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.

ImportantBefore you use AI on lab work

We allow the use of AI in the lab, within clear rules. Before you run Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, or anything similar on lab data, code, or writing, read our AI and LLM use policy — especially the data rules.

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.