Mission statement and expectations: My goal is to cultivate a lab environment that enables everyone to perform exciting research and hone their scientific and professional skills. All members of the lab (including the PI) are expected to practice the following skills: a growth mindset, a willingness to ask questions, the ability to accept constructive criticism, and reliability. In addition, all members of the lab are expected to contribute to a positive culture that makes the lab an enjoyable place to do research. Specific expectations about performing research in the lab will be written down and provided to everyone joining the lab to ensure that we are on the same page from the very beginning.

Diversity and inclusion: The Newman lab is a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive environment that values diversity. A wide range of ideas, backgrounds, and experiences provides the lab with varied perspectives that will fuel creativity. Therefore, all lab members are expected to contribute to a lab environment that embraces diversity. Members of my lab can expect me to promote this environment by tailoring my mentoring to each individual lab member, practicing active listening, and providing the resources and support needed so that everyone in the lab can reach their full potential. As a woman from a Hispanic background, I have firsthand experience with the harms of discrimination; therefore, I am committed to promoting inclusivity in the Newman lab and combating discrimination in all forums.

Mental Health (aka Health): Science can be challenging! Experiments don’t work, rejection happens to all of us, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds face additional challenges on top of all of this. Despite all of this, academia doesn’t have to drag you down, and being in a supportive environment can help with building the resilience needed to tackle the next challenge. Therefore, I expect all lab members to cultivate a supportive and positive environment. To this end, I will strive to be an empathetic mentor that practices and promotes active listening, in addition to de-stigmatizing mental illness and normalizing mental wellness. Despite the challenges, scientific research is an incredibly fun and rewarding career, and my goal is to ensure that this is always the case in the Newman lab.