Mentorship Statement
Prashun Gorai
In my professional life, I am driven by scientific discovery and training a new generation of young scientists who want to solve materials science challenges. I believe mentorship is a key ingredient for solving scientific challenges, creating a more inclusive environment, and ultimately, advancing science. I am deeply committed to my role as a mentor to every member of my lab. To foster a collaborative environment and to provide personalized mentorship, I will aim to keep the number of core members to 10 or below. If you join my lab, I will do my best to provide you with all the support (professional, personal) that you need to succeed and move to your next career stage. I will continue to support you after you leave the lab.
I recognize that not everyone is interested in pursuing an academic career or still exploring their career options. This is completely fine. I will work with you to help you assess various career options, and provide guidance and training accordingly.
Here, I have summarized the basic features of my mentoring style. Some lab alumni have kindly agreed to be contacted (see Team); please write to them to ask more about my mentoring style, and lab environment.
Role as a Mentor
- For postdocs, my role is to help you develop your research program by providing technical training, resources, and access to potential collaborators. We will work together to shape your research program and help you get a faculty (or other) position.
- For graduate students, my role is to help you identify exciting research problems and develop a successful research program. In the process, my goal will be to train and equip you with technical skills that will be useful in projects and positions beyond your graduate research. We will work together to help you find a position in academia (postdoc, faculty), industry, or alternative careers.
- For undergraduate students, my role is to help you get research experience and prepare you for graduate school, if you choose to pursue a graduate degree. I will also help you identify potential PhD advisers.
Mentoring Style
- I am engaged in all the stages of research, from conceptualization and implementation, to analysis, interpretation, and dissemination. I believe that conceptualization and interpretation are highly collaborative processes. In practice, you will spearhead the implementation and analysis.
- I want to create a collaborative lab environment that facilitates students and postdocs learning from each other. In most cases, new (or even seasoned) team members will acquire technical knowledge from other members. This collaborative learning process also extends to me learning from you (students, postdocs).
- I will meet graduate students and postdocs individually once every week. Additional meetings may be scheduled on an as-needed basis, particularly when you are just starting out. We will also meet as a team once every week to provide updates to and receive feedback from the wider team.
- I will meet undergraduate students once every 2 weeks. Undergraduate students will work directly with a graduate student or postdoc mentor, and participate in the weekly team meetings.
- I recognize that each individual is different – some are highly independent researchers while others may require lots of inputs. I will work with you individually to identify the mentoring style that suits you. The ultimate goal is to do good science and solve materials science challenges.
Core Values and Expectations
- Effective communication is crucial to working as a team and solving scientific problems. There are two aspects of communication that I regard highly – visual/graphical communication and electronic correspondence. You may have heard the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. In the context of scientific communication, I believe, “A good picture is worth a paper”. I will teach you the best practices and provide the necessary tools to effectively communicate your science through graphical elements. I expect you to invest some time and effort in mastering this skill, which will serve you well in your future careers. Good, quick, and clear electronic correspondence, either via emails or Slack workspaces, is desired. I expect email or message responses within a day, except weekends and holidays or when personal commitments get in the way of life (we get it!).
- Diligence and hard work: This point does not require much elaboration. Hard work is not about how many hours you spend or whether you are physically present in the office. I simply expect that you are committed to your research project(s). I am flexible in accommodating individual needs, including but not limited to family/childcare commitments, and mental and physical health issues.
Collaboration
- We are a highly collaborative team. In most cases, team members will learn technical skills and best practices from other team members. I expect you to give back by sharing your knowledge and expertise with others. A team member or an external collaborator may have a unique perspective on your research problem. Please be receptive to new ideas and insights.
- We collaborate with many research teams (experimental, computational) in the U.S. and internationally. I expect you to work closely with your collaborators (students, postdocs, PIs). There is a lot to be learned in terms of science and team work by working on such collaborative projects.
Promoting Diversity and Creating an Inclusive Environment
- I am committed to improving the diversity in the field of computational materials sciences, and more broadly, in science and engineering. I have been fortunate to collaborate with many women scientists who serve as principal investigators, postdocs, and student researchers. We have several active project awards that are led by early-career women scientists. I have also trained and continue to train women graduate and undergraduate researchers. I have also trained and mentored students from under-represented groups in science and engineering, including first-generation college students.
- As a first-generation immigrant, I deeply care about the hardships faced by international students and postdocs. Diversity promotes creativity, and international students have a key role to play. We welcome aspiring scientists regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, gender or beliefs.