Once the lab is up and running, this page will have information about day-to-day lab life (science and non-science). For now, it contains an outline of some basic ideas that I want to build the lab upon. I cannot guarantee that experiments will work, reviewers will be kind, or that it will be sunny in summer (although London is much sunnier than its reputation). But I will do my utmost to make sure that the Coen Lab is a welcoming, rewarding, and healthy place to work. I am not claiming that what follows is the “best” way to run a lab, and of course, it may change with input from lab members. But I hope it will help you decide if you’d like to join us!
Pip is a co-founder of SAFE Labs, and initiative that aims to create more aware, fair, and equitable labs. Pip is in the process of implementing all the commitments in the SAFE Labs Handbook. You can find links to all publicly documented commitments are provided in the SAFE Labs section below.
The SAFE Labs handbook is a document co-authored by Pip and other group leaders across Europe in 2024 (and is continually updated). You can read more details of the handbook here. Many of the commitments involve publicly documenting important material. Here, I provide links to the location of all that material (if a link is missing, the information has yet to be documented):
I commit to publicly document..
… a diversity statement
… the lab code of conduct: emphasise welfare, equity and integrity
… green initiatives in the lab and any explicit rules related to sustainability
… the common lab language and any institutional language requirements
… my support for, and implementation of, the Lab Culture Handbook
… a list of lab members and alumni
… my expectations for working hours, remote working, and vacation
… an overview of the regular meetings in the lab, and my expectations for participation
… the responsibilities of each lab role and the training provided
… which contributions constitute authorship on a scientific paper
… my ambitions for the duration and publication outputs for each lab role
… expectations and funding for conference/summer school attendance
… guidelines for completing previous work after joining the lab
… the process for funding postdoctoral researchers
… the visa-support available to overseas applicants
Diversity statement
I believe that diversity is a resource to harness, and I strive to create a psychologically safe environment where disruptive points of view are valued. Thus, to foster a diverse and inclusive environment, I hire in accordance with UCLs Fair Recruitment policy, discuss any cultural needs at onboarding, and I encourage lab members to share and mark on the lab calendar crucial cultural events and festivities. I also promote diversity in science by ensuring that journal club papers are selected from a diversity of voices and institutions. I hope that these policies will encourage individuals from different cultural, socioeconomic, gender, and geographical backgrounds to join our group.
Code of conduct
All lab members are expected to maintain a professional attitude of integrity, accountability, and mutual respect in all interactions and endeavours while upholding high standards of scientific rigor and collaboration. Examples include respecting each other’s points of views and contributions to discussions, being timely for meetings, and actively engaging in each other’s presentations. Everyone commits to maintaining an inclusive environment marked by compassionate behaviour and free from offensive conduct, particularly regarding gender, race, sexuality, or disability. Lab members are free to voice their ideas, wishes, or concerns without risking negative consequences ensuring a psychologically safe environment.
Authorship
Authorship vs acknowledgement is not always clear for a publication, but typically all contributors to a paper are included as authors, where contribution is broadly defined by CRediT Taxonomy. For example, developing a new technique for a project, or contributing previously unpublished data/figures would constitute authorship. Conversely, routine experimental work, sharing basic analysis code, or proof-reading a paper would not constitute authorship. Authorship is ultimately decided in discussions between the group leader, project lead(s), and any other potential authors. Although the scientific process is unpredictable, authorship will be discussed when a lab member begins, or becomes involved with, a project. Whenever possible, we publish a matrix of contributions at the end of each paper.
Sustainable science
The lab strives to minimise energy consumption and waste production. We identified three main areas of impact: travel, recycling and economical use of equipment.
Travel: I encourage sustainable transport options both for long-haul travel and for daily commute. For long-haul trips, when funding allows, I will cover the most sustainable travel option. I also recognise remote-working hours spent productively on sustainable means of transport during private (non-work-related) trips. Lab members are also encouraged to combine their work trips with other activities to reduce future emissions, like visiting related labs or institutes in the local area, or simply taking a holiday. I incentivize sustainable options for daily commute: PhD students benefit from reduced costs on public transportation across, and all staff can participate in UCL’s cycle scheme to purchase a bike through salary sacrifice (meaning that the effective cost is reduced and spread over time).
Recycling: To minimize the environmental impact of lab waste, we avoid mixing truly contaminated materials (which is expensive and environmentally harmful to safely dispose of) with clean recyclable waste. We recycle waste whenever possible, and order equipment from local companies when the difference in cost is minimal.
Economical use of equipment: when possible and not detrimental our instruments, we turn off unused equipment when prolonged downtime is forecasted.
I am committed to creating a healthy work environment for all lab members that prioritises mental health and wellbeing. Academic neuroscience should be an exciting, rewarding, and engaging job. Certainly, it can be challenging, and stressful at times, but it should not be depressing, or life-consuming. Everyone has different approaches to their scientific work, and not all of them will be suited to our lab. Therefore, in the interest of minimising any expectation mismatch, I have tried to provide clear policies on working hours, holiday, an remote working below.
