Aminpour Lab Compact & Philosophy
On this page, we’re covering the Aminpour Lab Compact & Philosophy—a set of shared values, expectations, and practices that shape how we work, learn, and support each other in the lab. This compact is a living document. I'll update it as the lab grows and as we learn from our experiences together.
What “Lab Compact” Means
A lab compact is a relatively new term in academic settings. It refers to a set of shared principles, expectations, and values that guide how a research group works together. It’s usually informal but written down, and often co-developed or agreed upon by the PI and lab members. Think of it as a “group agreement” or a “code of practice” but tailored to the specific dynamics of a lab.
Compact Purpose
This page gives a quick look at how things work in the Aminpour Lab. What I expect from students and what you can expect from me. It's meant to keep things clear and help us work well together. I’ll update it occasionally, and I’m always open to suggestions. I believe in creating a respectful, inclusive space where people feel supported. Clear expectations and good communication help us do better science and enjoy the process too.
Our Lab's Philosophy
I started this lab with the kind of environment I wish I had more of during my own training one where people feel supported, respected, and encouraged to grow at their own pace. Research can be exciting and rewarding, but grad school is also inherently stressful. Life doesn’t pause just because you’re doing a degree, and the last thing we need on top of that is a toxic work environment. I want this lab to be a space where you can learn, make mistakes, ask questions, and push your ideas forward without fear of judgment or unnecessary pressure. I believe good science happens when people feel safe, heard, and included. We work hard, but we also value kindness, respect, and collaboration. This is a place where we help each other learn and where everyone’s contributions matter. We aim to create a culture of: Openness: Honest transparent communication, curiosity, and mutual respect. Support: Helping each other, mentoring newer lab members, and asking for help when needed. Growth: Taking initiative, learning from feedback, and staying open to new ideas. Equity and inclusion: Welcoming people from all backgrounds, and actively working to create a space where everyone feels they belong. I don’t expect perfection. I expect effort, reflection, and a willingness to grow and I’ll do the same.
Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
I believe in equity, diversity, and inclusion, not as a formality, a checkbox, or something to say to get funding but as a real, everyday practice that benefits our lab and the research we do. EDI is not just a policy. It's part of how we work, how we treat each other, and how we grow. A diverse and inclusive environment brings different perspectives, encourages creativity, and leads to better science. More importantly, it creates a space where everyone feels they belong and can thrive. This is something I will continue to prioritize and practice no matter what external pressures or incentives exist. It's a core part of the lab’s values and something we work on together, not just talk about.
Code of Conduct
We want the lab to be a space where everyone feels respected and safe. That doesn’t mean we always have to agree but it does mean we treat each other kindly and professionally. Speak and act with respect, even when there are disagreements. Harassment, discrimination, bullying or hurtful behavior of any kind won’t be tolerated (zero tolerance). If you ever experience something, please talk to me. I’ll support you. If needed I will fight for you. You can also report it directly to the university. Please check (https://www.ualberta.ca/en/human-resources-health-safety-environment/employment-information/ethical-conduct/discrimination-and-harassment.html). Being honest is one of the most important things in any professional relationship. No matter what, stay honest and respectful. Use polite language, even when you're frustrated. Avoid passive-aggressive comments or behavior. They may seem small, but they build tension and anxiety over time. If something’s wrong, be open. We’ll talk about it and try to find a solution together. Be mindful of personal space and differences in cultures. Always ask before physical contact, even small things like hugs or pats. If something bothers you, you’re encouraged to speak up. If you’re not comfortable doing that directly, I’m here to help. We all make mistakes. Assume good intent when possible, and be open to conversations that help us grow.
Work expectations
We all work differently, and that’s okay. The goal is to make steady progress, learn, and grow while keeping things sustainable. Graduate school takes focus and hard work. Personally, I have never worked harder in my life than during my PhD. It's demanding, and I understand what that feels like. I generally expect people in the lab to work around 40 to 50 hours per week, with flexibility. Some weeks may be lighter, others busier depending on deadlines. I don’t expect you to work on weekends or to answer emails during that time. That time is yours to rest, reset, or do whatever you need. That said, there may be very rare occasions—like a grant deadline or something urgent—where I might ask for your help with a small task, such as preparing a figure or reviewing a paragraph. If you notice it’s time-sensitive, I’d appreciate the support, but I won’t make a habit of asking. I usually work flexibly at night after my kids go to bed, or sometimes on weekends, to catch up on tasks. You might get emails from me at unusual hours, but please don’t feel any pressure to respond outside your own normal schedule. There’s no fixed daily schedule, but you should be available for meetings and collaboration when needed. If you're stuck or something is slowing you down, reach out. Getting help early is always better and part of how we learn. Your time here isn’t just about checking off tasks. It’s about developing as a researcher and growing your independence. Please keep me in the loop on your progress. If something is off track, we’ll figure it out together. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to stay engaged, communicate, and keep learning.
