Biology is complex, and often involves the action of many “degrees of freedom”, e.g. the movement of many atoms, or the “expression” of many genes. In our lab, we seek to understand what gives rise to these phenomena: how are they rooted in history, natural selection, physics, and chemistry? We do this through a combination of techniques, including X-ray crystallography and microscopy. Doing so, we are guided by a core set of values. 

Diligence: It is a privilege to be able to dedicate ourselves to the search for scientific truth. We conduct our work with commitment and focus. We respect the trust and resources committed to us.

Integrity: We design our experiments and build our arguments to uncover accurate and insightful descriptions of nature. We address our mistakes and record our work with care.

Humility: We approach our work aware that our concepts and assumptions are limited and our interpretation of data ever fallible. We accept that nature will have the last word.

Courage: We take on hard problems because they are important. We may fail or fall short despite our best efforts. We are not afraid to question anyone’s work, least of all our own. 

Respect: We are courteous and constructive in our questions and criticism, seeing disagreements as opportunities to learn, persuade, and grow. We respect each other's talents, identities, experiences, beliefs, and privacy. 

Teamwork: We work on big problems. We can only do so together, helping out where we can, and fairly and frankly crediting each other's contributions.

Growth: We are all works in progress. We believe in each other's potential to grow and gain in wisdom, skills, perspective, and understanding. We understand that growth is not a linear process: it is where we fail that we learn the most. 
 
Anti-racism: We do not tolerate racist and hurtful speech or acts in our lab. We actively work to undo the forces denying people of color dignity and opportunity within Harvard and the scientific community.

Community: We take part in the communities of the departments, school, and university we are part of, and seek to make them welcoming, inclusive, and vibrant.