ESC

Mentorship

Interested in working with me? Please read this before reaching out to me.

I have multiple openings for Fall 2027 for Ph.D. in iSchool. Apply to the Ph.D. in Information Studies at the University of Oklahoma and list Dr. Manika Lamba as a faculty advisor. More details here. Final Deadline: January 15, 2027

I also welcome research assistants and collaborations. Positions begin as early as Spring 2027. Existing graduate and undergraduate students at OU are welcome to join as research assistants. You can apply to conduct research for credit. Students/researchers from outside OU are welcome to join as research collaborators. Funded opportunities are not available at the moment.

Before reaching out, please ask yourself: Is this a research question I would be excited to spend several months working on? Everyone’s time is limited, and I want students in my lab to feel proud of the projects they take on — the kind of work you would be happy to share with peers or even people outside the field.

If my lab’s research directions do not genuinely interest you, that’s completely okay, but it probably means this is not the right fit. If you are excited about these topics, though, I would be very glad to hear from you.

Who we are looking for

A Genuine Curiosity About Information, Data, and AI

I welcome students who are curious about how information is created, organized, analyzed, and used and who want to make these processes more accessible and accountable. Your interests might include knowledge organization, or the responsible use of AI. You do not need to arrive with a fully formed research agenda. What matters is a thoughtful question, a willingness to learn across methods, and a commitment to understanding how research tools and information systems affect the people who use them.

Different Backgrounds, Shared Curiosity

Students in our group bring different strengths. Some have experience with programming, data analysis, or AI and want to apply those skills to questions about information and knowledge. Others come from library and information science, the humanities, social sciences, or related fields and bring questions that computational methods could help them explore. Both paths are welcome. You do not need to be an expert in every method when you join. We value people who can explain the questions they care about, learn from collaborators, and think critically about the tools they use.

Critical Thinking and Self-Motivation

Being self-motivated does not mean working around the clock — that’s neither healthy nor sustainable. It means going beyond “just completing the task” and truly engaging with the research.

For example, ask yourself: What is the novelty of this research question? Why is it important to solve? What resources are needed? Why hasn’t it been solved before? If a model achieves 90% accuracy, don’t just report the number. Dig deeper: What does it really mean? Can you reproduce it? Where does it fail? How does it compare to existing approaches? The most interesting research questions often emerge from this kind of reflection.

A Mindset for Growth

A PhD isn’t just about learning more facts — it’s about growing in every direction. The people who thrive are those who actively seek feedback, absorb it quickly, and use it to improve. They’re resilient enough to handle setbacks and persistent enough to keep moving forward. Above all, they bring energy and passion to their work.

Kindness, Respect, and Faithfulness

We also expect you to maintain integrity, respect different work styles, and contribute positively as a member of the team. Mentor–mentee relationships last a lifetime. Lab-mate relationships often endure long after graduation. Joining this lab means becoming part of a community — and we choose colleagues as if we’re selecting partners for the long term, not just coworkers for a few years.

That’s why kindness, respect, and faithfulness to one another matter so much. Energy, passion, and curiosity are the baseline. But without kindness and respect, none of it works. We are not research machines; we are humans working together — and what sustains a team is kindness and respect.

What is your Advising Style

This answer applies to my advisees at all levels: undergraduates, MS students, PhD students, and visitors

People often describe advisors on a scale from technical (“hands on”) to managerial (“hands off”). I tend toward being managerial. I expect my advisees to be self-driven and capable of teaching themselves skills that their coursework cannot provide. I encourage my advisees to structure their own day-to-day activities with attention toward short-term and long-term goals. I provide advisees with research problems to work on, resources to make their work possible, feedback on their progress, guidance on manuscripts and publishing, and mentorship toward their career goals. Advisees in my lab tend to run their projects while I run the lab as a whole.

I prefer to schedule periodic meetings with each of my advisees, either every week or every two weeks, though some circumstances (such as submission deadlines) require greater frequency. I also may ask students to attend lab meetings and project meetings with collaborators. Students should come to meetings prepared to present their results, typically with slides. I encourage students to take lots of notes during meetings, and in one-on-one discussions I am always willing to pause to let them catch up.

I expect all advisees to aim for research results that they can publish. PhD students should aim to have several first-author publications before they graduate; the exact number depends on factors such as their research direction and their career goals. MS students should aim to have at least one first-author paper submitted for publication, and undergraduates should aim to be a co-author on at least one submission. I discuss expectations with other lab members, such as postdocs and visitors, on a case-by-case basis.

Students receive close guidance early on and continued support as they develop their own direction. The stages below describe a typical progression; the pace depends on each PhD student’s experience and the needs of the research.

Students usually begin with a project Manika has already thought through and selected to fit their skills and learning goals. They also contribute to ongoing lab projects. This provides early experience with the research process: reading critically, designing studies, analyzing data, and communicating findings.

We discuss which questions, methods, and experiences the student found most interesting. Together, we define a follow-up study that builds on this experience. The student takes greater responsibility for framing the question, choosing methods, and planning the work, with feedback throughout.

Students are increasingly expected to develop their own questions and lead the research. They make and justify decisions about study design, interpretation, and collaboration. Manika’s role shifts toward discussing ideas, challenging assumptions, and helping resolve obstacles as students develop an independent research agenda.

Mentoring continues as students bring their work into a coherent dissertation and prepare for their next role. Support includes feedback on writing, research talks, and career plans, along with introductions and recommendations relevant to the student’s goals.

Across these stages, I help students build professional relationships, encourages conference presentations, and provides opportunities to practice talks and respond to questions. Students learn to explain their work to specialists and broader audiences, and to build recognition for their contributions across disciplines, professions, and backgrounds.

Commitments that support this progression:

Regarding physical presence in the lab, my guidelines for advisees’ work locations are flexible within limits. Being physically in the lab is generally not a requirement, though I may require it for special projects or for students who need help establishing work routines. With regard to travel, advisees should let me know if their absence will interrupt their work or if they will be gone for a week or longer, since unexpected things can happen in research and we may need to meet. Also, advisees should always let me know if they will need to miss a scheduled meeting. A week’s notice is preferable.

Finally, I value effective communication: often I observe that a well-expressed good idea has more value than a brilliant idea expressed in a way that people struggle to understand. I expect students to continuously improve upon their writing and presentation skills, using feedback from me and from outside sources. There is no apex to these skills, and I also continue to improve.