Overarching Theme:

‘We love plants’, and we know just how vital they are to our future. As the global demand for food grows and freshwater resources decline, our research is focused on boosting photosynthesis and enhancing plant productivity to build more sustainable agricultural systems in face of changing climate. A core priority is understanding and improving water use efficiency, a key trait for climate-smart agriculture. To achieve this, we harness cutting-edge tools like cereal grafting, single-cell sequencing, synthetic biology, and functional genomics. We are a collaborative and inclusive lab, united by a shared passion for plant science and a commitment to securing global food security.  

We welcome like-minded plant enthusiasts to join us on this exciting journey. 

 

Our Mission:

Our mission is to drive meaningful advances in cereal molecular physiology and functional genomics. We are dedicated to developing innovative approaches that uncover fundamental principles of cereal biology and address key challenges in plant science. By formulating clear hypotheses, designing rigorous experiments, and conducting robust data analysis, we aim to generate novel insights that push the boundaries of our current understanding. We are equally committed to sharing our discoveries with both the scientific community and the wider public, ensuring our work contributes to global agricultural progress. Beyond research, we are passionate about mentoring the next generation of plant scientists, fostering a supportive, inclusive, and vibrant research culture where curiosity, creativity, and collaboration can thrive. 

 

The Way WE Work:

Excellent science can only thrive in an open-minded environment, one that respects and values the diversity of its members, including differences in gender, religion, sexual orientation, skin colour, cultural background, and more.  

To achieve this, we adhere to the following guidelines: 

• Treat everyone with respect. Communicate clearly and recognise that we all bring different perspectives and strengths. 

• Speak to people, not about them. Communicate directly and kindly, and contribute to a culture of openness and trust. 

• Respect is reciprocal. Treat colleagues as you would like to be treated, always with fairness and consideration. 

• It is OK to say no, just explain why. We support honest communication and healthy boundaries. 

• Celebrate success and show appreciation. Give praise when it’s earned, and gratitude when it’s due. 

• Let us know when you will be away. Your well-being matters, we care when you are not around. 

• Know your space. Induction and information sheets will guide you through safe and respectful conduct in our lab, office, kitchen, meeting rooms, and across the School of Life Sciences. 

• Respect shared environments. Leave rooms and labs in the condition you would like to find them. 

• Take part. Everyone is encouraged to help organise lab events—your initiative is valued. Announcements will be made via email and our Lab WhatsApp group. 

These guidelines are not written in stone; always feel free to improve our house rules.  

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Code of Conduct 

Communication:

Clear and open communication is essential for the success of our projects and for maintaining a supportive lab environment. Regular attendance at scheduled meetings is important for tracking progress and staying aligned as a team. Your 1:1 meetings with Pallavi serve as your main check-in point for project discussions, feedback, and support. Lab updates and informal questions can also be shared via the group chat or email, please check your emails regularly to stay informed. Pallavi aims to respond to emails within 24 hours. 

If anything is affecting your work (whether personal or professional) please don’t hesitate to raise it. Pallavi Singh Lab is built on mutual respect and trust, and we value honesty. Owning up to mistakes helps foster transparency, prevents misunderstandings, and allows us to learn and move forward together. If you are ever unsure about a task or procedure, please ask, it’s always better to clarify than to risk error or compromise safety. You are always welcome to reach out to Pallavi for help. 

 

Lab Organisation:

As all materials in the lab are shared, it’s essential that everyone contributes to keeping the space tidy, organised, and well-maintained. Respect for communal resources helps avoid confusion and ensures smooth progress for all lab members. If you notice that any materials are running low or have run out, please inform the lab manager promptly so they can be reordered and restocked. Always label your samples clearly and accurately, and maintain detailed, up-to-date records in your lab notebook, this is crucial for reproducibility and accountability. Make sure you are familiar with where equipment is stored and where different types of waste should be properly disposed of. Maintaining good organisation and lab hygiene is a shared responsibility and key to ensuring a safe and productive working environment for everyone. 

 

Research integrity and reproducibility:

It is crucial to conduct research in a manner that instills trust and confidence in the methods and findings among others. This entails good record keeping, organisation, honesty, and seeking clarification when unsure about a task, experiment, or safety concerns. If any errors or discrepancies arise, it is advisable to discuss them with Pallavi, at the earliest opportunity to avoid potential complications in the future. 

 

Record keeping:

Proper record-keeping is an important practice. All members should maintain a lab notebook (could be an electronic lab notebook or another system which works for you (e.g., R markdown) to keep track of all experiments and protocols. At the beginning of each experiment, write down the experimental aims, hypothesis, and expected outcomes. At the end of the experiment, write a summary of your inferences and conclusions. Any gels, images, or datasets should be saved and referred to in the lab notebook so that all information is kept in the same place. All lab protocols are available on PallaviSinghLabOneDrive and the PallaviSinghLab Box folder. Information on various constructs and gene sequences should be stored on PallavISinghLabBenchling. Please contact Pallavi for licences to BioRender or access to Github, Zenodo and Dryad data repositories. 

