Samantha Morris on building your own creative lineage | The Night Science Podcast - Ep 12

Episode Overview

• Guest Sam Morris shares her personal academic journey, from a challenging PhD experience where her creativity was stifled to finding a supportive postdoctoral environment that allowed her to thrive.
• The conversation explores practical strategies for fostering scientific creativity, such as her lab's "Big Idea" series, which encourages "bonkers" and unconventional thinking in a safe space.
• Sam contrasts the anxiety-inducing nature of formal mentorship committees with the power of organic, "straight-talk" mentorships that developed naturally with trusted senior colleagues.
• The episode delves into the challenges of leadership, highlighting the steep learning curve for new PIs and the importance of shielding a research team from administrative stress to keep them focused on science.

Key Concepts

• Fostering Scientific Creativity: Implementing structured, low-stakes forums like a "Big Idea" series can create a safe environment for team members to share unconventional and even "bonkers" ideas without pressure.
• Navigating Academic Challenges: The discussion covers overcoming early-career setbacks, such as an unsupportive PhD environment, by actively seeking out environments and mentors that are a better creative and scientific fit.
• Organic vs. Formal Mentorship: A distinction is drawn between stressful, committee-based mentorship that can provide conflicting advice, and healthier, more effective mentorships that evolve naturally from collaborative relationships.
• Qualities of an Effective Mentor: Good mentors provide direct, challenging, and practical advice that pushes for independence, rather than simply offering validation or what a mentee wants to hear.
• The PI as a Protective Leader: A key aspect of lab leadership involves creating a boundary between being a mentor and a friend, specifically by shielding the team from the administrative burdens and stresses of running a lab.

Quotes

• At 0:39 - "Sometimes the ideas are absolutely bonkers and we encourage that and we support it. So that's the space to just go wild and be creative." - Sam Morris highlights her lab's philosophy of creating a safe space for unconventional scientific ideas.
• At 2:50 - "My early training, I was the first of my family to go into academia, really to go to university, so it was not a clear path for me." - Sam Morris describes her background and how she didn't have a predefined academic path to follow.
• At 3:16 - "I think she could see how interested I was in the subject because she said, 'Hey, why don't you come join my lab for a summer?'... And I absolutely fell in love with it." - Sam Morris recounts how an encouraging undergraduate lecturer provided her first lab experience.
• At 3:45 - "It was a little bit of a failure to launch in the PhD process. It wasn't the right fit for me... I didn't get the support that I needed scientifically or creatively." - Sam Morris candidly reflects on the difficult and unsupportive environment she experienced during her PhD.
• At 21:47 - "I found it such an an anxiety-inducing experience because every single person had different advice. It was all conflicting and it panicked me." - The speaker describes her negative experience with a formal mentoring committee.
• At 22:34 - "[He] pushed me and told me not to wait around for people to help me. He said, 'You've got all the skills you need, go for it.'" - The speaker recalls the empowering and practical advice she received from one of her organic mentors, Rob Mitra.
• At 23:31 - "This mentor-mentee relationship has just naturally evolved, and I think it's much healthier for me." - The speaker contrasts her positive, organic mentorships with the stress of the formal committee structure.
• At 25:31 - "I made that mistake early on, trying to be a friend and oversharing with my lab members... It wasn't good for my leadership, because I need them to focus on the science and not worry about what goes on behind the scenes." - The speaker reflects on a key lesson she learned about the boundary between mentorship and leadership.
• At 26:47 - "That's a steep learning curve to learn how to lead, and constantly adjusting it as the lab grows and as the... personalities change as well." - The speaker concludes that effective leadership is a dynamic skill that requires continuous adaptation.

Takeaways

• Actively create spaces for creativity by implementing low-pressure idea-sharing sessions where wild and unconventional thoughts are explicitly encouraged.
• If your current academic environment is unsupportive, proactively seek a new one that aligns with your needs, as the right fit is crucial for scientific and creative growth.
• Prioritize building organic mentorships with trusted colleagues over relying solely on formal committees, as these relationships often provide more practical and empowering advice.
• As a leader, protect your team's focus by absorbing administrative stress yourself, understanding that oversharing can be detrimental to both their work and your leadership.
• Value mentors who offer direct, challenging feedback that pushes you toward independence, even if it's not what you initially want to hear.