General

Funding

External funding supplies the vast majority of resources needed to conduct our research, including salary for personnel, equipment, subject payment, and so on. It is important that we run the lab in a way that shows we use our research funding wisely.

A few of our current funding sources include:

•          R01-AG043458 from NIH, ‘Dopaminergic Neuromodulation Of Decision Making In Young And Middle-Aged Adults’.

•          R24-AG054355 from NIH, ‘The Scientific Research Network On Decision Neuroscience And Aging’. An ongoing project.

•          R25-AG053213 from NIH, ‘Summer School In Social Neuroscience And Neuroeconomics’. Educational courses offered in the summer.

•          R25-AG053252 from NIH, ‘Forming Science-Industry Partnerships To Link Everyday Behaviors To Well-Being’.

Funding from NIH (through our own grants or those to collaborators) means that work in the lab is supported by the taxpaying public.

Big picture

We expect each other to:

•          Push the envelope of scientific discovery and personal excellence.

•          Do work we are proud of individually and as a group.

•          Double-check our work, and then triple check for good measure.

•          Be supportive—we’re all in this together. (Please don’t gossip/talk shit about people.)

•          Be independent when possible, ask for help when necessary.

•          Communicate honestly and transparently, even when it’s difficult.

•          Share your knowledge. Mentorship takes many forms, but frequently involves looking out for those more junior.

•          Work towards proficiency in Python and R.

•          Be patient. Including with your PI. He will forget things you just talked about, and repeat some stories over and over. He might change his mind without realizing it, so please remind him if that happens. He also may not text you back, but don’t worry, he still cares (and will always like your tweets).

•          Advocate for our own needs, including personal and career goals.

•          Respect each other’s strengths, weaknesses, differences, and beliefs.

•          Not make social comparisons. Everyone is on their own path and started in different places. Celebrate others successes and reach out for support when you feel inadequate (we all do at times).

•          Be great and stay great.

We should also expect everyone to have a professional and appropriate online presence. Try to keep any professional profiles (e.g. LinkedIn, OSF, ResearchGate) as updated and accurate as possible. Use of personal profiles (e.g. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.) is left up to you, but be responsible and aware as you would with any accessible information. Remember, we all represent the lab and the lab represents us.

Small picture

We’re sharing a relatively small space, so please be thoughtful of others, including (but not limited to):

•          With few exceptions, do not come to the lab if you are sick. Your health and the health of those around you is important, so save yourself a STINF and assume it’s okay to rest. If you are sick, email the lab manager or your supervisor to let them know you won’t be coming in, and update your lab calendar to reflect the change.

•          Don’t touch the thermostat… Unless the change is welcome by everyone.

•          Do not leave food, drinks, or crumbs out in the lab. Keep the fridge organized and clean. Please try to put food trash in another trash can (not in the lab), especially late in the day or on Friday.

•          Lock the door if there is no one in the lab, or if you’re the last person to leave. Ask for the lockbox combo in case you ever get locked out, but please don’t take the key with you anywhere.

•          To save energy, and for security, computers and monitors should be turned off at the end of the day if they are not being used overnight for analysis.

•          If you use the microwave, make sure it’s as clean and closed when you finish as it was when you started. No one wants to clean up other people’s splattered food.

•          All in all, keep the lab neat. Items left unattended may be cleaned, reclaimed, or recycled.

•          Make sure to fill up the coffee machine if you’re the last to have used it.

•          If there is a problem with any equipment in the lab or the lab space, contact Shuntoya (shuntoya@duke.edu).

Other Need-to-Knows

Always keep these in mind, and practice them regularly:

•          Dress Code: TAKE NOTE that there is a difference between dress code for the lab and dress code when running participants.

–         For the lab: Just wear clothes (appropriate for any academic/everyday setting).

–         When running participants: Please dress in a manner appropriate for a work setting. If you are going to be at BIAC at the scanner, at meetings with our collaborators, or running subjects, you are there as a representative of our lab and of our study. It is important to look like a professional, as this helps the participants and medical center staff perceive the study as professional. It gives the participants confidence in you when they undergo potentially intimidating experiences such as MRIs. This means no graphic T-shirts, no excessive bare skin, no ripped or baggy jeans, nothing that anyone would consider loungewear/pajamas, no flip-flops or crocs. Feel free to ask if you have questions about something being appropriate.

•          Communication is key. If you are going to be late for your lab slot, a meeting, or any other scheduled event, make sure to let someone know well ahead of time.

•          Some lab functions – lab lunches and social events – are recreational, however attendance to lab meetings and more formal functions is expected. Inability to attend the aforementioned events should be discussed in advance with the lab manager directly.

•          Information shared in the lab regarding ongoing studies/projects, about participants or lab personnel, or anything that would otherwise be considered ’sensitive’ should be shared only within the lab space.