Turning the microscope on power dynamics in the lab

Sexual harassment is pervasive in academic science, as it is in so much of our society. My own department was confronted with this fact two years ago when high-profile accusations came out against a recent colleague of ours. Formal conversations in our department about sexual harassment quickly broadened to larger themes of power dynamics in the lab, and how the lab structure and our silence around power dynamics can enable abuses. Unexamined (and therefore uncheckable) power dynamics can allow sexual harassment, exploitation, bullying, and other ethical breaches to fester. These problems fall disproportionally on minority or marginalized persons, feeding into existing problems with diversity in science. Several students in our department organized and pushed for reforms on multiple scales. We offer our experience as an example of one way to aim for a healthier work environment for all researchers.