LAB PHILOSOPHY

Mission and culture

The lab aims to build an environment grounded in respect, curiosity, and shared scientific purpose. I value collaboration, openness, and mutual support, and I work to ensure that people at all stages feel included and able to contribute meaningfully.

People are treated equally regardless of position or background, and I aim to create a supportive environment that recognises different needs and circumstances. Lab members should feel comfortable asking for help, discussing challenges early, and engaging openly with both scientific and personal development.

​

Research is both a collaborative and individual endeavour. I encourage lab members to contribute to shared projects while also developing their own ideas over time. Career development is actively supported across all stages, both within and outside academia. Independence is expected to grow progressively with experience, through increasing involvement in writing, project leadership, and intellectual contribution.

​

I also place importance on sustainable working practices. Research is most effective when it is feasible, thoughtfully designed, and balanced in terms of effort and impact.

​

Expectations of undergraduate students

Most undergraduate students join the lab for their Psychology dissertation, as Research Assistants, or as summer interns.

They are typically involved in the collection and analysis of human psychological data, often examining links between naturalistic psychedelic use (or other psychoactive substances) and psychological processes using questionnaires or cognitive tasks.

Some students may also contribute to computational analyses or modelling, particularly where they have relevant quantitative or programming experience (for example, Computer Science or Maths backgrounds). In these cases, prior experience is important and projects are assigned accordingly.

Circuit neuroscience experiments are technically demanding and usually require extensive training and, in most cases, a Home Office licence for animal work. For this reason, undergraduates typically support ongoing work through observation, assistance, or more limited defined tasks rather than leading experimental components.

​

Expectations of Master’s students

Master’s students (MSc or MRes) take on more extended and independent research training projects. These may be psychology-focused (e.g. questionnaires or cognitive tasks in humans), or neuroscience-focused (e.g. analysis of neural data, behavioural analysis, or anatomical studies such as identifying neurons activated during specific tasks).

In some cases, students with relevant background and sufficient time commitment may also contribute to more technical experimental approaches, including electrophysiology, depending on training, motivation, and feasibility.

​

Expectations of PhD students

PhD students are encouraged to develop technical and conceptual expertise while contributing to ongoing work and progressively building independence. I expect PhD students to lead at least one substantial first-author project during their PhD, and to develop their own research direction alongside collaborative work.

They are also encouraged to mentor undergraduate and Master’s students, and to collaborate with other lab members and external teams, both within and outside the department and institution (this varies depending on the project).

​

Postdocs

Postdoctoral researchers lead projects with increasing intellectual autonomy, taking primary responsibility for driving ideas, writing manuscripts, and completing publications.

They also play an important role in mentoring within the lab and contributing to the broader scientific environment. I support postdocs in developing a strong independent research profile and preparing for longer-term careers in academia or related paths. I strongly encourage them to apply for fellowships and grants to support their independence, develop their CV, and demonstrate leadership.

​

Expectations of Marco

You can expect me to support you in designing, implementing, and communicating your research, and in developing your career. I will do my best to ensure the lab has the resources needed to test promising ideas.

You can expect support in preparing talks, interviews, and other key milestones, as well as reference letters and award nominations where appropriate. We can also have regular mentorship meetings to support your development.

You can also expect me to manage contributions and authorship in a fair and transparent way.

​

Collaborations, contributions, and authorship

Science is fundamentally a collaborative activity, and I strongly encourage collaboration within the lab and with external groups, whether within the department or across institutions. In my experience, this often leads to stronger science and more numerous and/or impactful publications.

As projects develop, roles and contributions are discussed openly to ensure clarity and fairness across all contributors. External collaborations are integrated in ways that support alignment between scientific goals and effective communication within and across teams.

Authorship reflects contribution to the intellectual development, execution, and communication of a project, and is discussed openly and iteratively as work progresses rather than being fixed at the outset.

First-author publications are an essential part of research training for MRes students, PhD students, and postdocs. Undergraduate and Master’s students may also contribute as authors when their involvement is substantial, most commonly as middle authors.

Because research is collaborative, contributions naturally vary across projects, and authorship reflects these differences in engagement and leadership.