## Advisor Style & Mentorship Inconsistent mentorship, a combination micromanaging and not being there when needed. He plays favorites and punishes people who disagree with him or makes him/the lab/his favorites "look bad." Has had multiple students leave the lab due to his hostile communication and yelling. Has weekly subgroup meetings for three people (who are not working on the same subgroup often as not) and spends a vast majority of the time on the first two leaving no feedback or time for the last. Will go off on long winded yelled rants about why your work isn't good. Has made multiple women cry leaving his office or subgroup. Groupmeetings are weekly and are very long and involve a lot of yelling. Has a "mechanism" and "synthesis" problem done by a lab member and forces people to work through them and can be very demeaning. Describes email communication as problematic and misinterpretable. Will agree in writing then call you into his office to yell at you and disagree, including denying someone's health issues were real. ## Expectations for PhD Students Clearly lower expectations for female students, are also clearly treated differently. Unclear expecations since they change based on favoritism. Students write the grants in the lab with very little support from Karl. Doing well in research can lead to getting more projects until you can't keep up. Expects students to be in the lab at 9 am 6 days a week and to leave after 8 pm. Will drop in lab on Saturdays in the morning or evening to see if people are working. ## Funding & Support Often funds students but will force people to TA once a year or more (not a requirement). Encourages applying to personal grants sometimes but does not help with the process in a meaningful way. Mainly focuses on suggesting changes to the graphics. If you're one of the favorites purchasing is no problem and you can get equipment you want. If not puchasing is a struggle. In general he'll force policing of purchases for things that are too expensive, and puchases cheap gloves instead of higher quality ones due to the cost. The lab reuses test tubes, prepacked columns, needles, and vials. Lab members are in charge of fixing equipment (he won't allow for service from the manufacturer due to cost) unless absolutely neccessary wasting a lot of time for students. Will provide in lab Mac desktops for offices in lab. However they can be very old and practically unusable. ## Research The recent push in Karl's lab for photochemistry is not a field he has experience in and was completely developed by graduate students in the group. Karl will have ideas that students have to try even if they don't make sense. He's made chemistry students try to crystalize proteins, forced people work on projects that haven't succeeded in other individuals hands, and rarely is the driving force on any of the projects. ## Lab Culture Often described as a bro-culture, with very little professionalism. "The North Korea of the Department." Can be cliquey, and since Karl can be extremely hostile people will follow suit to say on his good side. Problematic behaviors include joking about testing new COVID treatments on the only student of color, hiding safety incidents, and yelling at other students.
Inconsistent mentorship, a combination micromanaging and not being there when needed. He plays favorites and punishes people who disagree with him or makes him/the lab/his favorites "look bad." Has had multiple students leave the lab due to his hostile communication and yelling.
Has weekly subgroup meetings for three people (who are not working on the same subgroup often as not) and spends a vast majority of the time on the first two leaving no feedback or time for the last. Will go off on long winded yelled rants about why your work isn't good. Has made multiple women cry leaving his office or subgroup.
Groupmeetings are weekly and are very long and involve a lot of yelling. Has a "mechanism" and "synthesis" problem done by a lab member and forces people to work through them and can be very demeaning.
Describes email communication as problematic and misinterpretable. Will agree in writing then call you into his office to yell at you and disagree, including denying someone's health issues were real.
## Expectations for PhD Students
Clearly lower expectations for female students, are also clearly treated differently. Unclear expecations since they change based on favoritism. Students write the grants in the lab with very little support from Karl. Doing well in research can lead to getting more projects until you can't keep up. Expects students to be in the lab at 9 am 6 days a week and to leave after 8 pm. Will drop in lab on Saturdays in the morning or evening to see if people are working.
## Funding & Support
Often funds students but will force people to TA once a year or more (not a requirement). Encourages applying to personal grants sometimes but does not help with the process in a meaningful way. Mainly focuses on suggesting changes to the graphics.
If you're one of the favorites purchasing is no problem and you can get equipment you want. If not puchasing is a struggle. In general he'll force policing of purchases for things that are too expensive, and puchases cheap gloves instead of higher quality ones due to the cost. The lab reuses test tubes, prepacked columns, needles, and vials. Lab members are in charge of fixing equipment (he won't allow for service from the manufacturer due to cost) unless absolutely neccessary wasting a lot of time for students.
Will provide in lab Mac desktops for offices in lab. However they can be very old and practically unusable.
## Research
The recent push in Karl's lab for photochemistry is not a field he has experience in and was completely developed by graduate students in the group. Karl will have ideas that students have to try even if they don't make sense. He's made chemistry students try to crystalize proteins, forced people work on projects that haven't succeeded in other individuals hands, and rarely is the driving force on any of the projects.
## Lab Culture
Often described as a bro-culture, with very little professionalism. "The North Korea of the Department." Can be cliquey, and since Karl can be extremely hostile people will follow suit to say on his good side. Problematic behaviors include joking about testing new COVID treatments on the only student of color, hiding safety incidents, and yelling at other students.
No, I don't recommend this PI.