Before you Arrive

A brief guide on things to do before your first day in the group.

A member of the Persson Group Onboarding Team will reach out before your expected start date to share this group handbook and coordinate other onboarding efforts to welcome you to the Persson Group. Although many things can only be taken care of after arriving, here are a few simple things you can do in advance.

If you have not been contacted by the Persson Group Onboarding Team at least one week before your arrival, please reach out to the relevant Onboarding Guide (see Group Jobs (Spring 2024)). We try our best to reach out proactively, but there may have been a miscommunication or oversight on our end if we haven't reached out to you before your arrival.

Work Scope and Hiring Details

Several administrative and research details in onboarding are unique to each group member. Some of the following information may have been communicated during your hiring process, but please reach out to Muzhgan ([e-mail]) to set up a meeting with Kristin if you are unsure. You can also contact members of the Onboarding Team.

• What project(s) will I be working on?

• What funding source will support my work?

• Will I be hired as a UC Berkeley employee (and LBL affiliate) or LBL employee?

• Which subgroup(s) will I be joining? Who will I be working most closely with?

You might not have answers to any or all of these questions when you arrive! That's OK! In the meantime, you can also browse the 'Tutorials and Helpful Links' tab in group resources for helpful tutorials and additional information about software / codes frequently used within our group.

Many administrative matters (HR orientation, payroll, purchasing, etc.) will vary depending on if you are a UC Berkeley or LBL employee. This information will help you navigate joining the Persson Group such as understanding which administrative systems you will use and who can help you become orientated with your research/work.

If you are an undergraduate research assistant and are getting course credits for your research work, please check with Kristin and your department about the course requirements (workload, final deliverable, etc.) at the beginning of the semester.

Human Resources Orientation

As mentioned above, the HR processes and orientation will vary depending on whether your financial support will come from UC Berkeley or LBL-controlled funding sources. Please refer to the relevant information below depending on your situation.

LBL Employees

• There are a few steps that must be completed before your LBL new hire orientation can be scheduled (completing a formal application, background check, etc.). Contact Sonia Dominguez ([e-mail]) with any questions or status update requests for matters on the Persson Group end during this time.

• Once everything has been successfully processed, you should receive an email from LBL HR regarding an in person new hire appointment with a general national lab orientation and to complete new hire paperwork. This appointment is held at the national lab and further instructions will be sent regarding location, accessing the lab, and getting your badge afterwards.

• Quick links:

  • Link to request LBL badge appointment

  • Link to LBL training sessions - try to complete the General Employee Radiological Training (GERT) on your first day

  • LETS - timekeeping software (still needed if you're paid weekly / monthly!)

  • UCPath - register for and view healthcare benefits

UC Berkeley Employees

• Once your hiring paperwork with UC Berkeley has been processed, you should receive an email regarding an in person new hire appointment with UC Berkeley HR to complete new hire paperwork. After this appointment, it may take 1-2 weeks for your information to be

  populated into UC Berkeley's HR and payroll system (UCPath).

• See Obtaining Your Cal 1 Card at https://cal1card.berkeley.edu/ for information on how to get your Cal1 card (which serves as an ID card for UC Berkeley). Postdocs will need to wait until after your new hire paperwork meeting and after you have an active profile in UCPath to go to the Cal1 Card Office.

• For information on setting-up your CalNet ID click here. Your CalNet ID is used for authentification for UC Berkeley resources. Postdocs will need to wait until after their UC Berkeley new hire paperwork and UCPath information has been processed before they can activate their CalNet ID.

• Proceed to follow the instructions for LBL Affiliates Due to Kristin's joint appointment, all graduate students and postdocs hired through UC Berkeley also have LBL Affiliate status to access the group's offices and resources at the national lab.

LBL Affiliates (i.e graduate students on fellowship)

• On the Persson Group end, a LBL Affiliate appointment must be processed by our group's assistant, Muzhgan Ali, before you can obtain your LBL badge.

• Once your appointment has been processed, you will receive email instructions from LBL for getting your LBL badge and setting up your LDAP account (used for authentification for national lab resources). Unlike LBL employees, no in person orientation with LBL is required. Note that your LBL Affiliate appointment does not depend on having a Calnet ID or Cal 1 Card; this can be processed immediately after you complete your UC Berkeley hiring paperwork.

• If your start date is coming up soon, but you have not received any email instructions from LBL, contact Muzhgan Ali asking for an update on the status of your affiliate appointment.

Order a Computer

Most long-term appointments (graduate student, postdoc, staff) involve purchasing a new computer. It typically takes at least 2 weeks for a computer to arrive. To avoid delays once you start from waiting to receive your computer, you can make arrangements to order one in advance. Work with Emma to handle the purchase (your access to purchasing resources is granted after your arrival). Visit the Getting a Computer section of the handbook for group guidelines on computer selection and purchasing.

Short-term appointments (undergraduate students, internships, etc.) will not involve a computer purchase unless otherwise stated. Instead, an excellent computer can be borrowed from the group’s inventory.

Onboarding Points of Contact

Postdoc & Staff Onboarding: Qian Chen, 33-143 ([e-mail])

Graduate Student Onboarding: Bryant Li, 33-143F ([e-mail])

LBL Administrative Assistance: Muzhgan Ali, 33-122B ([e-mail])

LBL Funding & Payroll Assistance: Sonia Dominguez, 33-122B ([e-mail])

UC Berkeley Administrative Assistance: David Anderssen, Krystle Bartholomew, or Vincent Ianniello, ERSO HR Operations, 199ME Cory Hall ([e-mail])

UC Berkeley Funding & Payroll Assistance: Miriam Kader, 353 Cory Hall ([e-mail])

Desk Assignments: Bryant Li, 33-143F ([e-mail])

Persson Group Website: See People's page for Group Member emails

Onboarding buddy: the onboarding guide will assign an onboarding buddy to the incoming postdoc/graduate student. The onboarding buddy can help the onboarding guide to answer questions and help our new members get familiar with the workplace.