Selmecki Lab Job Opportunities!
University of Minnesota

Multiple positions are available for motivated individuals with experience in molecular and cellular biology, evolutionary theory, and/or bioinformatics. Undergraduate, Graduate, and Postdoctoral applicants are encouraged to apply. Please send a cover letter describing your research experience and interests, current resume, and names of three professional references to selmecki [at] umn [dot] edu
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Also check out our new lab space in the Microbiology Research Facility at UMN!

Selmecki Lab Address
University of Minnesota Medical School
Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology
Microbiology Research Facility, Room 3-153
689 SE 23rd Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55455

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Advising Statement
Author: Dr. Anna Selmecki
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Updated: 09/01/2021
 
Welcome to the Selmecki Lab! My role as a Principal Investigator and mentor is to foster an inclusive environment for trainees of all levels to be supported as they reach their full potential. This document provides an overview for our lab to ensure that there are clear expectations and communication to help you be a productive member of the lab. This is a living document and will continue to be improved and updated with input from all lab members. Our lab is welcoming, collaborative, and rigorous. We hold each other accountable for our shortcomings and celebrate each other’s victories together. We welcome any questions you have about the lab.
 
My job as a professor includes research, teaching, and service. I am expected to write grants and perform research that will result in tangible contributions to the field, the community, and to society. The Selmecki Lab is dedicated to conducting sound and ethical research. As a member of the Selmecki lab, advisees are expected to take responsibility for their own research as well as providing a supportive, accepting, and constructive environment for fellow lab members. Advisees are expected to contribute to a lab setting that is a fun, safe, and inclusive place for scientific discovery. I expect each member to disseminate the findings of their research. Our goal is to publish research in scientific journals and communicate our findings through presentations in academic settings as well though outreach or other forms of science education. I also train and advise researchers in the lab. I aim to contribute to your professional development including progress toward your degree and long-term goals. I have prepared this document to clearly communicate my expectations of advisees and what advisees can expect of me.
 
Sources: This statement was adapted from a statement of adviser philosophy distributed by Scott Lanyon, Dean of the UMN Graduate School, and then adapted by Gordon Legge, Psychology DGS, and Moin Syed, Department of Psychology, and Dr. Trinity L. Hamilton. Additional ideas/guidance provided by Ran Blekhman. Anyone is free to borrow from this document as they wish, so long as they provide similar attribution.
 
Expectations of the PI:
- I will meet with all lab members regularly (weekly, or as frequently as we decide) to discuss your research ideas, results, and progress. I frequently stop by lab for more informal chats and lively “whiteboard discussions.” I expect advisees to schedule individual meetings with me each semester and summer as our schedules change. We may schedule additional meetings as necessary. I will notify you in advance if I am not able to make our regular meeting and reschedule. 
- Individual meetings do not have always have a set agenda but serve as a mutual check-in about progress and their program. If we are to discuss specific items (papers, etc.), these should be shared with me at least 24 hours prior to the meeting so that I have time for review. 
- I aim to be flexible and adaptable in mentoring for each advisee. I will do my best to adapt and alter my mentoring style to best meet advisee background, expertise, and professional goals. I will strive to be aware of the power differential that is inherent in the advisor-advisee relationship and I will seek out opportunities to improve my ability to mentor. I appreciate your feedback.
- I believe that work-life balance and mental and physical health are important for advisee success. I will help set reasonable expectations for research output and I will ask for your input and feedback. 
- We will work to establish mutually agreed upon deadlines for each phase of your work during one-on-one meetings. We will set short-term (weekly) goals and longer-term goals (semester / yearly).
- I will provide instruction and guidance on presenting data in lab meetings, conferences, etc. I will review raw data and provide instruction on protocols as needed.
- I will provide timely and constructive feedback on drafts of your papers, proposals, abstracts, presentations, and reports. I will do my best to do so quickly, hopefully within a week. 
- I will strive to maintain a diverse and inclusive lab and will consult with current lab members whenever I am considering adding a new member.
- I will make sure that your position and project are funded, and you have all the resources needed to successfully accomplish your research goals.
- I will acknowledge your contributions when presenting and discussing our lab’s research. I will foster collaboration between lab members and will involve lab members in external collaborations and projects.
- I will dedicate time and resources to best equip advisees for their career goals. To do so, I ask that advisees discuss the career paths and goals they are interested in while realizing this may evolve over time. Through the lab, coursework, workshops, and other opportunities, we will work together to build a program where you can obtain the experiences and skills needed to reach your career goals. I will meet yearly to discuss your Individual Development Plan and identify specific mentoring plan based on your career goals.  
 
