Code-of-Conduct

The following document outlines the code of conduct for the Optical Cell Biology Laboratory also known as HenriquesLab. We value the participation of every member of our group and want to ensure everyone has an enjoyable and fulfilling experience, both professionally and personally. Accordingly, all members of the laboratory are expected to show respect and courtesy to others at all times. Please note that this code of conduct is not a legal document, supplementing, but not superseding, the ITQB/IGC policies for your level of employment or study.

TL;DR: Be nice. Ensure you properly cite and attribute others' work. Be respectful of others' time and effort. Be open to feedback and criticism. Be honest and transparent. Be considerate of others' needs. Be aware of your online presence. Be safe. Keep it clean and organized. Be a team player.

Interaction with colleagues

• Respectful communication: Communication in the laboratory should be respectful and professional. Lab members should avoid any behavior that could be perceived as offensive.
• Collaborative spirit: Members of the lab should aim to build a collaborative and supportive environment. They should actively seek opportunities to help and mentor their colleagues and be open to receiving help and feedback from others.
• Conflict resolution: In the event of a disagreement or conflict, lab members should strive to resolve it through constructive dialogue and discussion. If necessary, the lab director or a designated mediator can be consulted to help resolve the issue.

Core hours

• Attendance: Lab members should attend the laboratory during core hours (10am-4pm), unless otherwise agreed with the lab director. The laboratory promotes flexibility when arriving and leaving the laboratory outside of these hours.
• Working from home: Working from home is welcomed for tasks that require concentration and/or are not easily done in the lab. Core hours still apply, and you must be reachable remotely. Ensure that your experimental work and participation in lab events are unaffected. Lab members should inform the lab director in advance if they plan to work from home.
• Abuse: Working from home should not be used as an excuse to avoid work or to avoid attending lab meetings. Lab members should not work from home for extended periods without a valid reason. The expectation is that working from home is transient and not a permanent arrangement.
• Absence: When working from home or on vacation, lab members should update the lab calendar accordingly.
• Vacations: Lab members should follow the guidelines in their contract/fellowship and avoid taking time off during crucial deadlines, especially if their colleagues depend on them.
• Flexibility: In case of personal or professional obligations, members should inform the lab director in advance and make arrangements to ensure the continuity of their work.

Participation in lab activities

• Attendance: Members of the lab should participate in lab meetings, and other relevant activities unless otherwise agreed with the lab director.
• Engagement: Members should actively engage in discussions and contribute to the lab's intellectual and scientific development.
• Preparation: Members should come to meetings and other activities prepared and ready to discuss the relevant material, this generally includes a presentation of their data via PowerPoint or similar means.

Participation in national and international conferences

• Eligibility: Priority goes toward lab members presenting their work (recently published or being prepared for publication), being the first author(s) of the work presented. It's disadvised for lab members to attend conferences solely as observers.
• Funding: Lab members should apply for funding to attend conferences. If funding is not available, they should discuss with their supervisor(s) whether the lab can cover the costs. Decisions are done on a case-by-case basis but are generally more favorable to members presenting their work or junior researchers attending courses or workshops.
• Preparation: Lab members should prepare their presentations well in advance and share them with their supervisor(s) for feedback (see Presenting scientific research section below). They should also prepare a clear agenda for the conference, outlining the talks they wish to attend.
• Follow-up: After the conference, lab members should summarize the key points presented and any follow-up actions required, and communicate these to their lab colleagues.

1-to-1 meetings

• Frequency: Members should meet with their supervisors regularly for one-to-one meetings. The frequency of these meetings should be agreed upon in advance.
• Agenda: Members should prepare a clear agenda for each one-to-one meeting, outlining the topics they wish to discuss and any questions they have for their supervisor.
• Notebooks: Members should keep a physical or electronic notebook with notes from their one-to-one meetings and daily research. These notes should be available to their supervisors.
• Results and experiments: Data and experimental plans should be presented clearly and involve prior organization of their content into a presentation, such as by PowerPoint. The default format is one slide with a date, at least one slide reporting on research carried out since the last meeting and at least one slide with a summary of the next steps. It is advised to use the 1-to-1 meetings time efficiently and avoid having to search, process or analyze data during the meeting.
• Follow-up: After each meeting, members should summarize the key points discussed and any follow-up actions required, and communicate these to their supervisor.

Presenting scientific research

• Preparation: Prior to presenting to non-lab-members work generated in the context of the lab, the presented data should be shared with participating collaborators and reviewed by supervisors at least 5 days before presentation in the first instance. Any changes made henceforth should be communicated to supervisors before the presentation.
• Proper attribution: When presenting scientific work in public, lab members should give proper attribution to collaborators and sources of funding. If the presented work contains data or figures that were generated or derived by others, lab members should indicate this, through the use of legends, footnotes or other means.
• Appropriate use of social media: Our laboratory fully supports and encourages the use of social media to promote scientific research and to communicate with colleagues and the public. Lab members should be aware that their online presence can have an impact on their professional reputation. They are advised to avoid posting content that could be perceived as offensive or discriminatory. Respect your colleagues in pictures, personal information and all sensible content, as much as possible secure consent before posting such information. Openly accept to remove any content involving colleagues if requested to do so.

