From: Siyuan.Zhang@UTSouthwestern.edu
To: S.Zhang.Team@groups.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: My Expectations for a Healthy, Productive Working Environment
Team,
As of this month, our new UTSW lab has reached another milestone. We have made significant progress. Now that all your projects have moved beyond the “brainstorming” stage, our next challenge is: “How can we execute more efficiently and be more productive?” After much consideration, I have refined my expectations for a healthy, vibrant work environment (see below) and decided to implement some substantial changes to our daily routine (detailed in a separate email).
I want to share my perspectives on the right mindsets essential for a successful research career:
- We’re Largely Wet Bench Researchers: At the Ph.D. or postdoc stage, you are primarily bench researchers. Wet bench research requires work to be done at the bench—you simply can’t do benchwork at home. While there are certain times when writing (proposals, manuscripts, presentations) and bioinformatics data analysis are the main focus, wet bench work must continue alongside these tasks. Various lines of dry and wet bench work should progress in parallel. Throughout the Ph.D./postdoc timeline, reading and data analyses, which could theoretically occur at home, should occupy only about 10% of a typical week. Monday to Friday, standard working hours should be prioritized and mostly devoted to bench work.
- Innovative Research = 99% Sweat for 1% Success: Frankly, most experiments fail, especially truly novel ones. This might sound discouraging, but you need a fail-fast mindset to quickly eliminate failed experiments and arrive at positive findings sooner. Aggressively pursuing bench work is the only way to achieve positive, novel results and a publishable story within a reasonable timeline. Regardless of how many ideas are on the brainstorming boards or hypotheses derived from computer work, without bench trials, true discoveries will remain out of reach.
Now, how should we, as a lab community, work together?
- In-Person Work Stimulates Healthy Lab Morale: In-person work fosters project-benefiting discussions and personal/professional camaraderie among lab members and colleagues. While your ultimate achievements (publications, funding, future jobs) may seem personal, they are actually the result of the entire lab’s collaborative efforts and daily interactions. A vibrant working environment collectively enables current and future lab members to achieve their best. Unfortunately, scattered working schedules (in the name of flexibility or remote work) are detrimental to team spirit. Who wants to work in an empty lab?
- In-Person Work Promotes Self-Discipline: Productivity hinges on consistent day-to-day execution. Effective execution demands rigorous discipline. Research is not a “hobby” to be enjoyed ad hoc but a serious undertaking. We all know that self-discipline is challenging. Reflecting on the COVID period, many people were less productive in a more relaxed home setting. Psychologically, we need mental and physical compartmentalization to enter “working mode” and be fully efficient. Self-discipline is a lifelong training process, and sometimes we just need a little external push to discipline ourselves.
I believe self-discipline and hard work are reflections of personal maturity. Together, our dedication to maintaining a strong work ethic will not only foster a productive but also a rewarding research environment. As we continue to push our boundaries, each of us can proudly say: I have given my best effort and have no regrets.
Thank you for your dedication and hard work. I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together in the coming year.
Best regards,
Siyuan Zhang