Onboarding

Welcome to the Roberts Lab at the University of Washington.

Use this page as your read order. Complete required tasks (especially safety paperwork) as you go.

Day 1 — policies and safety

1. Code of Conduct
2. Lab Safety — complete all required trainings and forms before bench work
3. Lab Communication — join Slack, GitHub org, and lab calendar (see below)

Get connected: lab Slack, RobertsLab on GitHub, Lab Calendar. Ask Steven or a lab member if you are not yet on these.

Undergraduate researchers: also read and sign the Undergraduate Contract.

Week 1 — how we work

1. Environment and Expectations
2. Lab Notebooks — set up your notebook; post daily from day one
3. Data Management
4. Project Management
5. Computing Hardware — install shell, git, GitHub Desktop, RStudio (see IAQs below)

Self-Directed Tutorials

Hands-on, self-paced tutorials to build core skills. Each tracks your progress as you work through it.

• The Unix Shell — Bash Tutorial — navigate the file system, create and manage files, and combine commands with wildcards, redirection, and pipes. Start here if the command line is new to you.
• Git & GitHub Tutorial — the everyday version-control loop: create a repository, sync with the GitHub Desktop app, make changes, and commit and push (with an advanced command-line section).
• Agentic AI Bootcamp — get fluent with agentic AI and driving Claude Code, then shape a project that fits the lab's work. See also Agentic Coding Tools.

---

Ongoing — reference as needed

• Computing Best Practices
• Writing Scientific Manuscripts
• Oral Presentations
• DEI Resources
• External Communication and Funding — conferences, travel awards, fellowships
• How to Grad School (outreach slides)

---

Getting connected at UW

UW and SAFS have many groups, listservs, and funding channels. Lab-recommended conferences and fellowships are maintained in one place: External Communication and Funding.

DEI

Non-exhaustive DEI groups and support at UW and beyond: DEI Resources.

Listservs

If you have trouble joining, email SAFS computing administrator Michael Parker (safshelp\@uw.edu{.email}).

• SAFS social safssocial\@uw.edu{.email}: join
• SAFS job postings safsjobs\@uw.edu{.email}: join
• SAFS community Slack: join (or email Steven Roberts sr320\@uw.edu{.email})

Undergraduate students

• SAFS: Research and Internships, Study Abroad, scholarships and funding
• Undergraduate Research Symposium
• FieldNotes (CoEnv undergraduate research journal)

Graduate students

• UW Graduate School — GO-MAP, GPSS
• SAFS Graduate Program — advising: Samantha Scherer (iamsams\@uw.edu{.email}); HR: Amy Fox (amyfox\@uw.edu{.email})
• FINS — listserv safsgrads\@uw.edu{.email}: join; Slack: join
• CoEnv grads listserv environment_grads\@uw.edu{.email}: join

Travel and conference awards (CoEnv, Grad School, FINS, etc.) are summarized with lab conference recommendations in External Communication and Funding.

Postdocs

• UW Office of Postdoctoral Affairs — listserv: email uwopa\@uw.edu{.email}
• UW College of the Environment Postdocs — listserv environment_postdocs\@uw.edu{.email}: contact Anthony Salazar (asalazar\@uw.edu{.email})
• SAFS Postdocs — listserv safspostdocs\@uw.edu{.email}: join

Faculty

SAFS faculty governance (UW NetID): https://uwnetid.sharepoint.com/sites/safs/facultygovernance

Under Policies, see salary recovery, teaching buyout, and teaching release. University-wide options include A/B salary and mobile phone reimbursement (department policy may apply).