Communication

• Research: Lab members should copy their supervisor on e-mails related to their research. This includes e-mails to collaborators, project managers, funding agencies, and other relevant parties.
• Format: Slack or WhatsApp should not be used for formal sharing of data, instead, it should be done preferably via e-mail, or otherwise Microsoft Teams.
• Verbal: As much as possible, oral communications including talks and poster presentations should be trained with colleagues and supervisors before the event.
• After working hours: While communication may be initiated after working hours, lab members should not expect a response before the next working day.

Publishing scientific research (papers, preprints, posters, etc.)

• Authorship: Author roles and expectations are discussed early on in the project and ultimately decided by the laboratory director in consultation with other authors. This is often an ongoing conversation throughout the project, as roles and contributions may change over time.
• Contributions: All authors are expected to contribute significantly to the project. This includes conception, design, development of functionality, data acquisition, analysis and interpretation, and drafting and revising the manuscripts. These contributions are done with prior discussion and agreement of the lab director.
• Acknowledgements: Lab members should acknowledge the contributions of all collaborators and funding agencies in their publications.
• Independent work: Lab members may publish independent work that was not generated in the context of the lab, but such research or work should be disclosed to the lab director beforehand. In this case, they should not use the lab's or ITQB/IGC's affiliation in their publications unless agreed with the lab director. This work should be clearly distinguished from work generated in the context of the lab, not use laboratory resources (e.g. equipment including computers, reagents, software, funding, etc.), and not be based on data generated in the context of the lab. The laboratory takes no responsibility for the content of such publications, incurred costs or related ethical issues that may arise.

Intellectual property

• Management: The lab director is responsible for overseeing intellectual property generated by the lab in the context of research supported by the laboratory. Lab members should inform the lab director of the intellectual property they generate.
• Confidentiality: Lab members should not disclose confidential information about the lab or its members without the lab director's prior consent.
• Data Management: Lab members are responsible for the data they generate. They should ensure that their data is backed up regularly and that they have access to it at all times. Lab members should not share their data without the prior consent of contributing members and the lab director.

Funding

• Management: The lab director is responsible for overseeing funding applications and grants generated by all members of the lab in the context of research carried out within the laboratory. Lab members should inform in writting the lab director prior to submitting funding applications. Lab members should not submit funding applications without the lab director's prior written consent. Early drafts, as well as the final version of the application, should be shared with the lab director for feedback.
• Authorship: Lab members should ensure that they give proper attribution to the lab and its members in their funding applications. They should also ensure that they give proper attribution to collaborators and sources of funding in their publications.

Safety

• Safety: Lab members should adhere to safety protocols and guidelines to ensure a safe working environment for themselves and others. They should report any safety concerns or incidents to the lab director or appropriate personnel.
• Guidelines: Lab members should ensure that they follow all safety guidelines and procedures. They should also ensure that they use the equipment safely and responsibly and that they maintain it in good condition. Lab members should not share their equipment with anyone without the lab director's prior consent.
• Training: Lab members should complete all required safety training in line with the rules at ITQB/IGC and ensure that they are familiar with the lab's safety guidelines and procedures.

Equipment

• Maintenance: Lab members should ensure that they use the equipment safely and responsibly and that they maintain it in good condition. Lab members should ensure they clean up after use and return equipment to its original location.
• Scheduling: Lab members should ensure that they schedule the use of equipment in advance and that they do not use equipment that is already booked. For lab-specific equipment, an informal schedule can be set via google calendar as long as there is no other channel dedicated to it (e.g., lab book).

3D printing

• Personal Use: 3D printers in the lab are primarily for lab use. While personal use is allowed, it should be kept to a minimum and not interfere with lab work. The printers are not for large personal projects, including multi-day prints, at least without the lab director's consent.
• Maintenance: If you're carrying out a long print, you're responsible for monitoring the print and ensuring that the printer is in good condition and that the print is not causing any damage. If you're unsure about anything, ask for help.
• Scheduling: While there is (currently) no formal scheduling system, it is good practice to inform your colleagues if you plan to use the printer for a long print so they can plan accordingly.

Lab space

• Cleanliness: Lab members should ensure that they keep the lab clean and tidy at all times. This includes cleaning up after themselves and ensuring that they do not leave any equipment or materials lying around.
• Food: Lab members should not eat or drink in the wet or optics lab. They should also ensure that they do not leave any food or drink in these parts of the lab.
• Personal items: Lab members should not leave any personal items mixed with experimental space and prevent contamination. They should also ensure that they do not leave any equipment or materials lying around.
• Sharing optics space: If lab members need to run sensitive experiments in spaces that may be disturbed by other lab members (e.g. optical lab), they should inform all possible users of the space beforehand to avoid conflicts.
• Online meetings in shared lab spaces: Lab members should avoid having online meetings requiring dialogue in spaces shared with other researchers where the noise of the meeting may disturb other researchers. The lab director is happy to share or vacate his office for such meetings.