6 Resources
6.1 Lab and Department Resources
There is hotel desk space at both Alway and 1701. If you need dedicated desk space, let Matt know and we’ll try to find you some. The lab contributes funds for data at the Center for Population Health Sciences so we have access to cool data sets. We have lab group accounts for both Sherlock (high-performance computing for low-risk data) and Carina (high-performance computing for high-risk data) which allows for more storage (but anybody in the group can access those data). We also use Redivis for some restricted data sets. See the Doing Science chapter for more on our computing setup and data practices.
Publishing papers can be expensive. This is not your concern. If you’re the first author, I will pay for the publication fee on all lab papers.1 For advanced PhD students and postdocs, I will also pay for the open-access fee, because some research suggests open-access papers get cited more and make you a more appealing job candidate. I’ll keep doing this as long as I have the funding.
The Department of Epidemiology and Population Health has many seminars, social events, and other opportunities. Use the EPH Department Reference Guide to learn more about what’s available to you and make sure you’re on the relevant departmental listservs to stay on top of opportunities.
6.2 Resources Within Stanford
Stanford has many resources and you should use as many of them as possible. The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs has a List of Helpful Websites (that’s useful for both postdocs and non-postdocs). I encourage you to read about Stanford resources, use them, and when you find new ones, tell the lab so we can all benefit.
Beyond that, here are some specific resources I’d especially recommend:
Stanford Libraries offer extensive collections, data services, and research support. The Stanford Research Data Services team can help with data management, curation, and archiving for your projects.
Stanford Research Computing Center (SRCC) provides high-performance computing support and consultation. If you run into issues with Sherlock or need advice on computational approaches, they’re extremely helpful.
Department of Statistics offers free statistical consulting through their walk-in clinic and appointment-based services. Whether you need help with study design, analysis approaches, or interpretation, they’re a great resource.
Center for Population Health Sciences (PHS) is where a lot of our data lives and where many of our collaborators sit. They run seminars and have research data we use in the lab. Check out their events and consider connecting with researchers doing related work.
Hume Center for Writing and Speaking offers individual consultations and workshops for academic writing and presentations. Use them, especially when you’re working on papers, grants, or talks — see the Writing chapter for more.
- Graduate students and postdocs may find this canvas course helpful.
Stanford Data Science hosts workshops, seminars, and reading groups on data science methods and applications. It’s a great way to stay current with the field and meet people across campus doing similar work.
Stanford Academic Policies: If you’re a graduate student, familiarize yourself with the Graduate Academic Policies (GAP) handbook — it has the rules on academic progress, leaves of absence, funding, and more. Postdocs should review the Postdoc Handbook. These aren’t thrilling reading, but knowing where to find the rules saves time when you need them.
Graduate student resources: If you’re a graduate student, your department likely offers mentoring, professional development, and support services. Explore what’s available to you. If you’re outside of EPH, there may still be EPH resources you can access. Ask Matt.
Stanford Office of Postdoctoral Affairs has resources for postdocs — many of which are also useful for advanced graduate students. See the Funding chapter for their fellowship database.
- Previous postdocs have found the Preparing for Faculty Careers workshop very helpful.
Stanford Team for Inclusive Laboratory Environments (TILE) maintains a list of resources that may be useful.
Most Stanford resources are underused — people don’t know about them or assume they won’t help. In our experience, they nearly always do. When you find something useful, let me or the lab know so we can all benefit.2