Faculty Expectations of BBSP-Affiliated Students

Faculty in BBSP affiliated programs can reasonably expect the following from their PhD students. Students and advisors should discuss these points and come to a mutual understanding of their expectations.

• Contribute to a safe and respectful work environment
  • Professional and respectful interactions
  • Work to resolve interpersonal issues that impact work
  • Be familiar with and follow applicable university workplace policies
• Manage time effectively and be considerate of other lab members’ time
  • Attend meetings prepared to actively participate in discussions
  • Give sufficient time to read and provide feedback on student work (abstracts/posters/papers)
  • Meet deadlines agreed to with colleagues and communicate unexpected delays promptly
  • Respect the need for others’ personal time
  • Respect that the advisor has multiple responsibilities, deadlines, and constraints that necessitate consideration and flexibility for responding to trainee requests.
• Keep the advisor informed of hurdles, concerns, attendance, or issues that impact performance
  • Proactively communicate about routine attendance issues such as vacations or missed meetings
  • Communicate about roadblocks in the lab that impact progress
  • Share concerns about the work environment which require the advisor’s attention
• Actively engage in their own training and in their long-term career development
  • Identify gaps in their expertise, troubleshoot experiments, analyze data, develop scientific writing skills, and think about their project with increasing independence each year
  • Read the literature and apply it to their project
  • Be the principal driver of their own career development. Regularly update and discuss their Individual Development Plan.
  • Balance career development/leadership activities with research responsibilities in consultation with the advisor
• Keep the advisor updated about degree requirements and progress
  • Students should be familiar with the requirements of their graduate program and keep their advisor informed of degree requirements and of the next steps for each milestone.
• Regular attendance at scheduled lab and research meetings
  • Minimize avoidable conflicts and missed meetings
• Be responsive to advisor requests for feedback or information
  • Check email on work days and respond to queries and requests in a reasonable time.
• Consistently prioritize integrity and honesty
  • Conduct experiments with rigor and report the results honestly
  • Adhere to principles of responsible research conduct
  • Follow recordkeeping practices established by the lab
  • Adhere to all established lab, safety, IACUC, and IRB. protocols

Faculty who feel that one or more of these expectations are routinely disregarded in a way that negatively impacts research and academic progress or the well-being of the research group can seek assistance and advice from program leaders. Those leaders include members of the thesis committee, the Director of Graduate Studies, the relevant Department Chair or Center Director, Directors in the Office of Graduate Education, the Graduate School, and others.