Thank you for reaching out to me to know more about opportunities for working together. Here is everything you need to know.
As a freshly minted scientist and a long term resident at Centre for Consciousness Studies, NIMHANS my five year goal (2026-2030) is to establish a new research area Sense of Self at the same time teach and train existing and current members and contribute meaningfully to a good amount of works happening at the centre. I picked this place because of the work ethic and culture passed on to me by my mentors - a lab that is not only scientifically rigorous but also a positive, engaging, hostility-free, challenging, and rewarding environment for every member.
Science is a Team Sport
We are a collaborative, not a competitive, group. We celebrate each other’s successes, help each other through challenges, and believe that the best ideas emerge when we share our knowledge freely. We support our labmates, helping them out when they need it and letting them vent when they need to. I am pro open source.
Embrace the Growth Mindset
We are all here to learn. It is okay to not know things. It is double okay to make mistakes. What matters is that we admit our mistakes, debug them, learn from them, and are always striving to improve. Failure is not an outcome; it’s a data point on the path to discovery.
Ownership and Initiative
The project is our project. I am here to guide and support you, but I want you to take ownership of your work. Work on what you are passionate about, work hard, and be proud of it. The most rewarding experiences will come from the problems you solve yourself. See if the project inspires you. Since, the projects are primarily ideated inside my head it would be super interesting to be, but ultra boring for you. Be honest and let me know your opinion. I appreciate that. For example: Simulating Conway’s Game of Life is still ubercool and meaningful to me whereas someone might consider that utter waste of time (How dare you!). I have lots of side projects which are done to quench the wanderer inside me. Part of this is coming from my personal philosphy that science should be fun and not always meant to solve a problem (applied science). It is quite difficult to think through potential applications of something which can seem trivial. I keep thinking about discovery of Pencilin.
In 1928, Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming returned to his laboratory at St. Mary’s Hospital in London after a summer vacation. . He noticed that one of his petri dishes, which contained Staphylococcus bacteria, had been contaminated with a mold. This particular mold was later identified as Penicillium notatum. Fleming observed that the area immediately surrounding the mold was free of bacteria. This observation was a happy accident. Despite this remarkable finding, Fleming himself didn’t fully realize the discovery’s full potential. He named the active substance “penicillin” but found it was unstable and difficult to produce in large quantities. He published his findings in a scientific paper in 1929, but the medical community largely ignored it. It was seen as more of a laboratory curiosity than a practical treatment. Fleming’s main focus was on his research on staphylococci, and he considered the penicillin mold just an interesting side note. The true potential of penicillin was rediscovered and developed more than a decade later by a team of scientists at the University of Oxford. In the early 1940s, led by Howard Florey and Ernst Chain, they were searching for natural antimicrobial agents. . They came across Fleming’s 1929 paper and began to work on purifying and stabilizing penicillin. Their work was driven by the urgent need for treatments for battlefield injuries during World War II.
Open and Reproducible Science
We are committed to transparency in our research. This means meticulous documentation, well-commented code, and sharing our methods and data. Good science is science that others can trust and build upon.
People First, Science Second
Your well-being is the top priority. Science is hard, but it should also be fun. We work hard, but we also value a life outside the lab. Taking time for your mental and physical health is not just allowed; it’s essential. Burnout is not a badge of honor. If you are struggling, please tell me. I want you to be productive and smart. Number of hours warming the lab chair is not a metric of good science.
My expectations
Beyond specific technical skills (which you can learn!), I look for a certain mindset and a set of personal qualities that will help you thrive in our times together as a mentor and mentee and in your future career.
I am not looking for the smartest, passionate student. You should be curious, have a learner mindset and have strong work ethic. I strongly belive that hardwork can beat talent (most of the times). You should be the first person to pop up the hood of the car when it is broken than waiting for someone else.
Show up. It is a pain to work with people who don’t show up on time. The fact that you show up is one way to showcase your enthusiasm. I want to you to knock again and again until the door opens.
Be nice, be respectful. Be respectful of everyone, regardless of their position or background. Respect their strengths and weaknesses, their culture, their beliefs, and their identity.
