Getting Started: Two to four weeks

Enroll in health benefits within 31 days

Postdoctoral Scholars are required to have medical insurance while at Stanford.  Please review http://postdocs.stanford.edu/benefits/ for plans offered and enrollment information. 

Meet with your faculty mentor to develop your postdoctoral research and training plan

• Understand your mentor's expectations and your own responsibilities
• Get information about success measures for your postdoctoral positions and set some short-and long-term goals with your mentors
• Discuss how you and your faculty will communicate - preferences, patterns, frequency
• Ask questions about the lab group and department

Receive your first paycheck! Salary or Stipend or Outside Support

Salary – paid 2 x monthly, 7th and 22nd. View online pay statements in Axess. Stipend – paid 1 x month, on last day.  Pay statement is sent to Campus Work address in Axess – no online statement. Outside Support- paid at discretion of outside institution.  

INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARS: Apply for a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)

Postdoctoral scholars are required to have a SSN or tax identification number (TIN).  If you do not have a number, apply for one at your local Social Security Administration (SSA) office as soon as possible.  Hours are Monday-Friday, 9-4.  Call 1-800-772-1213, 1-800-772-1213 to schedule an appointment.  The three closest offices are:

• Mountain View: Suite 350, 700 E. El Camino Real Mountain View, CA 94040
• Redwood City:  601 Allerton St., 2nd Floor, Redwood City, CA 94063
• San Mateo: Suite 101, 800 South Claremont Street, San Mateo, CA 94402

Go to the Social Security Administration web site for more details, www.ssa.gov.  When you receive your number, please give it to your department & the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. .