The Keays lab is not a fan of Hierarchy. As Carl Sagan once wirly observed…..“One of the great commandments of science is, “Mistrust arguments from authority.” Scientists, being primates, and thus given to dominance hierarchies, of course do not always follow this commandment.” We promote a sense of egalitarinism in the lab; your ideas are more important that your title or position. Novel concepts often come from Bachelors or Masters students, and it is critical that they work within an environment where they feel free to express them.

Similarly, Professors can be totally moronic and when it happens some-one needs to point this out. The flat hierarchy that we advance exploits the collective intellect of the lab to advance our scientific goals. We like big ideas, not big egos.