The debate is all over the internet – what makes a good leader as opposed to a boss? In science, one can easily go either way, and the difference might as well come down to whether you aim to manage people or accompany them on their individual path.
I got my first mentoring experience during my PhD, where I supervised an undergraduate student in the Molecular Medicine program. With no experience to draw from, I relied on my own introspection and empathy: How would I like to be treated? How much encouragement is needed? How do I support someone through tough days and uninterpretable data? There is no one-size-fits-all solution here; every student has their own experiences, their own backstory, and their own social challenges. For me, it is important to identify the strengths of my students; we can work on weaknesses every day, but everyone must find their unique talents and their place in the world. It is the leader’s job to support their trainees on that journey. Having experienced what it means to be at your wit’s end without the support of your boss, I made a conscious choice: not on my watch.
Since joining the Olive lab in August 2020, I have been on a mission to find my own path in the world while helping others fulfill their individual goals. Thus far I have mentored three PhD candidates during their rotations, a summer undergraduate student, a summer high school student, and five Columbia University undergraduates over multiple semesters. Everyone came to me with their own vision of what they wanted to learn or achieve during their time in the Olive lab. While I am proud of every single one of them, I want to highlight a few that fall into the “match made in heaven” category.
Harry Xiao was approaching the end of his Biomedical Engineering degree, eager to make a dent in science. Highly experienced in animal work and offering me the one thing I desperately needed — time — he supported me during my manuscript revision in Gastroenterology by performing ultrasound and tumor reconstructions to track pancreatic tumor volume in vivo over time. Meanwhile, I supported him through his applications for various programs and opportunities by reviewing his materials and drafting letters of recommendation. I am very proud to share that after an intense two-year research stint at Cedars-Sinai, Harry will be starting Medical School at Stanford this year — way to go!
Another one of these unlikely but life-changing encounters was my work with Allison Hess. I learned so much from Allison. Having only ever lived in New York City, it was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn about the Midwest, and especially Wisconsin, Allison’s home state. To truly understand the people you work with, you have to learn more about them: where they are from, what drives them, and what they hold dear. Having just established the murine and human PDAC explants in the Olive lab, I was eager to take a closer look at the tumor microenvironment and how different drugs can shift the equilibrium in either direction. Allison was quickly on board, staining my explant slides for cancer-associated fibroblast markers and evaluating their proliferative rate. When confronted with my rudimentary but work-intensive analysis pipeline, she was — rightfully — rather unimpressed. Instead, she took matters into her own hands and built an entire analysis pipeline in Python from scratch. I have never been more impressed. Recognizing that her data was too good to be buried in a supplement, Ken gave us the green light to pursue it as a standalone paper. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end; Allison’s time at Columbia did, and she graduated successfully in May 2025. Since then, she has been working in a diabetes lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a postbaccalaureate, while continuing to support my quest to publish the cancer-associated fibroblast story. With the finish line now finally in sight, thanks to many helping hands, and especially my friend Lorenzo Tomassoni, I will keep you posted on that manuscript. But more important than any paper is this: Allison will be starting her MD/PhD at Duke University this year — a huge milestone!
As I mentioned, I am a big believer in supporting students on their individual missions. I was deeply impressed when, one day in 2024, Jayden McDonald reached out to me by email. Jayden had already been working in a research lab for multiple semesters but wanted to learn more techniques and get a better sense of what doing science full-time would actually feel like. I responded immediately, we met one-on-one, and just like that, Jayden joined the Olive lab. I had some experiments in mind that required extensive tissue culture work and a new electroporator I was keen to experiment with. Jayden was confident in the lab from the start — golden hands. They picked up techniques quickly, and after just one week were already handling cells like a pro. I checked in from time to time, but it was clear I could leave things in Jayden’s very capable hands. In addition to the tissue culture work, we also did some stainings together that will earn Jayden a place in another manuscript currently in the making. Jayden also graduated in May 2025 and is now halfway through the two-year postbaccalaureate MSK Bridge Program in New York. I look forward to checking in and hearing what the future holds.
Many other students have impressed me during our time together in the lab, their stories still unfolding, their paths still being charted. This is the best part of mentoring: hearing what everyone is up to and celebrating great news all around. Science is not easy, but moments like these remind me that I am on the right path. In the boss vs. leader debate, I choose leader all the way. I take pride in watching my students forge their own paths and chase their dreams.
