Lab Mission Statement

To deconstruct institutional barriers, to uplift indigenous sciences, to advance the boundaries of intersectional thought, to promote human rights, and to conserve biodiversity. To us, being a scientist means caring about the world we live in and really wanting to know how it works. This means being ready to have our assumptions challenged and enjoying the process of developing an evolved understanding.

The vision for our lab is: 

  • a community space where you can bring your full self to study and work

  • non-hierarchical, viewing all members of the lab as colleagues whom you can learn from and where there are no stupid questions 

  • moving forward with generosity, good faith, and respect

  • humility when working with communities

  • active seeking participation from the communities where we work

Members of the lab are expected to:

  • Treat one another with respect and kindness 

  • Serve as a resource for one another

  • Regularly engage in skillsharing and capacity-sharing

  • Prioritize collaboration over “ownership”

  • Prioritize learning over efficiency

  • Promote longevity of the science over emphasis on the institution 

  • Invest in good faith conversations even if it gets difficult

Rotating Lab Roles

  • Ombudsperson for conflict

  • Outreach coordinator

  • Document curator

  • Skills/Workshops Coordinator

Lab Code of Conduct

In an ideal world, science would be objective. However, much of science is subjective and is historically built on a small subset of privileged voices. Our lab code of conduct is a set of norms to guide our collective behavior to make the lab a safe, welcoming, and equitable place.

  • Equity and Inclusion. We are, and strive to remain, a diverse group of scientists. To that end, we must ensure that the lab is a safe, healthy, and welcoming environment for all socioeconomic and religious backgrounds and racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual identities. When speaking to or about others, make yourself aware of their pronouns and do not deliberately misgender others.

  • Kindness. Above all else, be kind. No amount of seniority, knowledge, intelligence, or ability excuses unkind behavior. Furthermore, mean and disparaging speech to other members of the lab or community invalidates the position of the speaker, regardless of the veracity of their statements. In other words, if you are unkind it doesn’t matter if you are factually correct, you are still in the wrong. Do not gossip about lab members and their personal lives.

  • Advice requires consent. It is extremely rare that a student will be in a position to directly comment upon or control the actions of other lab members without their prior consent. What do we mean by consent in this context? Two lab members working together on a project consent to constructive feedback and collaboration on that project. A lab member presenting a practice talk to the lab provides their consent to receive feedback on their presentation. Absent such consent, even well-meaning advice should be avoided. The rare exception is if you observe behavior that could result in imminent harm. 

  • Critique ideas, not individuals. It is OK to be critical, but doing it with absolute respect, accuracy, and compassion is key. Recognize that every person will bring strengths and weaknesses with them to our space: highlight each others’ strengths, and help each other overcome our weaknesses. If you are delivering the criticism, make sure that you do so constructively and kindly. If you are at the receiving end of a criticism and you are upset with the mode of delivery, please speak up. If you are the observer of a tough situation, please consider taking action. 

  • Harassment. Harassment and discrimination, whether private or public, are not tolerated. Engaging in unacceptable behaviours will result in disciplinary action. Examples of unacceptable behaviours include: Physical or verbal harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying, discrimination in any form, any form of arrogance or contempt of any lab members, and abuse of any lab members; Intimidation, threats or coercion; Conduct or knowingly creating a condition that threatens or endangers any person; Conduct that is, or is reasonably seen to be, humiliating or demeaning to another person; Aiding or encouraging others to act in a manner prohibited under these guidelines; Verbal comments based on gender, sexual orientation, disability, neuro(a)typicality, physical appearance and dress, body size, socioeconomic status, education background, marital status, and lifestyle choices. Threatening, stalking, and harassing of lab members; Unwelcome sexual advances; Requests for sexual favours; Harassment intended and communicated in a joking manner. Consent is not implied, and if you are unsure whether your behaviour towards another person is welcome, ask them. If someone tells you to stop, do so promptly.

What to do? The PI is the responsible party for the smooth operation of the lab. Lab members are always welcome to discuss the laboratory environment with the PI. That said, if you feel someone has behaved towards you in a way that violates the spirit of the above code, you may find the best solution is to calmly tell them or discuss the issue with the lab ombudsperson. The point is to convey how a statement or action has affected you. Everyone slips up from time to time and what seems like a well-intentioned statement to a speaker might be hurtful to the recipient. Mistakes are not an issue but refusing to learn from them is. If someone tells you that you’ve overstepped, take a moment to process what they have said. While it is natural to feel the need to defend yourself, remember that 1) this person has expended emotional energy to tell you how they feel and 2) that they are telling you in the hopes to make the lab a better place for everyone. Please respond in that same spirit. If the issue cannot be resolved then consider jointly discussing with the Lab Ombudsperson or the PI.