Expectations of all lab members:
 
- All members are expected to maintain an open and inclusive environment. 
- Harassment of any kind is not tolerated.
- Scientific misconduct, data fabrication, and plagiarism is not tolerated. 
- It is expected that all members participate in weekly group meetings. This includes presenting data, leading or contributing to discussions, and providing support for others. I also expect each advisee will do their part to create a climate of constructive engagement and mutual respect. Advisees are expected to attend lab meetings and lab events and to show up on time and prepared. If these expectations cannot be met, advisees must alert the PI as soon as possible.
- All members will attend one weekly seminar series with external speakers (MICAB, GCD, PMB, EEB, etc) or virtual (e.g. MRC Mycology talks).
- Work hours vary. Each advisee sets their own schedules based on what works best for each individual. I request that all lab members have some overlap during “regular” work hours (~9 am - 5 pm) when possible, to facilitate discussions and troubleshooting. We will work together to establish mutually agreed upon deadlines for each phase of your work during one-on-one meetings. We will set short-term (weekly) goals and longer-term goals (semester / yearly) and adjust as necessary. Regardless of the schedule that works best for you, hard work is required. Balance between work and life is also necessary. 
- Every experiment must be documented in its entirety including date, time, detailed methods, and every result. Your notes, records and all tangible research data are property of the university. Ensure your notebook is up to date by the end of every week if not sooner and backup your computer data to dedicated hard drives and MSI weekly. It is imperative for federally funded research that you record your data and findings. 
- A common file structure and organization for all digital lab data is recommended. See the Shared Google Drive for examples.
- Research in our lab is highly collaborative. Lab members will help support or train other members in protocols and analysis in which they are well-trained. Co-authorships will be discussed for significant contributions of time and expertise.
- Authorship: In most all cases, advisees will be first author on all work for which they took the lead on data collection, preparation of the initial draft of the manuscript, and revisions of the manuscript. Authorship arrangements should be discussed at the onset of a project and be re-visited as soon as its apparent that data will result in a publication, and again if the scope of the project changes during the writing process. 
- Advisees will collect and archive/backup all raw data, write up the methods used, prepare figures for publication, and write the results and interpretation of these data.
- I expect advisees to dedicate time each week to read and review literature. Advisees are expected to maintain context for their research within recent and historical published literature so that previous studies guide their research. Advisees are expected to build and maintain a reference editor (e.g., Endnote) for ease of writing publications, etc. I also expect advisees to participate in journal clubs as their schedule permits. 
- Presentations: Advisees are expected to prepare in advance for all local, national, and international meetings and conferences. At least 3 weeks in advance of conference deadlines, advisees will present their oral or poster presentation to the PI for constructive feedback. Then, at least 2 weeks in advance of the conference deadlines, advisees will present their oral or poster presentation to the entire lab for constructive feedback. Additional practices are expected before traveling to the conference to ensure the presentation is polished.
- Conferences: Developing a professional network is important for many career paths. I expect advisees to attend local, national, and international meetings and to report on their research at those meetings. I will do my best to help obtain financial support for meetings. Advisees are also expected to apply for external support for meeting attendance (travel awards, etc.). I regularly make the lab aware of upcoming conferences and meetings of interest. Attending meetings will be discussed in individual meetings and as part of short- and long-term goals. After attending a meeting, advisees are expected to provide a ‘meeting report summary’.
- Grant proposal writing is an important skill for all scientists regardless of career path. I expect advisees to write proposals for internal (department, college, university) and external (NIH, NSF) funding opportunities including fellowships, research grants, travel grants, etc. I also regularly involve advisees in the grant writing process assuming their time permits.
- I expect advisees to practice good time management and to work efficiently using a schedule and time that works best for them. I expect advisees to set and meet regular deadlines. I also expect advisees to need and want time away from work. Work-life balance and vacation time or time away are essential for creative thinking and health and I encourage advisees to take time off. Be aware that there at times when more effort will need to be devoted to work such has field seasons and it may not be ideal to schedule time away. 
- Collaborations: The Selmecki lab has multiple ongoing projects which include a range of collaborators (at UMN and abroad). Your contributions to these collaborative projects will be discussed prior to initiation. I prefer to communicate with all collaborators. If you are contacted directly, please forward/include me in any communication regarding potential or on-going collaborative projects. This includes colleagues here at UMN.
- Advisees are expected to uphold professionalism in interactions with other lab members, neighboring labs, building staff, and collaborators.
- Communication is central to our research and lab community. I hope that this document clearly communicates my expectations and reduces misunderstandings. I look forward to revising this document with your feedback. I am available by email and my office door is usually open for walk-ins. I am open to questions, comments and concerns but also acknowledge that our relationship may not facilitate all types of conversations and feedback and encourage advisees to reach out the director of graduate studies, our human resources representative, or the Office of Student Conflict Resolution. 

Dissertation students:
 
The development of an advisee’s research topic is an ongoing and evolving process between myself and the advisee along with other lab members through individual meetings, lab group meetings, journal discussion and in-depth literature and topic review by the advisee.
- I expect my advisees to develop research projects that are hypothesis-driven while also understanding that some unknowns in complex biological systems will lend themselves better to a question-oriented approach from which hypotheses can be generated and tested. 
- The dissertation chapters should be written with the expectation that they be submitted as a series of publications (and ideally chapters have already been submitted for publication prior to the dissertation defense). The thesis chapters should be accompanied by a first chapter providing a literature review and synthesis of the subsequent chapters to represent a cohesive research program and a final chapter or conclusion chapter underscoring the results of the research program and potential next steps. 
- For PhD students, I expect at least one paper to be submitted before defending their PhD thesis and additional manuscript(s) nearing submission and a timeline for planned submission. I also expect my advisees to be working on manuscripts that may be tangential to their thesis, whether as first author or contributing to collaborative projects in the lab or with external collaborators.