Vision & values
Figuring out how the world works, for the sake of knowledge itself, is a vital human endeavor. Scientific research, both fundamental and applied, is absolutely necessary to the functioning of our societies and species. It can also be a wonderful occupation, with the joys of problem-solving, discovery, and collaboration with smart and enthusiastic people. While today’s scientific enterprise has many problems (yesterday’s probably even more so), I consider it a privilege to be paid to solve interesting puzzles about the brain.
Our vision and values guice how we do good science (ethically, openly, rigorously); how we are good scientists (mentors, colleagues, and lab members); and increasingly also how we do science for good (projects aimed at sustainability and social change).
The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity lists the following principles as guidelines:
- Reliability in ensuring the quality of research, reflected in the design, methodology, analysis, and use of resources.
- Honesty in developing, undertaking, reviewing, reporting, and communicating research in a transparent, fair, full, and unbiased way.
- Respect for colleagues, research, participants, research subjects, society, ecosystems, cultural heritage, and the environment.
- Accountability for the research from idea to publication, for its management and organisation, for training, supervision, and mentoring, and for its wider societal impacts.
From: ALLEA
Ethics and open science
With the privilege of doing science comes the responsibility of doing it well (or at least, in the best way we can). We’re responsible to taxpayers for getting the most out of their hard-earned euros; to our academic communities for not mislead each other purposefully or waste time on dead-ends; and to ourselves for spending our time well. To maximize the usefulness of our science, we must do our work ethically and openly. This means being honest (with ourselves and others), transparent, and always open to learning and improving how we work. Collaborate, don’t compete.
Since I’ve started my career, best practices have changed immensely - and I’m not even that old. See here for a take on open science practices from my time as a PhD student. Keep up with the latest developments, and think about ways to improve the work we do. I’m committed to keep learning and improving, and I enourage my students to tell me about the latest developments (and let me know when I’m becoming hopelessly old-fashioned).
Make your work accessible
Publish your paper as a preprint (on bioRxiv, arXiv, psyArXiv or OSF); choose open-access journals; avoid Elsevier when possible; get on Twitter/Mastodon and write accessible summaries of your findings: it’ll even help your career.
Choose open-source
Some of the best investments I’ve made were to switch from Mendeley to Zotero, from Matlab to Python, and from Evernote to Obsidian. Don’t waste your time learning the ins and outs of expensive, proprietary software (please, no SPSS) when free and open alternatives are available. Note: I’m a hypocrite on this point when it comes to Adobe Illustrator, which I must one day replace.
Accept that error will occur, and be open about them
Errors are an integral part of science, and we will implement best practices to minimize them: keeping a detailed log of decisions about each project; using checklists for data collection; a ‘code buddy’ who reruns all the analyses using the same data with a new pipeline before submission.
Most importantly: “When mistakes happen (or nearly happen) in the lab, it’s a great opportunity for us to figure out how to make our systems work better. Tell me about it right away and we’ll use what you found to improve the work we do.” (Strand, 2023)
Code of conduct
As colleagues and members of academic communities (in our research field, university and department), everyone deserves to be treated fairly and respectfully. Unfortunately, science is not immune to sexism, racism, harassment and general bigotry.
We strive a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere and encourage open and honest intellectual debate, which allows everyone in our local and international communities to do their best work and be respected.
Diversity statement
We believe that promoting diversity in those who do science (e.g., race, gender, class, sexuality, ability) is a necessary step towards achieving the rigorous and creative science that we want. We specifically encourage applications from groups that are currently underrepresented in the lab (as of 2025, this includes men).
To foster diversity and inclusion, I encourage discussing equity, inclusion, and any cultural needs during onboarding and review meetings; encouraging lab members to share important cultural events and festivities; and providing flexibility around work hours, parental leave, and financial or cultural considerations.
Sustainability
We actively work on making academia a more sustainable place. In line with Leiden University’s polies I encourage travel by train, and may prioritize certain conferences based on their accessibility by train.
For projects that require significant resources (usually either in the lab or computing), I encourage discussing ways to minimize the environmental cost of our research.
Beyond the lab
I value a broad look at the field, at academia, our scientific community and society. I write and act on topics such as climate action, gender equality and the functioning of our university. I am always happy to talk about these, and I encourage you to explore such topics beyond your immediate project.