Can I Work from Home?
Sometimes students ask me this, and the short answer is yes and no (It depends). I'm not checking to see whether you're in the office every day. I give you flexibility and I expect you to manage your time and responsibilities in a way that works for you. That said, I strongly encourage you to come into the lab at least 4 out of 5 weekdays. Being around other lab members helps with collaboration, quick questions, shared learning, and just staying connected to the group. I’ve found that being in the lab regularly is really helpful for building momentum and staying focused. Also, keep in mind that staying home too much can affect your mental health. Having a routine, leaving the house, and being around others, even casually, can make a big difference. It's something I’ve seen in myself and in others. If you're sick or mentally exhausted, please take care of yourself. Let me know if you need to take some time off. Rest, recover, and let me know if you need anything. Your health always comes first. If you're stuck at home and need groceries or something basic, let me know. I’ll be happy to send you a small care package through Instacart to help you feel a bit more supported. While I do offer flexibility, I will be keeping an eye on your overall progress and performance. If I see that your work is slipping or you're falling behind, one of the steps I might take is to ask you to come into the office more regularly to help get things back on track.
Weekly Meetings
Regular check-ins help us stay aligned, catch issues early, and keep things moving forward. Here's how we usually stay in touch: We’ll have weekly group meetings where lab members share updates, discuss research, present challenges they’re working through, or talk about something interesting they came across. It’s a space to learn from each other, give feedback, and stay connected as a team. We’ll also schedule weekly (some students biweekly) one-on-one meetings which usually happens on Tuesdays. These are your time to ask questions, share progress, talk about challenges, or get feedback. I’ll ask you to prepare and present a short presentation beforehand so we can make the most of our time. If you’re sick or not feeling well, just let me know. We can skip or reschedule. Your health comes first.
Vacation & Time off
Everyone needs breaks. Not just for rest, but to maintain focus, motivation, and well-being over the long run. According to university policy, graduate students are allowed two weeks of vacation per year, in addition to official university holidays. That said, we can be flexible depending on your situation but it's important that we discuss and agree on any time off before you finalize your plans. This helps us avoid conflicts with important deadlines or group activities. Many students in the lab are international and living far from their families. I know from personal experience how emotionally heavy that can be. I fully support you taking time to visit family when you can. Reconnecting with loved ones can really help with stress and mental health. If you're sick or feeling mentally overwhelmed, please don’t push through. Take the time you need to rest and recover. Just send me a quick message to keep me in the loop. If you're unsure how to schedule time off or how it might affect your research timeline, let’s talk. We can always figure out something that works for both your well-being and your goals.
Writing and Publishing
Publishing your work is an important part of your research journey. It helps you build your scientific voice, share your contributions, and move your career forward. I expect students to aim for about one first-author paper every 1 to 1.5 years, depending on the type of project. Some papers take longer, and that’s okay. I don’t like to see any good work go to waste. If you’ve done something meaningful, I’ll support you in turning it into a publication. It might not always be a big paper, but it deserves to be reported. Projects can vary a lot. Personally, I had my first first-author paper published in the third year of my PhD—but by the time I finished, I had 11 publications, including some that came out after I graduated. So I understand that timing looks different for different projects. I will usually try to make sure you’re working on one main, challenging project and also have a few smaller or collaborative projects alongside it. That way, even if your main work takes time to reach publication, you’re still gaining experience, writing papers, and getting your name out there. I encourage students to help one another, especially by supporting and mentoring newer lab members. In many cases, this kind of support is acknowledged with co-authorship. I believe in giving credit where it's due, and I want to reward a collaborative, non-toxic lab culture where we lift each other up. We often begin writing parts of a paper while the research is still in progress. This helps clarify your thinking and saves time later. Don’t worry if writing feels tough at first—that’s normal, and I’ll help guide you through it. For collaborative papers, we’ll have clear conversations about authorship and contributions. I use the CRediT taxonomy to make sure everyone’s work is recognized fairly, and we’ll revisit authorship before submission.
