3 Things My PhD Mentor Taught Me (That I Still Do All The Time)

Some things you learn from experience, but some things you can only learn from mentors. Today, I will share them with you. Friday’s Digest #129

Table of contents

1. Life Update
2. Tools and Tips
3. Readers’ Favorite
4. Stuff

Life Update

I have a small phone.

It's a 4-year-old iPhone Mini.

When I bought it, I wanted the smallest smartphone with an excellent camera.

The iPhone 12 Mini was perfect.

But since then, Apple has stopped making the "Mini" version.

So if I want to replace my phone, I'll have to get a bigger one.

I don't want to.

There's something wonderful about a phone that fits in ANY pocket.

A phone you barely notice.

A phone that doesn't tempt you to stare at it.

But this phone's battery is in bad shape— I have to charge it several times throughout the day 🔌.

And by today's standards, its camera is mediocre at best.

I wonder how long it will last.

I miss those small phones we used to have.

Speaking of missing, today I want to share what I learned from my PhD mentor, who recently passed away.

This is for you, Danny.

Number 129 🌹

Tools and Tips

Recently, my PhD mentor passed away.

I started my research journey in 2007, and so much has changed. I finally completed my (extremely long) training, I've mentored research students, and paved my own path in research.

Standing at his funeral, I realized how many things he taught me— things I still do every single day.

So today, I want to share them with you.

🔵 Make Your Research Relatable to Everyone

I've been a teacher for almost 30 years now.

Right from the start, I knew every explanation could be simplified. But my mentor taught me something better: anything can be explained to anyone.

And it's YOUR JOB to make everyone understand your research.

What's the best way to do it?

Take good pictures, prepare straightforward figures, and practice your explanation over and over (and over) again.

In research, "Figure 1" is the perfect example.

It's the first picture of your manuscript or poster. This is where you can allow yourself to be creative.

It's the perfect place for a real-life picture or an animated diagram.

This is where even a 10-year-old can understand your work.

To this day, I apply this principle in every lecture I give, teach it to my students, and incorporate it into everything I write.

🔵 Help Your Colleagues

Research can get tough.

Not just the science, but also the finances 💰.

At times, you don't have enough money in your budget.

But even when times were difficult in the lab, my mentor always went out of his way to help everyone.

As a PhD student, I found myself sharing our lab's resources, teaching methods to other labs, and allowing others to use our equipment.

And we did it without expecting anything in return.

To this day, I'm doing the same thing.

It's very rare that I "collect" something in return. But you do it because it's the right thing to do.

🔵 Enjoy The Moment

I must admit, this is something I saw my mentor do, but I don't do it often enough.

He took time off to enjoy the moment in research and life.

He would take us out for dinner after submitting a huge grant proposal.

He would take a few days after conferences to enjoy the location.

He would see the world and take numerous pictures.

"There are 117 countries I haven't visited yet," he used to tell me.

He knew how to enjoy both the research itself and the life surrounding it.

Thank you, Danny.

Readers’ Favorite

ChatGPT is a powerful tool, but it can also be a double-edged sword— especially for doctors and scientists.

​Here I shared 6 tips for using it in these settings.

Stuff

📱Application I use - Genius Scan​

A great app for scanning documents into PDF with your phone.

It will auto-crop and auto-enhance your scan, without upgrading to the paid version.

Epilogue

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That’s it for this issue.

See you next week!

Shay

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