1 New Member Orientation

This chapter is for all new members joining Shen Lab, including PhD students, visiting students, visiting scholars, interns, research staff, and short-term collaborators. Different member types may have different NTU access, administrative requirements, lab permissions, and onboarding steps. Please first identify your member type, then complete the relevant items below.

If you are unsure how to complete any step, email the PI with a short description of the issue. The PI will introduce you to an appropriate current lab member who can help you with lab routines, NTU systems, access questions, and practical setup.

1.1 Things New Members Need To Do

After joining the lab, new members should complete the basic items below. Some steps may be handled by NTU, the school, the host unit, or your home institution. If a step has already been completed, mark it in your own onboarding checklist.

1.1.1 All New Members

All new members should usually confirm or arrange:

• NTU Pass or campus access permission;
• NTU ID for NTU email, Microsoft Teams, library access, campus network, and selected administrative systems;
• NTU email as the main account for formal communication and academic resources;
• campus network and Wi-Fi access;
• lab communication groups, including WeChat, WhatsApp, and Microsoft Teams;
• desk assignment, door access, or permission to enter relevant lab areas;
• laptop setup, server account, data storage, and project folder access;
• safety training, ethics training, or lab access training, depending on your work;
• initial project goals, first-week tasks, and expected check-in schedule with the PI or direct mentor.

1.1.2 PhD Students

PhD students usually stay in the lab for a longer period and should build a stable research workflow early. Please prioritize:

• completing school and graduate-program registration;
• confirming that your NTU ID, email, student card, and campus-system access work properly;
• checking whether compulsory training, research integrity training, or safety training is required;
• discussing your PhD topic, rotation plan, or early reading tasks with the PI;
• setting up your personal research record system, such as project folders, GitHub repositories, lab notes, and reference management tools;
• scheduling an onboarding meeting with a mentor or senior student to understand the lab’s daily workflow.

1.1.3 Visiting Students

Visiting-student access often depends on visit duration, home institution, and NTU hosting arrangements. Please confirm:

• visit start and end dates, host unit, and campus access status;
• whether your NTU Pass or temporary access card covers the full visit period;
• whether you have NTU ID, email, Wi-Fi, and Teams access;
• whether you need lab safety training or instrument-specific training;
• data access, server account, and project-folder permissions;
• code, data, protocols, or lab notes that must be handed over before the visit ends.

1.1.4 Visiting Scholars

Visiting scholars may join collaborative research, method discussions, manuscript work, or project mentoring. Please confirm:

• visiting status, invitation letter, host unit, and NTU system access;
• NTU Pass, campus access, and office-space arrangement;
• whether you need NTU ID, Teams access, or guest access;
• collaboration goals, meeting frequency, and expected outputs with the PI;
• shared data, code repositories, computing resources, or lab spaces needed during the visit;
• manuscript, grant, protocol, or data handover plans before the visit ends.

1.1.5 Interns

Interns usually work on a defined short-term project. Please confirm:

• internship start and end dates, working schedule, and reporting line;
• NTU Pass or temporary campus access;
• whether you need NTU ID, Teams access, and lab communication groups;
• project goals, weekly check-in schedule, and final deliverables;
• server, GitHub, data-folder, or software-installation access;
• code, notes, result files, and handover documents required before leaving the lab.

1.1.6 When You Need Help

If you have problems with NTU Pass, NTU ID, email, Teams, door access, desk assignment, server account, or lab routines, email the PI with:

• your name, member type, and expected lab period;
• steps you have already completed;
• the specific issue blocking you;
• any relevant email, screenshot, or reference number from NTU or the school;
• the type of help you need.

The PI will connect you with the appropriate lab member or administrative contact.

1.2 Resource Contacts

For common lab resources and operational questions, the following members are currently the first points of contact. If you are not sure whom to ask, contact the PI first and the PI will direct you to the appropriate person.

