What are your expectations for your lab members?
How would you describe your mentoring style?
What is your perspective on in-person vs. virtual work and maintaining a good work-life balance?
What is the Duke University Marine Lab (DUML) like?
Are there undergraduate students at DUML?
Are there Master of Environmental Management (MEM) students at DUML?
Are there PhD students at DUML?
Are there postdocs at DUML?
Are there opportunities to conduct research outside of North Carolina?
Are there opportunities for scientific diving?
What is it like living in Carteret County?
What are your expectations for your lab members?
All lab members are expected to be respectful of others and to help foster a welcoming and inclusive environment. I value the willingness to learn from, teach, and work with others, regardless of your current education/career stage. It is completely acceptable if you prefer to work alone, but the Wong Lab may not be the best fit for you. I am looking to build a lab group that enjoys working in teams because I believe:
- Helping your labmates with their projects is an excellent opportunity for you to learn new skills and techniques, and to potentially gain experience working on a study system that’s different from your own. This is also a great way to gain co-authorships.
- In turn, your labmates are expected to assist you with your projects. Not only will this help you with your work, but this is also a valuable time to develop your skills training and mentoring others. Taking on the responsibility of leading a project also develops effective time and resource management, logistical planning, troubleshooting, and organization.
- No one should ever be conducting fieldwork alone. This is an important safety issue and makes working in teams essential.
- Many of our research projects require more than one pair of hands. We often need multiple people working together to accomplish tasks efficiently, collect samples within a certain timeframe, etc.
- Working in teams increases the spirit of collegiality, a sense of belonging, and is more fun!
I also value open communication with your labmates and with me. This can include some tough conversations – concerns you may have in the lab or the field, frustrations with me as an advisor, conflicts with others, mistakes or failures that occur – It is my goal to work with you to address problems as early as possible and to be an advisor that works best with you; this requires good and honest communication.
How would you describe your mentoring style?
My goal is for you to leave the lab a more independent scientist than when you arrived. To me, this means helping new lab members gain proficiency and confidence through proper training and guidance. In general, I consider myself to be a more hands-on mentor. However, I do not like (and frankly, don’t have the time) to micromanage. Because we are a relatively new lab and are still building our group, a lot of your initial training will come directly from me. With time, more senior lab members should facilitate training of new labmates (see expectations for lab members above). I recognize that every mentor-mentee relationship is unique, and I aim to adjust my mentoring style in an equitable manner that works for each person. I encourage lab members to set clear professional development goals and timelines. This allows us to make sure their experiences are aimed at meeting those goals and helps remove the uncertainty of whether they’re “on track,” a worry that many scientists often face. I strive to meet with individual mentees at least every 1-2 weeks to check-in and facilitate communication. I also do my best to be available via email or more readily, Slack. Although I don’t always respond to general enquires after-hours or on weekends, my lab members are always encouraged to contact me at any time if they are experiencing an emergency or crisis.
What is your perspective on in-person vs. virtual work and maintaining a good work-life balance?
In general, I encourage lab members to work in-person when they can. Coming in to campus is important for building a sense of community and belonging. A lot of amazing science can come from casual conversations between your labmates and other colleagues. While some things (e.g., reading, writing) can be done from anywhere, much of our research activities necessitate being in-person. If you have an experiment that includes living organisms, for instance, you are responsible for coming in to perform regular care/maintenance or else have a designated person help you if you are unable. Lab members are expected to set their own working schedule which can be flexible, although at least some of their time should overlap with typical 9am-5pm weekdays hours; this is important for facilitating collaborations and support from faculty/staff/students and companies that operate during normal working hours. Having said all that, virtual work is an excellent option in many cases. For example, any lab members who are feeling under the weather are greatly encouraged to work from home and seek medical care if necessary. Admittedly, due to the nature of our work, there will occasionally be times when you may need to work long, late hours. This may include times when we are in the field, are running experiments, or are working against strict deadlines. However, working long days and nights is not a sustainable long-term practice and can lead to people getting sick, making mistakes, and other issues. Because of this, I try not to work late unless I feel it’s necessary, and I never feel guilty about heading home early if I’ve wrapped up what I need to accomplish for the day. People perform better and work more efficiently when they are physically and mentally healthy. It is important that we take the time to take care of ourselves and our loved ones (including pets!).