Presentations and Conferences
Learning how to talk about your research—both to experts and to broader audiences—is an important part of beginning your journey in academia. Presentations help you organize your thoughts, get feedback, and build confidence. Conferences are also a great way to meet people, explore new ideas, and feel part of the wider research community. You’ll also build skills to do better each time, learning how to explain your work more clearly, handle questions, and tailor your message to different audiences. They’re also a valuable opportunity to build connections for your future. Many students meet potential collaborators, postdoc advisors, or even future employers through conference interactions. Being present, sharing your work, and asking questions can lead to conversations that open doors later on. Preparing for a conference often brings unexpected benefits. It pushes you to organize your results, think more clearly about your message, and better understand your own work. Having a deadline also helps with motivation. It gives you something concrete to work toward. I expect you to present your work at least once a year at a conference, even if it’s a work in progress. It doesn’t have to be perfect, sharing where you're at is already valuable. We’ll choose conferences that best fit your research. Some options include the International Conference on Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology (ISMB), the Canadian and European Biophysics Congresses, the Protein Society Annual Symposium, or others. If there’s a specific conference you're excited about, come talk to me. I’m happy to hear your ideas and explore what makes the most sense for your work. Conference abstracts are usually due months in advance, often before your work is finished. That’s completely normal. We’ll submit based on where we expect the project to be by the time of the event. I’ll help you prepare abstracts, posters, and talks and we’ll also apply for travel funding, either through my grants or external sources. The goal of presenting isn’t to be flawless. It’s to share your ideas, build your confidence, and improve with each experience. As a final note: If you’re nervous about public speaking, you're definitely not alone. This is often part of what’s called impostor syndrome. These thoughts are incredibly common, but they don’t reflect your actual ability. Feeling anxious doesn’t mean you’re not good at what you do. One of the best speakers I’ve ever seen, a well-known professor who was famous for his clear and engaging talks, once told me that he still felt nervous every single time before presenting, no matter how often he had done it or who the audience was. That really stayed with me. Even the most experienced charismatic scientists feel this way.
Staying on Top of Grad School Milestones
Your research is a big part of your grad school experience, but there are also important program milestones and rules you’ll need to stay on top of. Make sure you understand the specific requirements for your program (MSc or PhD), including coursework, thesis timelines, and defense deadlines. I’ll help guide you, but it's your responsibility to stay informed and plan ahead. You are usually required to complete three graduate-level courses. Choose ones that support your research and long-term goals. I’m happy to help you decide what makes sense. If you’re struggling in a course, talk to the instructor early and let me know too. It’s much better to discuss it and possibly drop or switch than to risk failing. Keep in mind that a failing grade can result in being required to withdraw from the program. Also remember that your grades matter. They can affect your eligibility for future scholarships and awards. Spend time learning the material, ask for help when needed, and aim to get the best grades you can. Don’t hesitate to ask other students in the lab about their experience with courses, deadlines, and navigating different stages of the program. Everyone has something helpful to share, and learning from each other makes the process easier and less overwhelming. If you’re ever unsure about a deadline, form, or requirement, don’t wait, ask me or check with the graduate program coordinator. A small misunderstanding can lead to bigger issues later if left unaddressed.
Need a Recommendation Letter?
At some point, you’ll likely need a letter of recommendation for scholarships, internships, postdocs, or jobs. I’m happy to write strong letters for students who have worked with me and demonstrated commitment, growth, and integrity. If you need a letter, please ask at least two weeks in advance. The more time I have, the better I can write a thoughtful and detailed letter tailored to the opportunity. This is important: Once I agree to write the letter, please also send me a calendar invitation for the deadline, with reminders set for two days and one day before the due date. This helps me stay on top of it and avoid last-minute stress. When you ask, include all relevant details: the deadline, where it needs to be sent, a short description of what it’s for, and anything you’d like me to highlight. Keep in mind that letters are based on our working relationship. If I know your work well and have seen how you approach challenges, writing a strong letter is easy. If I haven’t had much interaction with you, the letter may have to be more general. The best way to earn strong recommendation letters is to engage fully in your work, communicate openly, and take feedback seriously. Good letters can really open doors and I’ll do my best to support you when you’re ready to take the next step in your career.
Teaching Assistantships (TAships)
Each semester, I teach one course and typically need one Teaching Assistant (TA) to help with it. Whenever possible, I choose a TA from within my own research group. This is a good opportunity to gain teaching experience in a supportive setting and to stay connected with the course content we often use in our research. Whether the TAship adds to your funding or is part of it depends on our funding situation at the time: If funding is stable and we’re not tight, I’m usually happy to let students keep the full TA salary on top of what I already provide as research support. If funding is tight, the TAship may need to be counted as part of your total funding package for the term. The same approach applies to scholarships. When possible, I let you keep scholarship awards as extra support. But in some cases, they may be counted toward your funding balance if we need to stretch lab resources. In any case, I’ll be open about how things are looking financially, and we can talk through what’s possible. I want to make sure you’re supported while keeping things fair for everyone in the group.
