ATTENTION: PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINE REGARDING RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIPS AT SLAC BEFORE CONTACTING SLAC FACULTY, SLAC STAFF, OR THE SLAC GRADUATE OFFICE.

Research Assistantships at SLAC for Graduate Students attending Stanford University



Overview:
The Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) is operated by Stanford University for the U.S. Department of Energy. The laboratory's primary scientific mission is to carry on basic research in three areas:
  1. Elementary Particle Physics (Theory and Experiment);
  2. Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (Theory and Experiment); and
  3. Accelerator and Beam Physics.
As a part of our role at Stanford University, SLAC research groups provide opportunities for graduate students from the Physics and Applied Physics Departments to perform research suitable for completing their PhD dissertations. A small number of graduate students from other disciplines work at SLAC on research related to their departmental degree requirements.

General Guideline For Physics and Applied Physics Students:
The Faculty of SLAC teach classes in the Physics and Applied Physics Departments and routinely act as the primary academic advisors for students admitted into the PhD programs of the Physics and Applied Physics Departments.

PhD students from these departments participate in SLAC's Research Orientation, their Departmental Research Orientations, and participate in the "research rotation program" during their first year to identify suitable research at SLAC towards satisfying their dissertation requirement. SLAC routinely provides Research Assistantships for these students.

General Guideline For Non-Physics / Applied Physics Students:
A limited number of Masters and PhD level students from the Engineering and Computer Science departments of the University hold Research Assistantships at SLAC. The granting of these Assistantships is closely scrutinized and all such positions must be approved by the Research Director or Deputy Research Director of SLAC.

These positions are generally restricted to research in engineering, mathematics and computer science disciplines and must meet the following criteria and standards before approval:
  1. A Faculty Advisor from the students home department;
  2. A Faculty Advisor at SLAC; and
  3. Approved Relevancy Statement - all research proposed to be carried out at SLAC must be judged to be academically relevent towards obtaining the University degree sought by the student.
All advisors and the SLAC Graduate Advisor must sign and approve the proposed appointment for each quarter that it is held. The Releveancy Form is available on the Graduate Studies webpage.

The Graduate Studies web page will occasionally post links when specific projects meeting the academic standards for Research Assistantships become available. Otherwise, these positions should be arranged directly between the student's faculty advisor in their home department and a specific SLAC Faculty or Staff advisor, with a specific research proposal.

Students are strongly discouraged from approaching SLAC faculty and senior staff directly without such prior arrangements.


Direct your questions to the SLAC Graduate Office: gradoffice@slac.stanford.edu.