Getting Involved

If you are interested in getting involved in getting involved in our work and the work of the Stanford RegLab, please see the below. 

About Us 

Professor Ho directs the RegLab, which partners with government agencies on demonstration projects for machine learning and data science to modernize government. The RegLab is comprised of staff scientists, postdocs, PhD students, law students, master’s students, and undergraduates. We are an interdisciplinary group and take a strong interest data-driven approaches to improve the evidence-base for governance. 

We strongly encourage you to familiarize yourself with our research approach, and you can look over our research here. 

Process

You can indicate your interest and apply for opportunities on the form here. Please note that RegLab receives a high volume of applications, so we cannot respond to all applications or conduct informational interviews. The best way to get involved is to express interest there and one of our team members will reach out to follow up if there is potential for alignment.

We generally work with students who are able to provide a substantial and sustained time commitment to projects (i.e., at least 15 hours / week, multiple quarters).  If you have interests / ideas related to particular research projects, please make sure to note that in your application. 

PhD students may rotate through and affiliate with the lab based on research engagement. 

Law students may receive policy practicum credit or directed research credit and we have a limited number of Legal Assistant positions available as well. 

Similarly, master’s students may engage through course credit and a limited number of 50% RA-ship positions are available depending on funding. 

Undergraduate students may receive research credit or an undergraduate research stipend. A number of students have also successfully completed research as honors theses, if the thesis topic is closely related to research occurring in the lab. 

For post-graduate opportunities, we accept applications for full-time positions (e.g., for our predoctoral fellowship, postdocs). 

Expectations

Our expectations of affiliated students and members of the lab are to (a) attend lab and project meetings, (b) engage with the work of the lab, and (c) make substantial contributions to research projects. 

Letters of Recommendation

Prof. Ho is open to writing letters of recommendation for individuals who have worked closely with him on a research project in a sustained capacity. 

If you are requesting a letter of recommendation, please make the request at least two weeks in advance of any deadline. In an email, please provide your CV, application statement / essay, transcript, and a bulleted list of specific things we have worked on together and any other items you would like emphasized in the letter. 

Major Advising

Due to a range of obligations across different departments and external organizations, Prof. Ho has limited capacity to serve as a major advisor.  Prof. Ho serves as a major advisor for individuals whose research and career interests are closely aligned. For instance, he will not serve as a major advisor solely because a student might be interested in law school. If you think your interests are closely aligned, please feel free to reach out with your resume and an indication of your interests. 

Prospective Students

Prof. Ho can connect with prospective students who have been admitted to Stanford and have interests that are closely related to those of the RegLab.  He is unable to speak to prospective students who have not been admitted to Stanford. 

Office Hours

Prof. Ho holds office hours only by appointment. Office hours are prioritized for students actively enrolled in a course Prof. Ho is teaching and not for general inquiries. For any scheduling issues, you may reach out to Eun Sze.