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What does scientific rigor look like when time is limited, funding is finite, and real projects don’t unfold under ideal conditions? Scientific rigor is often discussed as an ideal, but real biomedical research unfolds under constraints. Time is limited. Funding runs out. Reagents, animals, access to specialized experimental methods, and personnel all cost money. These realities shape study design, analysis choices, and the strength of the conclusions we can justify.
We'll focus on rigor as a practical and learned skill: making defensible, transparent decisions when resources are finite. Rather than centering misconduct, compliance, or reproducibility alone, the session will examine how sound methodology, careful inference, and clear reporting operate when tradeoffs are unavoidable.
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Through short case examples and interactive discussion, speakers will explore issues including:
- How time and money quietly influence experimental and analytical choices
- Which methodological compromises are reasonable, and which undermine inference
- How to prioritize rigor when additional experiments aren’t feasible
- How transparent reporting and calibrated claims can strengthen science under constraint
This session is particularly relevant for graduate students who are analyzing data, writing manuscripts, or approaching thesis‑level decisions, though all trainees and faculty are welcome.
Designed to fit the summer research rhythm, the format emphasizes concrete examples, reflection, and audience engagement rather than lectures or formal training.
Participants are encouraged to bring real questions from their own work.
Thursday, June 11, 2026
12:00 pm ET
Zoom Meeting
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Speakers
Dr. Stephanie Hicks is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Biostatistics and Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins with affiliations with Data Science and AI Initiative, the Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare, the Center for Computational Biology, and the Department of Genetic Medicine. She is an expert in developing scalable computational methods and open-source software for biomedical data science, in particular single-cell and spatial transcriptomics genomics data, leading to an improved understanding of human health and disease.
Dr. Michael Gionfriddo is a pharmacist and health services researcher with expertise in evidence synthesis, qualitative and mixed methods, and shared decision‑making. Dr. Gionfriddo’s research focuses on optimizing medication use and promoting patient‑centered care through shared decision‑making and minimally disruptive medicine.
Dr. Daniel S. Kessler joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1995 as a member of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology. He is now Associate Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, Associate Dean for Graduate Education, Director of Biomedical Graduate Studies, Chair of the Institutional Biosafety Committee, and Co-Director of PennPREP. He served for 15 years as Chair of the Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program. He has extensive experience as teacher and course director for graduate and medical students. Dr. Kessler is a recipient of the Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund Postdoctoral Fellowship and the Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences Award. For his teaching and mentoring efforts at Penn, he was recognized with the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Training in 2009, and the Christian R. and Mary LF. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2019. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Society for Developmental Biology. His research interests focus on fundamental mechanisms that establishment the major cell lineages and organizing centers of the early vertebrate embryo.
Moderator:
Dr. Hao Ye is C4R's Curriculum Development Lead. After a meandering path through computer science, psychology, oceanography, and ecology, Hao Ye is now comfortably focused on instruction and training to empower researchers of all disciplines, backgrounds, and career stages. As curriculum developer at C4R, Hao applies his passion for open science and reproducible research in the hopes of shifting academic culture. Hao also serves as a data paper editor at Ecology, is on the Governance Committee for OLS (formerly Open Life Science), and is an instructor trainer for the Carpentries. He earned his BS in computer science from Caltech, and his MA in psychology, MS and PhD in oceanography from the University of California San Diego.
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