Resources for students and postdocs

The guide we give new members of the group, and advice we have collected over the years for students, postdocs and young faculty. The complete versions, with tutorials for the codes we use, are on our group wiki.

Getting started in the lab

Welcome! In your first weeks, read the lab guidelines, get an account on MSU's supercomputer and work through the beginner tutorials below; most people need about a week. The full checklist is on the wiki's guide for getting started. Lab notebooks and research data belong to the group and stay with it when you leave, so keep them organized from day one.

Lab guidelines (read them once a year)

• Criteria for authorship in papersWho becomes an author on the group's papers, and in what order.
• Criteria for authorship in patents and copyright
• Well-being
• MentoringMentoring resources of the MSU College of Engineering.
• HousingNotes on finding a place to live in the Lansing area.

Beginner tutorials

• ICER's self-paced tutorialsFree courses on MSU's D2L platform, including HPCC Foundations and Introduction to Python. Start here.
• Overleaf for MSUWrite papers and reports in LaTeX with your MSU account.
• Literature search with Google ScholarHow to set up alerts and follow the literature.
• Learn the command lineInteractive Unix course from Codecademy.
• Linux Journey: the shell
• Google's Python class
• The Python tutorialThe official tutorial, for when you are ready for more.
• Vim cheat sheetThe keys of the vi editor on one page.

MSU's supercomputer (HPCC)

• Connect to the HPCCLogging in with an SSH client.
• File systemsHome, research and scratch space, and what to keep where.
• Writing and submitting job scriptsYour first SLURM job.
• SLURM commandsCheck, change and cancel jobs.
• ICER lab notebooksHow-tos from ICER staff, for example how to use large language models on the HPCC.

Tools we use

• Code tutorials on our wikiNotes, input templates and job scripts for the codes we use, among them CRYSTAL, VASP, Quantum ESPRESSO, ORCA, LAMMPS and Phonopy; summary under Other codes, scripts and tutorials.
• Our code on GitHubStart new projects in the group's GitHub organization; see also Code and data.
• Git for scienceA short introduction to Git for scientists.
• Ten simple rules for taking advantage of Git and GitHubPLOS Computational Biology (2016).
• VESTAViewing crystal structures and electron densities.
• AvogadroBuilding and viewing molecules.
• InkscapeVector figures for papers and posters.
• Blender3D graphics, for example for journal covers.

Advice

Pieces we come back to again and again. Most of them are on our wiki, which has the complete list. Our motto comes from Richard Feynman: you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.

Writing papers, theses and proposals

• How to write reports, articles and theses
• Whitesides' group: writing a paperG. M. Whitesides, Advanced Materials (2004): outline first, then write.
• How to improve your scientific writing for papers and grants
• How to write regularly
• How to write your Ph.D. thesis
• Tips for creating better scientific figures
• How to write effectively for international journals
• Manuscript submission essentialsChecklist before you submit, including Nature-branded journals.
• How to review manuscripts

Fellowships and proposals

• Fellowships with deadlinesOur table of external fellowships for Ph.D. and master's students, postdocs and visiting faculty.
• Enhancing your fellowship application
• What to write in a personal statement
• NSF GRFP advice and successful essaysAlex Lang's guide to the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, with links to successful essays.
• A funding adviser's guide to writing a great grant application
• A strategy for writing a standout research proposal
• How to request a recommendation letter

Reading, talks and conferences

• How to read a scientific paper (seriously)
• How to keep up with the scientific literature
• How to give a talk
• How to get the most out of attending conferences
• Computational Chemistry HighlightsShort commentaries on notable papers in computational chemistry and machine learning, by Jan Jensen.
• You and your researchRichard Hamming's 1986 talk on doing important work.
• The scientific virtues

Habits and well-being

• The keys to successAdvice from Dr. Nancy Ryan Gray.
• The secrets of resilience
• Three things top-performing students know that their peers miss
• Ten effective study habits
• The e-mail charterTen rules for writing less e-mail and better.
• Ph.D. students face significant mental-health challengesIf you are struggling, talk to someone: MSU's counseling and psychiatric services are free for students.
• Grit: the power of passion and perseveranceTalk by Angela Duckworth (video).
• Growth mindsetTalk by Carol Dweck (video).

Careers

• The Erdős Institute: from research to industryUseful when you leave the group for industry. It helps graduate students, postdocs and Ph.D. alumni with free career seminars, online boot camps in data science and more, interview preparation and a job board; boot camps are free if your department sponsors them.
• The Open Source Data Science MastersA free, self-guided curriculum toward a first data-science job.
• Careers: current calls and useful websites
• How to make the most of your postdocChemical & Engineering News.
• Tips for applying for faculty positions
• Where to look for faculty jobs
• Writing a teaching statement
• Diversity statement
• Common faculty-interview questions
• Preparing for an interview

For new faculty

• Making the right movesHHMI and Burroughs Wellcome Fund guide to scientific management for postdocs and new faculty (PDF).
• How to budget your grant proposalScience Careers.
• Building a computer cluster
• How to get feedback and advice on your academic work
• Eight rejected papers that won the Nobel Prize
• Online teaching resources