Category	Person in charge
GPU workstation	Jay and Feifan
Workstation	Jingxiang and Yifei
Lab meeting	Yifei
Devices (laptop, desktop, hard drives, mouse, keyboards, etc.)	Chi Fang
NTU HPC	Jingxiang and Yijiang
Alibaba cloud	Yijiang and Xicheng
-80 Fridge (Level 3)	Chi Fang
OpenAI API	Yifei and Feifan
Adobe Illustrator	Jingxiang
ChatGPT account	Jingxiang
Safety representative	Chi Fang
Lab Safety & SOP	Yijiang and Yuting
Biorender	Xiaotao and Jingxiang

1.3 Lab Communication

The lab mainly uses WeChat, WhatsApp, and Microsoft Teams for daily communication. These tools serve different purposes: WeChat and WhatsApp are best for quick informal communication, while Teams is better for formal project discussion, file collaboration, meetings, and NTU-linked work.

1.3.1 WeChat

WeChat is an important tool for quick day-to-day lab communication. It is useful for:

• asking routine questions;
• contacting your mentor or project teammates;
• receiving informal reminders;
• coordinating in-person activities or short-notice arrangements.

Recommended practice:

• share your WeChat ID with the PI or mentor after joining;
• after joining lab groups, use a display name that makes you easy to identify;
• do not rely only on group chat for project decisions, experimental results, or important arrangements; record them in project documents, Teams, or GitHub when needed;
• use more formal and traceable channels for sensitive data, unpublished results, or personal information.

1.3.2 WhatsApp

WhatsApp is used for quick contact and supplementary communication, especially for international members or members who do not use WeChat regularly.

Recommended practice:

• provide a reachable phone number after joining;
• confirm that you have joined the necessary lab or project groups;
• temporary notices can be sent through WhatsApp, but important decisions should also be recorded in email, Teams, or project documents;
• let the PI or mentor know if you do not check WhatsApp regularly.

1.3.3 Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is the more formal collaboration platform used in the lab and NTU environment. Teams should be accessed using your NTU ID.

Common uses include:

• lab or project meetings;
• file sharing with NTU members;
• meeting notes, discussion materials, and collaborative documents;
• formal communication with the school, NTU offices, or collaborators;
• Microsoft 365 services connected to your NTU account.

Basic setup:

1. Confirm that your NTU ID has been activated.
2. Log in to Microsoft Teams using your NTU email or the account format specified by NTU.
3. Check whether you can access the relevant lab or project team/channel.
4. Turn on Teams notifications so that you do not miss meeting invitations or important messages.
5. If you cannot log in or cannot see the expected channel, contact the PI or mentor and include your NTU ID and the error message.

Communication guidance:

• use Teams for meeting arrangements, formal files, and project discussions;
• do not keep long-term information only in chat windows;
• after meetings, record important action items in project documents or issue trackers;
• for external collaborations, confirm that file-sharing permissions are appropriate.

1.4 Common Lab Resources

This section records common lab and campus resources for new members. Devices, accounts, and permissions may change with school policy. If this handbook conflicts with the latest NTU or school instructions, follow the latest official instruction and remind the PI to update this page.

1.4.1 Printer

Before connecting to a printer, confirm:

• your NTU ID and campus network access are working;
• your computer is connected to the NTU network or required Wi-Fi;
• whether you need to install a printer driver from NTU or the school;
• whether the printer must be added through an NTU-managed system;
• whether a lab member needs to provide the printer name, location, or queue information.

Suggested workflow:

1. Ask your mentor or another lab member for the current printer name and location.
2. Connect your computer to the NTU campus network.
3. Add the printer using the NTU or school IT instructions.
4. Print a test page and check paper size, duplex setting, and color setting.
5. If connection fails, record your operating system, network status, printer name, and error message before contacting a lab member or IT support.

1.4.2 Network And Accounts

Common network and account resources include:

• NTU ID;
• NTU email;
• campus Wi-Fi;
• Microsoft Teams;
• GitHub or lab code repositories;
• lab server or shared computing resources;
• data storage and backup locations.

Good practice:

• do not send passwords, tokens, or private keys through group chats;
• do not store sensitive data in unapproved personal cloud storage;
• keep project data and code in the PI-approved or project-agreed location;
• before leaving the lab, ending a visit, or closing a project, organize and hand over relevant files.

1.4.3 Office And Lab Space

New members should confirm:

• desk or temporary working location;
• door access and permission to enter relevant lab areas;
• whether lab safety training is required;
• locations of common instruments, consumables, and sample storage;
• lab rules for cleaning, safety, booking, and shared-space use.

If you need to use a specific instrument or enter a specific lab area, first confirm the training and access requirements with the PI, mentor, or the member responsible for that area.