What is the Duke University Marine Lab (DUML) like?
Although we’re a relatively small community, there are faculty, staff, and students based at the Duke University Marine Lab (DUML) year-round. We have seawater facilities, research vessels, and are right on the water, which greatly facilitates access to coastal and marine ecosystems and lab-based experiments. There are opportunities to collaborate with other nearby institutions, such as NOAA’s NCCOS Beaufort Lab, UNC Chapel Hill’s Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS), NC State’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST), and Carteret Community College. There are also opportunities to participate in local community engagement and outreach, lead by DUML’s Community Science Initiative. Although Fall semester runs on a traditional semester schedule, Spring semester at DUML is divided into 4 blocks. During a block, faculty and TA’s teach concentrated 3-4 week courses; students only take one course per block. This allows DUML to offer travel courses to its students during the Spring.
Are there undergraduate students at DUML?
Yes! Undergraduates mostly come to DUML for 1+ semesters at a time and/or during the summer, depending on their major. Most undergrads stay in the dorms on campus and have a meal plan through the on-campus dining hall. In addition to courses offered at DUML, undergraduates have the opportunity to conduct independent research projects with DUML faculty members. There are also several scholars programs for which Duke undergraduates are eligible to apply.
Are there Master of Environmental Management (MEM) students at DUML?
Yes! MEM students in the Coastal and Marine Systems (CaMS) concentration spend their first year in Durham and then relocate to DUML in the summer/fall for their second year where they’ll continue their coursework and conduct their master’s project (MP). Most CaMS students live off-campus, although there is limited on-campus housing available for MEM students.
Are there PhD students at DUML?
Yes! MSC PhD students often spend their first year in Durham before relocating to DUML for the rest of their degree. Although it is not a requirement to go to Durham during the first year, there are benefits to this which we can discuss. With the exception of the first year, my PhD students will be expected to spend the majority of their program time at DUML. PhD students live off-campus. There are TAships available at both Duke’s main campus in Durham and at DUML.
Are there postdocs at DUML?
Yes! Postdocs working in my lab will be expected to be based out of DUML. In addition to your research, you will have other opportunities to continue developing your professional portfolio (e.g., mentoring undergraduate/graduate students, giving seminars, etc.).
Are there opportunities to conduct research outside of North Carolina?
Possibly, although this will depend on funding availability. I will work with PhD students and postdocs to apply for additional funds to support work that requires travel. PhD students will be encouraged to have at least one of their thesis chapters include locally-conducted research, even if most of their thesis research is located out-of-state or abroad. This is because research conducted in remote locations tends to face greater chances of unexpected disturbances (e.g., a pandemic, extreme weather events, problems with permitting and sample transport, travel delays, etc.). Having at least some research that can be performed locally helps ensure that PhD students can maintain their progress even if their other work faces delays or cancellations. Due to the relatively short nature of undergraduate research projects, MEM MP’s, and undergrad/MEM course requirements, most undergraduate and MEM students will be encouraged to focus their research within our readily accessible coastal and marine ecosystems within North Carolina.
Are there opportunities for scientific diving?
To conduct any SCUBA diving for research purposes, you must be an AAUS diver. Duke is an AAUS organizational member and has a small dive program at DUML. If you are already an AAUS diver, you must make arrangements with our dive safety officer, Steve Broadhurst (duke.dso@duke.edu) to enter our program. If you are SCUBA certified but are not yet an AAUS diver, there are AAUS courses available (mostly during the summertime). If you are new to diving, you can get your open water certification through one of our local dive shops (e.g., Discovery Diving in Beaufort, Olympus Dive Center in Morehead City).
What is it like living in Carteret County?
I personally love living in Carteret County. It has more of a small town feel, although that might not be for everyone. Having moved here from a large and busy city, I appreciated the change of pace and the more affordable cost of living. I enjoy getting to know the people within our community, and occasionally running into familiar faces as I go about town. This is also a great place if you enjoy the outdoors, especially being near the water. Free or inexpensive activities include hiking, bike riding, or going to the beach. Marine Lab students can also canoe/kayak and fish from campus.