 

Looking after plants:

Our lab wouldn't be the same without our plants. Therefore, it is very important to look after them to ensure that they grow happily. We are working on a variety of different species, and different plant species require different growth conditions. Please refer to the Plant Growth Protocols (available on PallaviSinghLabOneDrive and PallaviSinghLabBox) for growing different plant species. Keeping your plants happy and healthy is key, as any delay in their growth could hinder research progress. Therefore, it is the lab members' responsibility to water them regularly. Detailed instructions on plant labelling can be found in the Plant Growth Protocols. In short, plants should be labelled with your name, date, and a note on the experiment. These labels should be clearly referred to in the lab notebook. When you harvest seeds from a plant, always keep the unique label with the seeds to avoid mixing them up. All seeds should be labelled as well. We have a system to record crosses and maintain seed stocks (available on PallaviSinghLabOneDrive). Please ask Pallavi or the Lab Manager for guidance if you are unsure.  

 

Safety:

Safety should always be a priority in the lab. Therefore, lab members should follow the safety rules outlined in the Lab Induction Manual (available on PallaviSinghLabOneDrive). Before starting in the lab, please sign up for the School of Life Sciences Safety Induction. If you are feeling unwell, please let the other lab members know. Never work in the lab if you think your condition will affect your ability to work, as this could put yourself and others at risk. When carrying out dangerous tasks or using equipment you are untrained with, do not work alone. Please feel free to ask for training or refer to the Lab Equipment Manual (available on ThePallaviSinghLabOneDrive). When undertaking a protocol for the first time, please work in the lab during normal working hours when other staff members are present. 

 

Respect:

The Pallavi Singh Lab strives to be a friendly and welcoming workplace. Our motto is that a collegial lab environment is key to doing impactful and productive research. For many of our international members, the lab community is a home away from home, and mutual trust and respect play an important role in building that collegial environment. All members should treat each other with respect, and any form of racism, sexism, or discrimination is not acceptable. Please be mindful of others and think twice before making assumptions or inappropriate comments. Also, make sure to complete the University of Essex Equality and Diversity online training courses.  

 

The Lab Charter 

We aim to foster an open, inclusive, and high-performing research environment. Over time, we are shaping a set of evolving charters that define the mutual responsibilities and expectations that support both personal growth, professional development and scientific excellence. 

 

The responsibilities of Pallavi to lab members 

• Develop and shape ideas for impactful research projects. 

• Support the interpretation and critical analysis of data. 

• Provide detailed feedback and editorial input on manuscripts, theses, and abstracts. 

• Engage in career development conversations, tailored to each member's goals-whether in academia, industry, education, policy, or science communication-and provide resources and support to help achieve them. 

• Hold weekly one-to-one meetings with each lab member to discuss progress, address challenges, and plan next steps. 

• Support fellowship, grant, and job applications wherever appropriate. 

 

The general expectation from lab members 

• Conduct research with the highest standards of scientific integrity, rigour, and reproducibility. 

• Come prepared for all scheduled progress meetings-please send a brief presentation summarising updates and goals the night before. 

• Take ownership of your project: contribute ideas, troubleshoot challenges, and proactively shape its direction. 

• Postdocs are encouraged to develop independent projects that can be taken forward into future roles. 

• Lead the first draft of manuscripts, with collaborative input and feedback from Pallavi. 

• Junior lab members are encouraged to first discuss an outline before beginning to write. 

• Maintain well-organised, accurate lab notebooks (see Record Keeping section). 

• For computational work, maintain clearly annotated code, detailed methods, and use appropriate tools for version control (e.g., GitHub, Zenodo) to ensure full reproducibility. 

• Contribute to general lab duties (e.g., maintaining shared spaces, managing communal stocks, and helping host visitors). 

• Support a collaborative lab culture by participating in talk rehearsals, peer feedback, and knowledge sharing. 

• Be present in the lab or office for pre-arranged core hours to ensure accessibility and collaboration. 

• PhD students and postdocs are expected to present research (talks or posters) at multiple conferences during their time in the lab. (Annual participation is encouraged where feasible. Seek external travel support when possible). 

• PhD students and postdocs should also take part in mentoring and supervising junior lab members. 

 

Expectations between students/interns and day-to-day project supervisors (Postdocs and PhDs): 

These expectations will be developed on a one-to-one basis, tailored to individual working styles, goals, and support needs. Clear communication and mutual respect are essential for maintaining a productive working relationship. In the event of any conflict or disagreement, resolution will be handled by the Head of the Group to ensure fair and constructive outcomes. 

 

Work hours  

We are fortunate to be in a field where flexible working hours are common. Lab members can access the lab between 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM. If a lab member wants to access the lab during out of office hours or the weekends, they should let Pallavi know and sign the out of hours working form (available on PallaviSinghLabOneDrive). To promote collaboration among lab members, lab members are generally expected to be available for the majority of typical working hours on weekdays. Although there may be times when your project requires you to work late at night or at weekends, you are not expected to regularly work more than 40 hours per week. It is important to take time off for personal reasons, holidays, etc. If you are not going to be working due to illness or any other reason, please inform Pallavi or the lab manager if necessary.  

 

Foot notes: Text and ideas in places borrowed from Molecular Interaction Ecology Lab at iDiv, Rubén Rellán-Álvarez, Langdale and Rhee Lab.