First-year Ph.D. students can spend 1 quarter each in 3 groups. They must align with a permanent advisor by the middle of Spring quarter of the first year.
Look over the department website and research group pages to get ideas or information about specific faculty you might be interested in working with for rotations.
You are encouraged to line up your own research rotations. Be sure to contact the faculty directly to confirm their consent.
You must email the Graduate Program Office at phdstudentservices@cs.stanford.edu about your rotations by the following dates:
Autumn quarter: August 15
Winter quarter: December 15
Spring Quarter: March 15
Alternatively, you can tell us your preferences for advisors or research areas, and the Graduate Program Office will line up a research rotation for you. (Note that this requires you to be somewhat flexible in the positions that you’ll accept.) Send your e-mail to phdstudentservices@cs.stanford.edu with your preferences for advisors or research areas by the deadlines listed above.
An entering Ph.D. student and a faculty member may opt out of the rotation system by mutual consent. In this case, the faculty member must agree to serve as the student's research advisor and notify the Graduate Program Office by e-mailing phdstudentservices@cs.stanford.edu. Fine print: If a student starts as a rotation student, but then does a second quarter in the first year with the same advisor, then the student has ceased to rotate and counts as permanently aligned with the advisor, who fully supports them in the second and further quarters.
Note: All faculty hosting a rotating CS 1st year PhD student pay 25%, and the department pays 25%, of a 50% RAship. This applies to all faculty (full CS, joint CS, and outside of CS). If the student has a fellowship, then the RAship is not needed.
Remember that the goal of the rotation program is to find an advisor. You should make sure that, by the end of the year, there’s at least one faculty member who is impressed with you and with whom you’d like to work.
