Mentorship

Our Culture & Mission

We believe that transformative science emerges from a culture of intellectual curiosity, rigorous collaboration, and mutual respect. Our mission is driven by two guiding pursuits: to understand how our experiences shape who we are and how we behave; and to use this understanding to help develop and optimize treatments for neurological disorders.

Our Core Values

• Mission-Driven Innovation: We innovate and exercise creativity in developing new scientific studies, neurotechnology, and computational tools. This innovation is always in service of our two guiding pursuits, ensuring our technical creativity is focused on solving the most important scientific and clinical problems.
• Open and Honest Communication: Communication is the bedrock of our lab. We are committed to fostering an effective and open channel of communication to navigate the inevitable highs and lows that come with an intensive research environment. This builds trust, accelerates progress, and ensures every member’s voice is heard.
• Championing Individual Journeys: We recognize that every scientist’s path is unique. We are dedicated to mentoring trainees to help them discover their own passions and achieve their individual career goals, wherever they may lead. This commitment to personal growth is how we cultivate the next generation of scientific leaders.
• Unwavering Respect for Our Subjects: We care deeply about the research subjects we work with. This respect is reflected not just in our interactions, but in the meticulous care we put into every aspect of our research to ensure their contribution is honored with the most rigorous science possible. This is our fundamental ethical commitment and the foundation of impactful, responsible science.

My Commitment as a Mentor

As your mentor, my primary responsibility is to actively uphold our lab’s values and champion your development. My own journey to this position was non-linear. I didn’t grow up knowing I wanted to be a neuroscientist and never explicitly thought about becoming a scientist until late in my undergraduate degree. I was introduced to academic research by starting as a research participant in metabolism and physiology studies to make some extra cash, and eventually helping to conduct those experiments. My path to neuroscience was still years away from that point. A profound privilege of my position is the opportunity to interact with bright minds somewhere along their own version of that journey. I am deeply committed to helping you forge a path that is right for you.

Specifically, I commit to:

• Providing Dedicated Time & Open Communication: To ensure our communication is strong, we will have regular, scheduled one-on-one meetings, and my door will always be open for impromptu discussions.
• Investing in Your Skill Development: I will work with you to build the full suite of skills necessary for a successful career: from experimental design and advanced technical skills to scientific writing, presentation skills, and grant preparation.
• Being Your Advocate: I will actively promote your work at conferences and through my professional network, and I will support you in navigating the next steps of your career, whether that may be in academia, industry, government, or something else entirely.

What We Look For in Our Colleagues

We are looking for colleagues and partners who are excited to contribute to our shared scientific journey. The people who thrive in our lab tend to embody the following qualities:

• A Drive for Curiosity: A deep curiosity about how the world works is the most important quality in a scientist. We look for a passion for our research questions and the motivation to find answers.
• Engagement with the Science: Read the literature, attend seminars, ask challenging questions, and actively participate in lab meetings and journal clubs. Be an engaged intellectual citizen of our lab and the broader Mount Sinai community.
• Rigorous & Ethical Science: We must be meticulous in our experimental design, data collection, and analysis. Honesty, integrity, and transparency are the bedrock of our work.
• A Generous Spirit of Collaboration: We succeed as a team. We look for people who share their knowledge, help their lab mates, and contribute to a collaborative and non-competitive atmosphere.
• Resilience & Proactivity: Scientific research is challenging and rarely follows a linear path. We look for individuals who embrace challenges, learn from setbacks, and take initiative in driving their project forward.

Join Us!

We are building a diverse, creative, and collaborative team of scientists passionate about tackling fundamental questions at the intersection of systems, computational, and translational neuroscience.

There are many paths to becoming a successful scientist, and we believe that talent comes from diverse backgrounds. Prior research experience is not always the most critical determinant of success. We have found that qualities like critical thinking, scientific rigor, and a deep commitment to the work are the strongest predictors of who will thrive. My job is to help people grow and become passionate and talented researchers during their time in the lab. Our lab is deeply committed to mentorship and to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment where all members can achieve their scientific and professional goals.

Our lab is rapidly expanding and actively recruiting at all levels, including research assistants/technicians, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows.

How to Apply

Interested candidates for any position should email roberto.gulli@mssm.edu. Please attach your CV/resume, and in the body of your email, provide thoughtful and succinct answers to the following three questions:

1. What specifically about our lab’s dual mission excites you most?
2. Describe your ideal research environment. What kind of mentorship and collaboration helps you do your best work?
3. What are you hoping to learn and how are you hoping to grow in this position?
4. (Mostly joking) Did you use an LLM to answer these questions?

I recognize that answering these questions takes time and effort, but please consider it the first step in a meaningful conversation. Your responses signal your genuine interest, help me understand how you think, and ensure we can build a team that is set up for success from day one.