The core value of a Ph.D. is in one’s ability to reason logically, question and organize data, and understand how it fits in the large amount of existing scientific knowledge. As Arturo Casadevall and Gundula Bosch have envisioned for the John Hopkins Molecular Microbiology and Immunology PhD program, and briefly described in Nature, there is a need to “Put the Ph back in Ph.D.” and this is what we intend to do in our lab.
The purpose of a Ph.D. is to learn how to think scientifically and this is what we expect from our students. While this should be accompanied by the publication of one or several impactful papers, and will intrinsically drive them to master several techniques, the true requirements for earning a Ph.D. are the quality of the science put forth, the rigor and logic of the experiments put together, one’s ability to form a scientific opinion and to discuss science with their peers.
We consider that it is the student’s responsibility to learn the fundamentals of biology and neuroscience, especially in relation to the lab’s research interests, which involves reading scientific publications and textbooks. But we are committed to teaching our students the core principals of ‘good’ science and creating the best possible environment for them to grow and become fantastic scientific thinkers.
If you are interested in joining/rotating in our lab, please see our tips