Life in the Lab
Mentoring Philosophy
Developing a scientist takes a community and the wisdom to balance guidance with freedom. Dr. Karras¡¯s mentoring philosophy draws on lessons from his mentors, Susan Lindquist, Harvey Lodish, and Stefan Jentsch. Their generosity, scientific insight, fearlessness in tackling difficult questions, and entrepreneurial drive inspire the way trainees are mentored in the Karras Lab. We strive to give each trainee the freedom to pursue their ideas and learn from mistakes, the guidance to build confidence in their scientific judgment and voice, and the training to pursue important discoveries and develop into independent scientists. We respect the individuality of each trainee and tailor mentorship to their strengths, experiences and goals. Our mentoring is structured around four educational pillars:
Scientific ownership
Trainees pursue multiple projects, formulate research questions, develop new approaches, set project direction, and lead collaborations. Regular one-on-one meetings, an open-door policy, and multiple communication channels provide ready access to Dr. Karras for guidance. Mistakes are treated as opportunities to learn.
Rigor and creativity
We regularly discuss experimental design, controls, reproducibility, rigorous research documentation, data analysis and interpretation, orthogonal validation of results, and testing alternative hypotheses. Our research staff sustain rigorous practices, train lab members, and ensure continuity of technical expertise across projects and generations of trainees. Creativity is developed deliberately by encouraging trainees to generate original hypotheses, propose new approaches, present their ideas at brainstorming meetings and chalk talks, integrate their findings with the published literature, and progressively develop new research directions of their own.
Multidisciplinary mentorship
Our trainees work with clinical oncologists, epidemiologists, diagnostic laboratories, biophysicists and other experts within and beyond our institution to broaden their expertise and bring new perspectives to their research. Within the lab, we foster a culture of intellectual generosity in which everyone shares expertise, challenges ideas constructively, asks for help when needed and celebrates one another¡¯s scientific development and success.
Preparation for independence
Trainees write manuscripts and grants, present at scientific meetings, mentor junior researchers, design research programs and learn budgeting and resource allocation. Dr. Karras nominates trainees with a developed story for presentations in conferences and awards. Mentorship continues throughout training and beyond as trainees transition to the next stage of their careers.