Research is hard, experiments fail, papers get rejected. We are working at the boundaries of what is known and what is unknown. Failures are our occupational hazard. I am champion of failures. I am looking for individuals who can bounce back from setbacks with a positive attitude and a determination to try again. I would be your loudest cheerer.
Do not take short cuts. Be meticulousness. The details matter. Scientists have to be careful. Don’t rush your work. Think about it. Implement it. Double and triple-check it. Incorporate sanity checks. Ask others to look at your code or data if you need help.
Your primary goal is to learn, read papers, take online courses, and ask questions - lots of them. Schedule time for deep work and focused learning.
Communicate Proactively. Keep me updated on your progress, your challenges, and your successes. I can’t help you if I don’t know you are stuck. I do check in on a daily basis. But I don’t micromanage. You are an adult and be treated like one. We are co-investigators of mystery of Consciousness.
Drive your project. Set your own deadlines, identify the next steps. When you present your work, you should be the world’s leading expert on that specific topic.
Be a Good Lab citizen. Keep common areas tidy. Clean up food waste, crumbs, and spills. Be on time for meetings. Turn off the lights if you are the last one leaving for the day and make sure the door is locked.
Mentorship is a two-way street. You have a right to expect certain things from me as your mentor. I make the following promises to you:
- I Will Support You: I am committed to supporting you scientifically. My goal is more like Morpheus in movie Matrix. I can only show you the path, you have to walk it.
- I will be honest woth my feedbacks. I will provide constructive feedback on your work, ideas, experiments and presentations in a timely manner.
- I Will Be Available. I will have regular one-on-one meetings with you (twice a week). My door will be open for questions, discussions, and brainstorming.
- You don’t have to knock unless there is another person in the room or I am in a meeting, But, if something is urgent knock thrice and I will get back to you at the earliest possible
- I will actively look for opportunities to help you grow like presenting at conferences, applying for fellowships, learning new skills and expanding your professional network. I will help you prepare for the next step of your career, whether it’s an academic one or outside of academia.
Respect, Safety, and Inclusion
Our workpalce must be an environment free of harassment and discrimination. I will not tolerate any verbal or physical harassment, intimidation, or discrimination on the basis of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion. If you experience or witness harassment, or have any tension with a lab member, please tell me immediately. If your concern is with me, please reach out to Dr. Arun or Dr. Ravindra.
Scientific Integrity
We do this honestly. It is never okay to plagiarize, tamper with data, make up data, omit data, or fudge results in any way. Science is about finding out the truth, and null results and unexpected results are still important. Research misconduct is a disservice to the field and risks your entire career. Don’t do it.
Authorship: We will follow APA guidelines for authorship. At the start of a project, we will discuss and come to an agreement which is documented via an email.
Privacy (Photos & Videos): Please get explicit consent from lab members before taking their photo or video recording them, and get consent again before posting on social media. This is to foster an environment where everyone feels safe and comfortable.
Onboarding
In your first week, I will get you set up with settling in, lab tour etc. We will also work together to create a clear project plan with initial goals and a reading list.
Lab Meetings: We have a weekly centre meeting on all Mondays (3 PM IST), seminar on Fridays (9 AM IST) and Journal Clubs on Saturdays (9 AM IST). These are opportunities to listen to broader neuroscience topics and mandatory to attend.
Sick Days: If you are sick, please stay home and take care of yourself. Reschedule meetings and participants as soon as you can.
Dress Code: The dress code is casual (jeans are fine), but not too casual. Please don’t wear pajamas or sweatpants.
If this guide resonates with you, and you are excited by the research we do, I would love to hear from you. Please send me an email with:
- Your CV (2 pages maximum).
- 500 words on why you want me as a mentor? My work is awesome is not an answer!
- A description of a past project (academic, personal, or professional) that you are proud of and what you learned from it.
- What skill sets do you bring with you? For example: Programming in Python/MATLAB/R, Inferential statistics, Previous work with EEG, Have spend reviewing some papers on working memory and have written a blog on this, Have taken a course on something etc etc. Point is, I do not know you and there are 5 other applications from people like you. Unfortunately, I can take only handful. Make your case, show me something tangible (a GitHub repo if you can code) apart from a CV statement.
Thank you for considering me as a potential mentor. I look forward to the possibility of working together!