Research at Stanford

Dear friends,

This FAQ list is in response to my post on Orkut about a voluntary research opportunity at Stanford Radiology. I received quite a few emails and, thus, thought it wise to post a list of the questions and their answers for general access. I'll keep expanding the list, if required, based on further emails and questions.

Let me throw in a disclaimer, first: This is not an official advertisement for a research position. This is a personal search for a pair or two of helping hands which will ease my work for me. Since you'll be dealing with me directly, and I'm not involved in evaluating your application for residencies, you may be completely frank

So you ask, "What will I get out of helping you?"
Good question! You will get at least 6 months (may be more) of US research experience on your CV, at Stanford University which is one of the leading universities in the country. You will also get authorship in any paper/article which is published in any journal in any project that you'd have helped in. You will also get a LOR from a Stanford Radiology faculty for your residency quests.

Here's the FAQ thingy:

• When does the job start?

Any time you are ready for it. The job is continuous and you are welcome to join and leave almost any time. We only require that you stay for at least 6 months because that is the minimum period that I think will be required for you to show any productivity.

• How long do you need me?

We need you forever! Lol! Actually, who'd say no to a pair of free helping hands? But we definitely need at least 2-3 months to train you and determine how your skills can help us. After that you'll need at least 3-4 months to contribute substantially to any project. You can stay as long as is feasible for you and your goals. If any project that you've worked on gets published, even a couple of years later, you're bound to be a co-author.

• Will my previous experience help?

Definitely! I believe a previous research experience will help you get a slight advantage over those who haven't had any experience. However, it is unlikely that you've ever done the kind of work we do. So we'll have to train you anyway.

• What kind of skills are required?

I think, being medical trained, you already come armed with a few skills and knowledge base that we require. We also prefer have people familiar with usage of MS Word, Excel, etc. Knowledge in literature search, manuscript writing, statistical analysis are a bonus. However, you'll be trained in most of the core skills that will be required, once you join us.

• Will research help me in getting a residency/better residency?

There is no guarantee that research will help you in getting a residency/better residency. It will definitely build your CV stronger and you'll definitely get an LOR commensurate with your work. But getting a match depends on many other factors as well. But who am I talking to? You guys know this far better than I do! :)

• Will research in radiology help me get a residency in another field (eg. surgery)?

Again, I'm perhaps the wrong person to ask. Common sense tells me that working in the same field that you want to join will help you more than working in another field. However, some experience is better than no experience at all, wouldn't you agree? In addition, research usually spans across disciplines. For example, some of my research is in collaboration with Gastroenterology, Biohemistry, Oncology etc. Ain't it fun?

• Do you have electives/externships/observerships etc.?

Since this is not an official announcement, no! Also, I have no idea of any such opportunities in other departments.

• Will it pay?

I wish it did, but nope! :( Again, you'll not be employed here. You are invited for voluntary work, in exchange for experience, authorship (if published) and LORs.

• I am interested in fellowships/externships/electives elsewhere/paid/in other fields. Can I contact you if I fail to get any of these?

Definitely! You are always welcome as long as we aren't full already!

• Do my MLE scores matter?

Nope! All that matters is our compatibility.

• Any visa issues?

We will not provide any visa sponsorship. However, from what I know, you can always volunteer on almost any visa (please confirm the validity of this statement yourself!). I know of people who have joined as observers and volunteered in research even on a visitors visa. The best possible scenario that I can see is a person having no visa issues (already has multiple entry visa, is visiting the US for a short time, or lives with spouse in US while taking MLE steps). That doesn't preclude other people from trying, if they think they can stick around in US for about 6 months!

• Will the research job help me in getting a visa?

I don't know, but I don't think so. I think Stanford will not sponsor visas for volunteers. For visa issues please contact immigration people. Research people are ill-equipped to answer such questions! :)

• Can I join you when I am in the US for CS?

Definitely! You'll be here for a period shorter than 6 months, but that is possible.

• What kind of non-clinical research will it be?

We will tailor the kind of work that you'll do to achieve the best possible match to your skills and interests. The type of work may involve imaging (PET, SPECT, MRI, CT, Fluorescence, Bioluminescence, Ultrasound, Photoacoustics), image analysis (using various image analysis softwares that you'll be trained in), working with small animals (rats/mice), cells and tissue cultures, interacting and collaborating with various other departments. There might be human studies, but most of the work is non-clinical and non-human.

• What will be the hours of work?

Extremely flexible. We don't care if you work from 9 am to 6 pm or from 10 pm to 5 am! We don't care if you work weekends and take the Wednesday off! What we care is that you coordinate with your project mates and make positive contributions to the project. The hours of work can be as little or as long as you want depending on how much you want to contribute.

• What is the approximate cost for housing in this area?

In general, housing in the Bay Area is more expensive than many other parts of the country. However, for a short term visitor there are several options available ranging from $500-1500 or more.  Beginning with renting individual apartments or studios, one can rent a room in a multi-room apartment or house (room share), and also live in several motels nearby that have monthly rental schemes. Here are a few links to help you get an estimate of the costs of housing. However, there are a lot more websites and options, which I encourage you to search before coming over.
- Stanford Uloop
- Craigslist
- Sulekha

• Is transportation easy enough to travel to and from Stanford?

Public transport is frequent enough to not have any trouble commuting. Most students and a lot of staff cycle to work; if you manage to buy/rent/borrow a bicycle it's easy to commute within a 5-6 mile radius. I can perhaps personally help you with this. You will also find more information on this at the following link.
- Alternative Transport @ Stanford

• What is the selection process?

The selection process is simple. If you like us and we like you, you are selected! It's first-come-first-served. As soon as we find someone appropriate for the job, it's taken. However, we don't expect you to work with us too long without pay. Also, we acknowledge that research is secondary to your main goals and will work only as a stepping stone for your further aspirations. So we expect the position to be available again a few months later. I encourage you to keep looking later too as I will announce in Orkut as soon as I feel the need for more help!

• What is the number of positions available?

It is variable, depending on the volume of our work. I expect it to vary between 1 and 2 positions at any given time.

I hope I've been able to address some issues here. If you still have any more questions, please keep emailing me.

Thank you all,
Deepak