We believe that the scientific enterprise should become fully representative of, and equally beneficial to, all of the world’s diversity. With each new generation of scientists, we can move closer to these goals.
Mentoring Philosophy
We consider it our duty, privilege, and pleasure to mentor the next generation of scientists. Our mentoring philosophy and practice include the following elements, among others:
- Personalized Mentoring: The strategic foundation of our mentoring practice is to communicate honestly, routinely, and individually with each of our colleagues and tailor exciting and effective career- and person-building plans, training and actions for ourselves and our mentees.
- Leadership and Management Training: When colleagues leave our lab for the next phases of their careers, they will bring with them the leadership, management and communication skills they will need to succeed wherever they go.
- Intercultural Competency: We collaborate with Zuckerman Institute Scholar-in-Residence Dana Crawford to reduce bias, prejudice, and racism and develop intercultural competency in the lab.
- Institutional Commitments and Programs: In addition to our in-lab efforts, the Zuckerman Institute offers programs to help all of its scientists—no matter what the professional stage—to succeed now and in the future. Among these are:
- The Zuckerman Trainee Advisory Committee (ZTAC) provides a framework for students and postdocs to interface with administration and leadership to improve mentorship, career development, and workplace culture.
- Postdocs are invited to partake in a career-building effort to assemble a Personal Board of Advisors with participants both within and outside Columbia and academia.
- A growing and diversifying portfolio of networking and training opportunities at the Zuckerman Institute reinforces a foundation for making good and successful next moves. These opportunities range from ready and routine access to the entire Zuckerman Institute community to hosting seminars featuring external speakers to learning how to put one’s best foot forward in job applications.
Gadagkar Lab Core Values
1. Excellence: We pursue transformative questions with the highest standards of scientific integrity, rigor, and quality.
2. Cooperation: We create and maintain a culture of respect, cooperation, collaboration, and healthy communication between all members of the lab.
3. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging: We foster an environment that embraces a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and areas of expertise.
4. People First: We prioritize the well-being of all members of the lab and recognize that everyone contributes uniquely and has unique circumstances and mentoring requirements.
5. Communication: As scientists whose work can change the world, we acknowledge the responsibility to communicate our discoveries objectively, frequently and effectively both to the scientific community and society at large.