Posted on 06/07/2006 by Lab b*****
Viewed: 433 times
I worked for a professor at a unversity as a master's student before going on to a prestigious program at the same university. He was determined to keep me as a PhD student, and put me on an unethical project funded by a pharmaceutical company. Part of this project was his life's work that he was never able to finish, and I was given no choice but to take it.
A little about the lab: There were no recent publications even before I joined. The place was small and run down; it was fairly obvious also the lab was put in the worst part of the building. This professor would brag about his long-standing reputation for being unprofessional and unliked. He would also talk about how much he would drink (quite a bit, every night). The vast majority of people in his lab were women - which is extraordinarily odd for this particular field. He could never pay attention during individual meetings for more than 15 minutes at a time, so meetings with him would drag on for hours with multiple coffee or story breaks I could not opt out of. It was a rare occurrence when I would gain any insight from these meetings. At the end of each meeting, my questions were left unanswered. Worse of all, he would yell if I had even tentatively proposed something he didn't like. Dare I point out when he was wrong...
Similarly lab meetings would go on for hours with off-color jokes and tells on such unsavory topics as: 1) how he knows a woman is menstruating by smelling her - he claimed this smell was like oranges, 2) attacking so-and-so about their weight, 3) lots of sexist comments and talk about sex, and last but not least 4) multiple racist jokes. When I wouldn't laugh at these jokes, he would yell something my way about not having a sense of humor.
At one point he brought in an undergraduate student in the lab who was NOT in his field. Why? So she could play music with him. In the lab. Loudly. While we were working. He mandated that I be in the lab between certain hours. I was the only one who got this special treatment (lucky me), probably because I was originally his pet student and presumably because he liked treating the pet student like s***. The last pet student worked in his lab for 8 years without receiving a PhD and finally had a nervous breakdown. Well anyway, one night he took this underage undergrad out to a bar and bought her drinks.
He would also call me at home and on my cell whenever he pleased, be it 6 AM on a Saturday or not. The work I had done over the summer on a document to be sent to the pharmaceutical company was washed down the tubes, as he reassigned me to a different project and then gave my project to a newby. Then, the summer before I was to defend my master's thesis, he left for Hawaii for several weeks for his second vacation in a year. At this time he had invited an even YOUNGER student into a lab - a daughter of a wealthy family friend who was a HIGH SCHOOLER. The lab did not do high school level work. He made other students in the lab take time away from their work to teach her. We'd all have to listen to them share family stories while we were trying to get work done.
Finally, when I had told him I needed to finally defend my thesis by X date to start my new graduate position, he balked that I had done no work. It was clear that he was upset I was staying at the same university but not working with him, as he complained about this constantly and falsified stories that I had said I WOULD work with him (I NEVER, EVER would have said something so idiotic). I was given sheer h*** after this point. There were several times he brought me tears in the lab yelling about the most inane, stupid things. He called me "f****** ugly" in a group meeting. When I started crying, only one person defended me and called him out, which tells you something about the people who stay in his lab. He didn't apologize or even remember he had said this until I pointed it out later.
Cut to the chase, I did defend. My work was not as good as I would have liked to have been, but I have searched myself and can truly only blame it on him as a shoddy mentor. He was in fact proud and beaming the day that I defended.
Then, I started my new graduate position. He still had his claws in though. He wanted me to do a poster for an upcoming presentation. I did the work early so that I could focus on my studies. However, this was not enough. I had to attend lab meetings, at which he would simply tell me to change a font or font size. About a month after I'd finished said poster, he insists I come in and to teach my work to the undergraduate before I left when I had a perfectly good lab partner who would be at the conference to present my poster. This was right before my finals and since I could not continue with this sort of abuse any longer I told him that I could not work with him any longer.
A year later I was about to start work in another lab. This professor asked for a letter of recommendation from my last employer. The old professor asked to meet with me on campus, after which he told me he could never ever give me a recommendation, as I was his worst student. Again with the yelling on his part and the crying on mine. Keep in mind that I'm in a very prestigious program - the best position anyone in his lab has attained. He had given me a shining recommendation for my current program, but now that I was not working for him I was plain S***. I shouldn't have let this fool get to me. I spoke to the head of my current program, who assured me his behavior was in fact unprofessional and repugnant. I spoke to my potential employer, scared of what this person would say. To my surprise, he told me it didn't matter, since he already had a horrible opinion of him; he had tried to forge an alliance on a project with the a******, who had left him out in the cold.
I really should have talked to the University ombudsman about him, but at this point I doubt he has too many years in his career left anyway.
POST A COMMENTfreedomringer(06/07/2006)
I think that academia tends to attract people like this. I have found that there is an inverse correlation between education and kindness. I have also found that eudcation and intelligence are two different traits that are not always correlated. This nutty prof. needs a dose of reality in the real world where people want results and not bullsh**. Tenure should be reformed, prof. tend to think that they are untouchable and can say whatever comes to there mind. The filter between there brain and mouth no longer works. However I am sure that this is probably true for other fields. But tenure gives people like this more job security.
the cynic(06/07/2006)
Erm...wouldn't this qualify as litigable harrassment?
Dharmadee(06/08/2006)
You are out of there, good for you! And I think cynic is right...you should at least put get all your documentation in order, and approach the ombudsman. You might be surprised. He can't hurt you at this point, and you might be in a position to help the next poor student he decides is his "favorite".
sheila (06/07/2006)
MY GOODNESS! I am surprised you are in one piece after your experience with this tyrant. I am so sorry you went through this. The whole time I was reading your story I felt so sad for you and wished that man was in front of me so I could give him a piece of my mind!! I would have stuck up for you in that room. I am glad to hear at least one person did. I am also glad that you have moved on. GOOD RIDDANCE TO HIM!
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