Mentoring and Supervising Staff and Students

Ellis Meng, Ph.D.Associate Professor

Departments of Biomedical & Electrical Engineering

Biomedical Microsystems Laboratoryellis.meng@usc.edu

Biomedical Microsystems LaboratoryDepartment of Biomedical Engineering• microdevice solutions at the interface of

biology and medicine– new and improved tools for therapeutics,

monitoring, and discovery– translational technologies– many applications

• expertise in– microfabrication– microfluidics– sensors– implantable devices– neural interfaces and prostheses

My Research

• hands on, multidisciplinary, and collaborative• requires many specialized skills that take time to

develop• students never come in with the right background• few post-docs in the field

My Mentoring History

• as a graduate student/post-doc (all at Caltech): 4 UG researchers and > 200 UGs

• at USC: 3 PhDs, 7 PhD candidates, 4 MS, 89 UGs, 7 HS students, 3 HS teachers– PhD students: 8 domestic & 2 international– MS students: all former USC undergraduates

that worked in my lab

• to new and aspiring faculty: figure out who you need on your team to be successful and choose your people wisely

Recruitment

• figure out how your department works– quality of students applying– make the effort to contact students– how are matches made? rotation system?– finances: fellowships, TA, RA, other

• courtesy appointments in other departments• create a website and keep it updated

Mentoring and Supervising your Team

• many roles to play– lead by example and

set a culture– build a relationship,

trust, understanding– grooming future

colleagues and mentors

• learn to communicate (listening too)– set your expectations

and put it down in writing

– email, in person, phone, text msg, skype, IM, etc.

– unintentional intimidation

Mentoring and Supervising your Team

• know your team - every member is different– learning curve is a moving target– level of intervention towards self-sufficiency– developing a management strategy

• team dynamics and lab moral– rotation systems offer a trial period– attitudes and personalities– disputes

Dealing with Crises

• personal issues– a friendly ear– time off– counseling

• attrition– many reasons: performance or personal– unpredictable and unavoidable

• don’t forget about your own mentoring needs and work-life balance

Research Integrity

• lead by example and educate your lab• your own team and your collaborators• Responsible Conduct of Research training

– http://research.usc.edu/policies/rcr/– Largely applies to students

• plagiarism is not universally understood (text and figures)

Authorship and Credit

• authorship is straightforward– conventions in your field or set by you– write it down, explain in lab mtgs, set your expectations

from the start– publish with undergraduates too!

• inventorship is not straightforward– it’s all about the claims– not all research contributors are inventors– any inventor can seek a license to university owned IP

Additional Reading

• K. Barker – At the Helm: A Laboratory Navigator• C.M. Cohen & S.L. Cohen – Lab Dynamics: Management Skills for

Scientists