7  Onboarding

Welcome to the Kiang Lab. I’m glad you’re here. This section covers everything you need to do in your first few weeks — the administrative setup and the more interesting parts like meeting the team and starting research.

7.1 Administrative Checklist

Start with these right away. They take a day or two but are necessary to get you fully integrated into Stanford’s systems.

• SUNet ID: If you don’t already have one, get a SUNet ID through Stanford UIT.
• Building access: Contact Kevin (cc Matt) to get access to 1701. You’ll need to already have your Stanford Medicine badge.
• HR paperwork: Work with the department administrators to make sure your HR paperwork is in order.

7.2 Computational Setup

You’ll need access to several computational resources to participate in lab research.

• GitHub account: Create a personal GitHub account if you don’t have one already. Once you have it, let me know your username so I can add you to the Kiang Lab GitHub organization (kianglab on GitHub).
• R and RStudio: Install R and RStudio (or Positron) on your personal machine. We do most of our analysis in R, and many lab members use RStudio as their primary development environment.
• Sherlock cluster account: If you think you’ll need access to a high-performance computing environment, talk to Matt and begin the process now.

7.3 Key People to Meet

Get to know these folks in your first few weeks:

• Me (Matt): We’ll set up a regular one-on-one meeting schedule. I’m happy to chat about research ideas, troubleshoot problems, or just check in on how things are going.
• Postdocs and senior lab members: They’re excellent resources for learning our methods, understanding ongoing projects, and getting practical advice on everything from statistical approaches to cluster computing. Don’t be shy about asking questions.
• Department Administrator: They can help with budget questions, purchasing, travel, and administrative issues.
• Other lab members: Come to departmental social events and any lab gatherings to get to know everyone. We learn a lot from each other.

7.4 First-Week Milestones

Aim to accomplish these in your first week:

• Complete administrative checklist items (SUNet ID, building access, HR paperwork)
• Set up GitHub account and request access to lab organization
• Install R and RStudio
• Schedule first one-on-one meeting with me
• Meet at least 1-2 other lab members for coffee or lunch

7.5 First-Month Milestones

By the end of your first month,¹ aim for:

• All administrative and computational setup complete
• Set up a recurring one-on-one meeting with Matt
• Read this lab manual in full
• Understand the lab’s main research focus and ongoing projects
• Have a research project or research question in mind to discuss with Matt
• Have an expectations-matching conversation with Matt (see Mentorship)
• Feel comfortable asking for help and know who to ask for specific questions
• Schedule an IDP meeting with Matt

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1. If you’re a graduate student, also read Stanford’s guidance on advisor-advisee relationships from VPGE early on — it lays out what Stanford expects from both advisors and advisees.