Availability¶
Lab Presence¶
It is expected that all research group members will work consistently on their research and remain in communication and collaboration with the broader group.
Working Remotely
You do not have to be physically present on campus to be present within the research group. Occasional remote work is encouraged as it suits your personal and professional needs, and sustained remote work will generally be fine, though it should be discussed and approved with Vivek. If you will be working remotely for a sustained period, do not take equipment from campus without coordinating with Vivek.
What "working consistently" precisely means will vary based on your role - students have to balance classwork with research, while postdocs do not. Within that context, we can identify what working consistently means:
- Applying consistent and professional effort to your research;
- Sharing ideas and effort with your fellow lab members;
- Attending meetings (physically or remotely) with Vivek, the broader lab, or any other research groups;
- Staying in communication via email or Slack.
Working consistently does not mean:
- Putting in unreasonable or unsustainable hours;
- Competing with your lab members to see who can work the hardest.
You are also not expected to work on staff holidays, but you are expected to work during non-staff holiday university breaks unless you are on vacation or taking personal time.
You do not need to install email or specialized messaging apps on your phone. If you do, you do not need notifications to be active, and should definitely turn them off during non-work time. However, Vivek may text you if there is something that needs your immediate attention (this will be rare!).
PI Availability¶
Vivek will be regularly working on campus, and will let you know on Zulip if he is working from home during the work week or if he is sick. Vivek's work schedule is from 8am-5pm each workday, and from 9am-4pm on Sunday. He does not work at all on Saturdays.
If his office door (318 Riley-Robb Hall) is open, feel free to ask if he can meet with you (though he may be in office hours if he is teaching).
If his door is closed, he is likely working on something that requires focus or is in another meeting. If you'd like to meet during those times, please send him a message instead of knocking, though his notifications will likely be off. Otherwise, if a meeting can wait, please send him an email or a message asking to schedule it.
If Vivek is working remotely, he'll be available for regularly scheduled meetings using Zoom, and can schedule additional meetings if desired. He will also be available using Zulip and email, though similar caveats exist to when he is in the office with a closed door. If Vivek is sick, he may not be available at all, but will make this clear.
You can text Vivek if you need an immediate response to something during non-sleep hours (if you text while he is sleeping, he will respond first thing in the morning). However, please do not call his cell unless it is an emergency, and if you have an emergency, feel free to call if he can help in any way.
Vivek will also make his vacation plans clear ahead of time, so that any relevant deadlines requiring his feedback can be dealt with prior to the start.