Scholarships and External Funding
I strongly encourage all students in the lab to apply for scholarships and external funding. It’s not just about the money though that certainly helps. Applying for scholarships gives you practice in writing about your work, setting clear goals, and building a strong academic CV. In recent years, students in my lab have done very well with scholarships. That’s partly because they take their grades seriously, and also because they’re well supported and often have strong publication records. These things matter. Scholarship committees look for academic performance, research potential, and productivity, all of which we work hard to develop here. Even if you’re not sure you’ll win, it’s always worth applying. I always say: you already lost it if you don’t apply. Or as the saying goes, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Even when you don’t get the award, the process itself is valuable. It helps you clarify your research vision, build confidence, and prepare for future applications like postdocs and fellowships. When you’re ready to apply, I’ll support you with feedback on your writing, letters of recommendation, and help finding the right opportunities. If you’re unsure where to start, just ask. There are more options than most people realize, and it's worth putting yourself out there.
Good Habits for Code Management and Backups
In a computational lab like ours, managing code and data carefully is just as important as designing good experiments. Losing progress due to poor organization, lack of version control, or missing backups can be frustrating and sometimes impossible to recover from. So let’s build good habits early. Use version control. All research code should be tracked using Git, and stored in our lab’s GitHub organization or your personal GitHub when appropriate. This makes your work easier to share, review, and recover if anything goes wrong. Document your code. Even if it’s just for yourself, make sure your scripts have clear comments, a README file, and enough structure that you or someone else can understand what’s going on a few months later. Back up your work regularly. Never keep important files in just one place. Use university cloud storage, external drives, or GitHub. If your laptop dies, you shouldn’t lose your work. Use lab templates and workflows. For new projects, we may start from a basic template or structure to keep things consistent and reproducible. If you’re unsure where or how to set that up, just ask. We’ll figure it out together. Use tools to help you code smarter. You can use ChatGPT to help debug code, understand errors, or even build small modules when you're stuck. Tools like Cursor (an AI-assisted code editor) can also speed up development and help you structure larger projects more cleanly. These tools don’t replace understanding your code but they can be great supports when used wisely. Be open to sharing. When appropriate, we may open-source parts of our work, especially if it's tied to a publication. Clean, well-managed code helps make that possible. You don’t need to be a software engineer to do research coding well. Just stay organized, consistent, and open to feedback. And please never let your only copy of important work live on one machine.
Can I Use ChatGPT or similar AI tools ?
Yes, you can use ChatGPT or similar AI tools to support your work both in coding and writing. These tools can be incredibly helpful when used thoughtfully. I use them too. For coding, ChatGPT can help with: Debugging or explaining error messages Writing small functions or modules Refactoring messy code Getting unstuck when you don’t know where to start For writing, it can be useful for: Drafting outlines or summaries Rewording or polishing technical text Generating variations of phrasing or helping with structure That said, you need to use it critically and responsibly. ChatGPT is a tool, not a source of truth. A few important reminders: Always verify what it gives you. Especially in writing, ChatGPT may confidently produce inaccurate or misleading statements (this is called a hallucination). Never assume something is true just because it sounds polished. You are responsible for making sure everything you write is accurate. That includes checking facts, supporting claims with proper citations, and reading the original literature. AI can help you write, but it can’t do the thinking or checking for you. Don’t use AI to generate text and call it done. Use it to help clarify your thoughts or give you a starting point but everything that goes into your thesis, paper, or application should be read, checked, and understood by you. Be cautious about sharing unpublished data or private information in public tools. These platforms are improving their privacy features, but it’s better to be safe. Additionally, generative AI tools, specifically ChatGPT (OpenAI), may be used for tasks such as language refinement and idea clarification. Any content produced using these tools must be critically reviewed, edited, and verified by you to ensure academic integrity and accuracy. In short: yes, you can use ChatGPT but always do so with care, intention, and full understanding of your responsibility as the auth
Acknowledgment of Traditional Territory
We respectfully acknowledge that the University of Alberta is located on Treaty 6 territory, a traditional gathering place for diverse Indigenous Peoples including the Cree, Blackfoot, Métis, Nakota Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, Ojibway/Saulteaux/Anishinaabe, and Inuit. Their histories, languages, and cultures continue to influence our vibrant community. As a lab, we recognize that our work takes place on these lands and we are committed to ongoing learning, reflection, and respect for the Indigenous Peoples who have cared for this land for generations. This acknowledgment is a small but meaningful step in fostering awareness and inclusion, and in honoring the ongoing relationships with the Indigenous communities connected to this territory.