Working hours
UCL’s “core” work hours of 10am to 4pm. I expect lab members to be considerate of these hours when scheduling meetings, or training. Lab members should also refrain from sending, or answering, non-urgent emails/messages outside of work hours. However, I understand that preferences vary, and I do not expect lab members to abide by these hours when scheduling their own time (with the exception of lab technicians where hours may be fixed). Nonetheless, whenever possible, I prefer that lab members be onsite from 11am-3pm on Tuesday-Thursday. This helps to ensure we regularly interact in-person and benefit from the expertise and community provided by working in a research group. This is not a requirement for every week–I understand that experimental and life-plans are not always flexible–but it should be the norm.
Remote working
As the lab is getting up and running, all full-time lab members should aim to work onsite at least four days a week. I expect this number to reduce to “three” (see details above) once the lab is operational and more time is being spent analysing data rather than building rigs/training mice. In general, I believe that some regular onsite presence is important to maintain the lab community. However, I am happy to support intermittent periods of fully-remote working when, for example, traveling/visiting family abroad or writing up a thesis/grant.
Holiday
I anticipate all lab members taking a minimum of UCL’s prescribed 41 days of annual leave. “Minimum” because if experiments necessitate working on a weekend, or you attend a conference that’s scheduled on a weekend, I support lab members taking time off to compensate for this.
London is an exceptionally diverse and vibrant city, with a lot going on! It has plenty of cuisines and culture, and almost one third of the city is green space. Many of the museums are free to visit, and public transport is excellent for getting around the city. Most people don’t own a car. In 90 minutes, you can take a train to the coast, a national park, or Paris! Admittedly, we are a little lacking in the mountaineering department, but there are regular train connections to Europe, and flights to almost all major airports at very affordable prices. Plus, it really is sunnier than its reputation!
London is not a cheap city, but it is relatively affordable when compared to other western capitals. Most students and postdocs commute in less than 30 minutes, and many live within a 20 minute bike ride. Of course, this depends on your preference for housemates, space, and cost. As with all cities, it is more affordable with a partner, and less affordable with children. Overall, I believe London is well worth the cost, which is why I’m delighted to be starting my lab at UCL.
I encourage all lab members to seek and apply for training opportunities to develop new expertise, and the lab values initiative to disseminate the lab research at conferences. The below information is current at the time of writing, but may change with funding after a lab member has already joined the lab.
Conference attendance
Each postdoctoral researcher and PhD student has a budget of £1000 per year to attend conferences. This can be accumulated across years if that is the preference, and can be used for one expensive conference or multiple inexpensive conferences. Lab members should discuss their conference plans with me before committing to attend a particular meeting. Lab members do not need to present anything when attending their first conference after joining the lab, but should present at any future conferences, or organize a workshop/symposium, if they are planning to attend. If lab members have additional funds through grants or their PhD programme, these can be used in addition to the £1000 annual budget. I am happy to make an exception to this rule and provide extra funds if allowed by current grants, and an excellent opportunity arises that would exceed this budget (e.g. a unique conference, an invitation to give a prestigious talk). Lab members are encouraged to supplement this funding with applications to grants, either from the conference itself (e.g. fee waivers for new attendees), or from external sources (e.g. the Brain travel grant).
Master’s students, undergraduates, and lab technicians are also encouraged to attend conferences if they have work to present. They should discuss these opportunities in advance with me. Often, there are grants available from conference organisers to support attendance, and if this is not the case, or the application for funds is unsuccessful, I will consider funding attendance on a case-by-case basis.
Summer schools and courses
Typically, I expect both PhD students and postdoctoral researchers to attend a competitive training school and/or a conference by the end of their second year in the lab. The lab will support applications (e.g. with recommendation letters) to these initiatives when they align with a project or planned career development. When funds are available, and application to fees waivers are not successful, the lab will cover the costs for at least one such opportunity. Some courses that can help to develop the experimental and computational skills we use in the lab include:
Transylvanian Experimental Neuroscience Summer School
CAJAL Advanced Neuroscience Training Programme
OIST Computational Neuroscience Course
Intro to Neuropixels training course
Neuropixels and Open Scope Workshop
Simons Computational Neuroscience Imbizo
I believe in pushing to make science more open, accessible, and affordable. The lab is committed to making tools and resources available to other scientists, and we collaborate with industry partners to make new and inexpensive solutions where existing hardware either doesn’t exist or is unnecessarily expensive.
As well as attending conferences to disseminate their work, lab members are encouraged to participate in activities that improve diversity and accessibility in the local community. I participate in Neuronauts, a summer camp for London secondary school students, and In2scienceUK, a programme arranging STEM summer placements for secondary school students in the UK. There are similar opportunities both within the UK and across Europe.
Although a lab retreat with a small lab may seem difficult, it’s also an opportunity to meet with other small groups and cultivate new ideas: both about science and improving lab life in general. I hope to start these retreats in 2024 with other developing labs in Europe, including the Rossi lab at IIT.