your co-authors that their names and affiliations are spelt correctly. Plan as per your submission timelines and keep your co-authors informed of these timelines as well.
Authorship needs to be discussed with your mentor(s)/corresponding author(s), co-authors. This includes agreement on whose names will be included and in what order. Both are important parameters for everyone’s career development. In some cases, it may be the corresponding authors who have this discussion with the authors, but the first author(s) need to be aware of the process.
Remember, the final document has to be shared with all authors and approved by them before journal submission.

Conference presentations

Discuss the data and experimental plan needed for the poster with your mentor before the submission. Discuss the time commitments of your peers who are co-authors on the poster.
Discuss points of authorship with your co-authors. This needs to be done in a timely manner, before an Abstract is sent out of the lab.
When you send manuscripts (or abstracts) for review, add a relevant title that can be easily retrieved for future use (e.g., with version number/date, etc.).
Remember to share the final copy of the submitted documents and details with all the authors involved.

AI use statement

I strongly request that all mentors and mentees resist the tendency to outsource reading, writing, and critical thinking skills to AI tools.

To enjoy the process of doing science, utilising and challenging one's own cognitive & discretionary skills is crucial.

AI is a tool which functions best in tasks where the process is clear from the start to the end. A known pathway of functioning. Like solving math problems and providing information about well-established facts.

However, when the facts are obscure and with ambiguous data, AI will struggle in its current and foreseeable state. This is the kind of space where the use of our association cortex is unparalleled, giving us an edge which AI struggles to do.

Several components of science remain controlled by variable factors. Examples: what led you to research a specific topic, how external scientists receive your scientific work, etc. But importantly, specific components of this process remain within our control. Examples: planning & executing experiments, analysing data & disseminating results through an original research article, and synthesising decades worth of literature in a review article.

If one outsources these to AI tools, you lose the opportunity to develop foundational skills that stay with you, even when you're away from the screen.

That being said, we are of the impression that AI does have several straightforward uses from which we could benefit. It can help you organise your time and write administrative emails. It can be used to check grammar and language skills to improve your literary prowess. It's good at writing code for simple, straightforward tasks. We do encourage learning more about how to use AI as a tool, as it is seemingly inevitable and would be a useful skill to possess.

If you feel pressed to use AI tools because of a time crunch, difficulty in navigating reading material, work plans, etc., reach out to me & your team of mentors & mentees. Let's find ways to help you out.

Acknowledgements

This document takes inspiration and borrows text from Aly and Memo lab manuals.