Throughout my career, I have been the beneficiary of invaluable mentorship which accelerated my personal and professional growth. Therefore, I place tremendous value on mentoring and make it one of my highest priorities. I understand that there is no universal formula that can serve everyone, mentorship must be something fluid and adapted to each circumstance. My mentoring approach will be tailored for each individual and built on the pillars of clear expectations, open communication,  and integrity.

Clear expectations: To be successful in any professional relationship it is key to set clear expectations. I will begin by asking what are your scientific curiosities and professional goals, and how joining this research programme and working with me can best fulfill your long-term goals. I will also clearly let you know what I expect to achieve. I will be open to feedback and adjustments during the course of our progress.

Open communication: Open communication is key for successfully setting and reaching expectations. I have witnessed students struggling to tell their mentors about the problems they are facing, and how those mentors became frustrated because they did not know what was going on, creating a negative feedback loop for both. This can be avoided by establishing open lines of communication as the foundation for maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships. My goal will be to provide any lab member with the space to openly express themselves, and listen and learn how I can best support you in professional and personal contexts. Please let me know how can I help you.

Integrity: Honesty and trust are the basis of interpersonal relationships. Scientific research and learning inevitably involve failure. I will create a lab environment to encourage dealing with mistakes and frustrations as teachable moments that provide insights and a new opportunity to learn. I will lead by example, sharing my own failures, challenges, and learnings.

While best practices are expected, the core values of the lab are equally important. These values will guarantee the right work environment where all, in our diversity, feel safe and comfortable. These values are non-negotiable. I pledge to use my leadership and influence to foster inclusivity and I will always welcome, support, and protect diverse viewpoints and representation.

Inclusiveness: Everyone comes from a different background, which will be respected and valued in the lab. These differences bring a diversity that enriches our team and expands our perspectives. Any exclusionary or discriminatory behaviour will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

Respect: We all make mistakes and we can inadvertently offend a labmate. Starting from a place of mutual respect, we will openly discuss, rectify, and apologise for issues when warranted. Respect is fundamental.

Openness: I certainly expect mistakes to happen and I want everyone to feel comfortable disclosing them openly. You will learn faster when you are open and we learn together rather than troubleshoot by yourself.

Teamwork: We succeed as a group or we fail as individuals. We must be invested in the development and success of our labmates. I expect you to help and support your colleagues as much as you can. There is no room in this lab for selfish attitudes.

Lab work: The highest work standards are a must. For that, we will stick to protocols, we will do a careful execution and analysis of the experiments done, and keep a perfect track record of them. Additionally, for a lab to be run properly all the members must be committed and responsible for lab maintenance. If anyone cuts corners sooner or later everyone will be affected. We will value and respect the time and research of all members of the lab.

To reach your peak productivity, I want you to organise the progress of your project as you consider best suited for your work style. Your stay in this lab is short compared to the length of your career, nevertheless, your PhD or your postdoc is going to be key to the success of your career, so make the most of it. I am not going to tell you to work, I will expect that making progress on your project is your top priority. You have to be self-motivated, because the main beneficiary of your work is you.

As a group leader, my main concern will be to provide the best opportunity for you to develop your career and achieve your scientific goals. I promise that I will work hard with you to catalyse your success. I will always be available to listen to your concerns, frustrations, ideas that you want to explore or to troubleshoot together. You will not be alone. I will support you as much as possible, and I aim to make your stay in my lab as one of the most productive stages in your career. I will be your ally.

My expectations for postdocs and research associates:

I will expect you to reach your maximum potential. As a postdoc, I would be thrilled to work with you to begin new research lines of mutual interest by combining your background with the core capabilities of this lab. I will expect you to have your own funding, as it is fundamental for a scientific career to secure funding for your science. I am aware that when you spend time writing a fellowship, you will have less time to work in the lab, and still, I will encourage you to do it. It will be excellent practice to start your own independent career, and it will also give you more freedom to test your hypothesis, go to conferences, and so on. I want you to help me to run the lab, guide PhD students, and also help me be a better group leader.

My expectations for PhD and master students:

The PhD is an exciting stage where you will gain expertise on a specific topic and you will also be exposed to scientific reasoning. Besides mastering different experimental techniques, you will also acquire non- scientific skills that will be useful throughout your career. I do not want you to be worried about not having good data at the beginning. Everybody needs time to learn. The PhD should be fun as you are discovering a new world.  In the first years, I want you to be aware that mastering a technique requires repetition, huge dedication, and you will need to work extremely hard. I will sit with you to help you design the initial experiments and routes of your project. A properly designed experiment is the one that is the most informative and reliable. While I understand that at the beginning you will make technical mistakes, I expect a positive attitude and an eagerness to learn from your mistakes and become an excellent scientist.