The Peng lab is filled with exceptional people who are passionate about discovery and willing to challenge their own limits in the process. We have high expectations, but in return, we are creating an environment (or niche) where your effort will translate into productivity and personal growth, preparing you for the next stage of your career. To foster that niche, we expect every member of our lab to abide by these operating principles:
CHALLENGE AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER
Provide feedback to your peers if you have ideas to improve their work, but also be willing to show them how to do it. Your peers will be receptive to that feedback only when you show that you care about their work, and back it up with action.
DISRESPECT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED
Critique the work, not the person. Words or actions demeaning to others will not win you fans, and the people who repeatedly violate this principle will not have a long career in our lab.
FAILURE IS EXPECTED, BUT YOU MUST LEARN FROM IT
The path to your paper or grant will be littered with failed experiments. Every failed experiment is a personal opportunity to learn how to mitigate failure, so you should ask yourself what you could learn from it before seeking out help to correct it.
MY DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN TO YOU
You are accountable to me, which means I am accountable to you. My job is to ensure that your effort will push you towards your goals. To that end, I am always open to discuss problems you might be having in lab, and how to overcome it. It’s always easier for us to solve small problems together before they become big problems.
Sincerely,
Tien