Values and Culture

A key ingredient in the CGL's success is our highly collaborative and open lab culture. We are committed to cultivating a working environment that is collegial, intellectually satisfying, and globally impactful. To achieve this balance, we adhere to four guiding philosophies:

Modern science is a team sport.

Virtually all of the simple questions in biomedicine have already been answered. We are now in the era where interdisciplinary strategies and massive datasets are required to uncover the next wave of breakthroughs that will improve human health. Alexander Fleming might have discovered penicillin by accident in 1928, but a century later it is rare for any one person to make paradigm-shifting discoveries alone. We intentionally embrace a highly collaborative team structure wherein we fuse diverse expertise to tackle some of the toughest challenges in cancer genomics. We are committed to recruiting team members from a wide variety of personal backgrounds, technical fields, and professional ranks. Breakthrough ideas can come from anyone, regardless of their training. We therefore also maintain a "flat" lab structure where input is solicited from all and ideas are judged on their merits.

Teams thrive when individuals are supported. 

While a team-based approach is central to the CGL, we also realize that every member of any team brings their own unique strengths and has their own challenges or needs. We emphasize personalized mentorship and will secure the resources required to enrich each member’s experience. Some examples could include co-mentorship from another Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Broad Institute, or Harvard Medical School faculty member to gain exposure to a secondary discipline, specific physical hardware or office accommodations, support to attend conferences to grow your professional network, or flexibility in work schedule or location. We also take seriously our dual role as not only an engine for discovery but also an incubator for future leaders. From day one, Ryan works with each member to define their goals, map the necessary steps, and support them along their path. Our goal for every new CGL member is for them to end their tenure with us by moving on to the ideal next step in their career, whether that be graduate/medical school, a career in academic research, entrepreneurship, roles in biotech/pharma, science policy, program management, consulting, or something else entirely!

Open science drives progress.

In today’s globalized research ecosystem, the fastest way to maximize our impact is to share data and results openly in parallel to traditional academic models of publishing. We are strong believers in (and contributors to!) preprint servers like bioRxiv and data-sharing platforms like gnomAD. We value open-source software development, responsible data sharing, and clear code documentation, which are the primary components in the bedrock of scientific progress: reproducibility. We don't chase perfection—mistakes are part of science—but instead emphasize constructive feedback to stress-test ideas and results. All members of the CGL are encouraged and expected to share their work regularly within the team and with the broader community, especially at early stages when input from others has the greatest leverage to improve our work.

Publicly funded research should benefit the public.

Much of our work is supported by the public through NIH grants and other foundations. We take seriously our responsibility to deliver value back to the people who make it possible. The ultimate goal of the CGL is not simply to publish papers or build datasets, but to improve human health. For us, this means turning population-scale genomic insights into knowledge that can anticipate, prevent, and treat cancer. We focus on problems with clear paths toward clinical relevance and we prioritize transparency so that patients, families, and clinicians can benefit as quickly as possible. Keeping this mission in mind helps us stay grounded: every line of code, every analysis, and every discovery is in service of the individuals whose lives might be changed by progress in cancer genetics.

Together, these values define the CGL: rigorous, creative science done openly and collaboratively in a supportive environment centered on our ultimate mission to improve human health. We aim to make this work not only impactful, but also sustainable and fun—because great ideas flourish in an environment where people thrive.

If this culture resonates with you, we’d love to have you join us in shaping the future of cancer genetics!