The atmosphere at the Joshi Lab is strongly rooted in the biomedical innovation that stems from individual flair as well as collaborative rigor. We prioritize the entrustment of freedom and responsibility to our volunteers, student research assistants, PhD candidates, and post-doctoral fellows to tenaciously pursue the veracity of their experimental ideas, whilst maintaining an equal balance of sound theoretical frameworks. The recursive learning pattern of clinical research, and science in general, warrants that one is mindful of the diligence, hard work, integrity, and singular focus that goes into producing work that is of commendable quality and applicability, to the scientific and broader community. Our training principles are designed keeping the aforementioned central tenets in mind and encompass a gradient of variables, from the constants, to the ones that are likely to be dynamic as you mature through your time in the lab. The following section provides a comprehensive illustration of how the lab operates, how you can function once you become a part of it, and the mutual dialogue that always exists between your career goals and how the lab will support you in realizing it!

 

• The professional, personal, and mental well-being of our students is of utmost importance for the fluid functioning of the lab. Members are proactively encouraged to discuss issues that might arise on these fronts and impede their being valued at the lab. Both Nitin and your post-doctoral mentors are eager to help you navigate, and ease into, a high-functioning academic setting.

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• We recognize that this well-being can only be achieved as an extension of an environment that is geared to address perpetual systemic inequities in academia and ensure that one’s identity, race, religion, creed, ethnicity, and/or sexual orientation is never used as a reason for overt or subtle ostracism and is instead, always seen as a powerful tool for cultural and intellectual diversity. 

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• Amongst the biggest takeaways from one’s time at the lab must be the capacity to deeply indulge, both in depth and breadth, in a self-sustaining culture that fosters critical thinking and scientific communication. Developing such high-caliber intellectual rigor does not come easy and is likely to be laden with failures and exacting circumstances that could unnerve anyone. All our members are therefore incentivized to come forth with any experimental or technical difficulties that they have faced and work through the problems amidst a non-judgmental environment provided by their mentors and peers alike.

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• Given that this collaborative nature envelops all members, we do not treat the lab as a competitive fighting ring. We strongly believe in uplifting each other, in setting a positive tone for the next generation of incoming students, and therefore cherish the time at the lab as a fertile training ground in which we could sow the seeds of interpersonal and intrapersonal advancement.

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• As is evident from the body and style of research that our lab specializes in, students are always encouraged to provide dynamic feedback about the status of projects, proactively offer course corrections, and support in the development, and see to the fruition, of novel hypotheses.

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• Cogent and accurate organization of your experimental findings are expected at all times. Meticulous maintenance of lab notebooks is imperative to collate your findings and is a skill that will pay multiple dividends in the future. Like all things, your mentors are always eager to help you establish and put this practice into routine.

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• All such findings are expected to be communicated to your mentors on a weekly basis or as the need arises – such as during presentations, talks, events, etc. Systematic and succinct dissemination of findings is a skill that one learns gradually, and the feedback provided by mentors and peers will go to great lengths in realizing this vital foundation.

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• Outside of academic roles, our team members typically take on administrative duties and will work closely with our operations coordinator, to ensure that the workspace and the greater logistical background of the lab is free of any hassles.

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• Above everyone and everything else, you are your best monitoring system. The lab is constantly pushing and evolving to maintain an environment that is free of micromanagement and the self-motivation of our students acts as the greatest lubricant in avoiding such frictions. We also do recognize that internal drives need not always function at peak values and encourage students to take breaks between intellectually taxing duties.

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• The work that you produce as a result of this marriage between novelty and iteration will be carefully monitored, and Nitin will uphold the highest standards to ensure that you deserve the appropriate credit in all publication/scholarly materials. We believe that intellectual inclusion and equity form the pillars of scientific and societal advancement and are always receptive to changes to our existing structures to better address the said concerns.

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• Outside of work that is esoteric to the lab, Nitin is always eager to hear about the next steps in your career, whether it directly pertains to academia or not. Ideally, we schedule one-on-one sessions in advance to hold such conversations, but you are more than welcome to have a casual chat with Nitin anytime.

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• Members are expected to champion lots of social activities to sincerely foster healthy team dynamics and broader work-life balance. It is another cornerstone of the lab to ensure that team members are able to establish meaningful connections amongst one another and regularly incorporate fun into their otherwise intellectually rigorous relationships. Head over to our photo stream to check out how we spend time away from the lab!