Three people around a computer doing research.

Data, Analytics, and Research Computing

As part of the Research Hub, DARC solves challenging technical questions to facilitate faculty research.

Analytics Support

The DARC team engages directly with faculty members, preparing large-scale datasets, assisting with data analysis, and consulting on research design. Our staff provides expertise on machine learning, text processing, and cloud services, drawing from a rich technical background to support Stanford GSB’s research agenda.

Analytics support is available for all Stanford GSB faculty members, and begins with a shared understanding of both the broad research question, as well as the specific tasks required to support an individual project. Whether the solution requires hiring specialists, using crowdsourcing techniques, or developing emerging technology, the DARC team will work to identify the best approach to solving a research problem. Rather than serving as a part of a single research team, our short-term engagements allow us to learn from a variety of technical challenges and apply these solutions broadly across the school.

--Stanford GSB faculty member

Data Services

In collaboration with the Business Library, the DARC team can help acquire and administer valuable datasets. Contract experts collaborate with technical specialists to write and review data use agreements, protecting both data providers and researchers alike. Our data engineering team works with data vendors, libraries, and research partners to ensure that valuable data is handled securely and available on the right platform for Stanford GSB researchers. We support transfer, transformation, and query of terabyte-scale datasets using a mix of on-premise and cloud technologies.

Research Computing

Stanford GSB researchers have access to an array of systems to accommodate growing dataset sizes and increasingly complex analytical methods. The DARC team manages our on-premise Stanford GSB research servers, providing the storage, memory, and processing necessary for computationally intensive research. These servers are available for Stanford GSB researchers and their off-campus collaborators, and we maintain a guide for common tasks using these servers. In addition, we support on-demand cloud resource provisioning for exceptional workloads. DARC staff are available to consult on best practices for research computing, and collaborate with faculty to identify emerging platforms and methods.