LAB VALUES

The following set of values reflect our collective ideals for a safe, inclusive, encouraging, and productive lab. Each member of the lab, from our director to our newest student, will endeavour to embody these ideals, be kind to themselves and others when they fall short, and take every opportunity to learn from their mistakes and to do better.

The mission of the FAIR Lab is to conduct mental health and well-being research that promotes equitable and positive health outcomes for all. We strive to work as a team, to always be learning, to try to contribute to the communities that we work and live in, and to have fun while we are doing this.

Although academia inevitably involves competition, this lab is a team. The success of any individual member reflects on our lab as a whole. Lab members are encouraged to share credit, be generous with authorship, listen to the ideas of others, be genuinely happy for the success of others, and assist the work of others when they are able.

We strive to help our members develop as professionals, but also as people. Our lab’s ethos is to promote wellbeing – thus, the physical and mental wellbeing of our lab’s members is critical. Academic success cannot come at the cost of one’s mental and physical health. Be kind and take care of yourself – work-life balance is encouraged in our lab. If you have any concerns, we encourage you to discuss them with Dr. Clayborne or senior members of the lab.

Our lab members come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Discrimination on any basis (race, sex, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or identity) is unacceptable. We are vigilantly opposed to racist, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic behaviour and language and will seek to create an open, inclusive, space for the sharing of ideas and the professional growth of lab members.

The FAIR Lab is a community. In addition to conducting good science, we strive to facilitate social connections within this community, as social connections are an important component of well-being. We will strive to grant equal opportunities to all members, and to recognize and celebrate the achievements and contributions of all members equally. We will also strive to ensure that any lab social events are inclusive and enjoyable for all members of the lab by offering a wide variety of activities that all lab members can enjoy, and we welcome the input of all lab members when selecting these activities.

In our lab, we aim to lift up the work and voices of all members. We will continue to hold each other accountable, to learn, and to grow in order to create a truly inclusive, productive working, learning, and collaborative environment.

This is a living document that is open to feedback from lab members and the broader community. Note: this document is inspired and adapted from the lab values and code of conduct that Dr. Clayborne developed with her doctoral research lab (uOttawa’s APEAL Lab).