MIND Lab

Overview

I am excited that you are considering to join the MIND lab. Please review our lab values and this document to gain an understanding of how I train mentees. A brief highlight of qualities I am looking for are listed below.

The MIND lab is a great fit if you are (or are actively working on becoming)...

1. Enthusiastic about learning and applying new statistical techniques to real-world problems.
2. Open to understanding and improving your strengths and weaknesses.
3. Ready to identify and overcome patterns that may hinder your productivity and growth.
4. Self-motivated and driven to succeed.
5. Able to work independently after an initial training period.
6. A quick learner.
7. Results-oriented and focused on outcomes.
8. A critical thinker.
9. Organized and detail-oriented.
10. Committed to maintaining high research standards.
11. An excellent communicator.

The MIND lab is unlikely to be the right fit if...

1. You start projects at the last minute.
2. You prefer thinking over taking action.
3. You are not focused on self-improvement.
4. You are not open to constructive feedback.
5. You dismiss feedback without thoughtful consideration.
6. You need constant motivation and guidance (support is provided, but self-motivation is key).
7. You are seeking an easy research project — high-quality research requires time and iteration.
8. You lack attention to detail.
9. You avoid taking responsibility for your actions.

Opportunities Provided by the MIND Lab

1. Skills to generate original ideas: As biostatisticians, we seek to create original research by tackling problems with no immediate solutions. In the MIND lab, members are trained to efficiently sift through literature, identify key findings, and spot gaps to generate new ideas. We also embrace a “beginner’s mindset,” approaching problems with curiosity and asking basic questions to clarify challenges. This mindset isn’t about abandoning expertise but staying open to inquiry, even when it feels uncomfortable. The MIND lab provides a judgment-free space where members are encouraged to ask for help, offer solutions, admit errors, and provide and receive feedback—essential behaviors for generating innovative ideas that move science forward.
2. Skills to create rigorous and impactful science: After a potential original ideas is identified, I work with lab members side-by-side to make their solution rigorous in two ways. The first is to verify that their solution works in theory: they write out the solution with statistical models and then use statistical theory to check what properties are and are not guaranteed. The second is to test their solution with simulation studies, checking different simulation settings so as to not cherry-pick those in which the solution works and ignore the ones where it does not. Afterwards, lab members then learn to implement their work in open source code in the lab's GitHub repository, which is managed by version control software, and designed for easy use by statisticians and clinician scientists.
3. Skills for effective communication: Another part of moving science forward is communicating it effectively. Biostatistics is known for its complexity. We’re responsible for helping researchers design studies, assess data quality, choose appropriate analysis methods, and correctly interpret results. We therefore must be able to articulate complex topics in ways that people of different backgrounds or areas of expertise can understand. After four years of grantsmanship training, I developed a repeatable process to best communicate our science. That process is based on three principles: desire, trust, and simplicity. This process helps identify what the field wants (desire), what evidence it needs to be convinced of a solution (trust), and how to communicate that desire and trust in the simplest way possible (simplicity). I created the “Create Spicy Science” training to teach these principles, helping biostatisticians fill field gaps and communicate persuasively. To date, 35 researchers trained in this program have earned over 70 awards, fellowships, and faculty positions.
4. Environment that supports sustainable growth: Research has shown that generating original ideas relies more on building "character skills" than just accumulating more technical skills (Grant, 2023, Hidden potential: the science of achieving greater things). Often labeled as "soft skills," character skills are the dedication, determination, and proactiveness to seek new knowledge—the very skills that fuel originality. The MIND lab is a place where character skills are developed through monthly training sessions to help trainees sharpen their research skills in a sustainable and effective way. Past sessions have included, for example, strategies to address mental blocks, improve time management, and increase confidence.
5. Environment that promotes authenticity: Psychologists have long recognized that the desires to be one’s authentic self and to fit into a group—to be unique and to belong—are two primal human needs. These needs are so important that the pain from social exclusion causes the same areas of the brain to light up as does physical pain. Uniqueness and belonging are also essential for trainees to feel included at work. In the MIND lab, we prioritize creating a space for everyone to fit in no matter their individual differences. We encourage lab members to raise ideas that may be considered unpopular, have fruitful dissension, and, when possible, arrange seating in a circle to encourage interaction and reduce power hierarchy.