Research Computing Environment (RCE) accounts - Provides access to the following resources:

•         RCE desktop
•         HMDC-managed login and computer servers
•         GitHub

We are happy to provide accounts to qualified requesters; however, for purposes of accounting and administration, these accounts must conform to the policies described on this site. These policies are enforced programmatically during the account creation process and cannot be overridden by administrators.

Definition of Affiliates

Affiliates are defined as members of the following groups:

•     Institute for Quantitative Social Science (IQSS)
•     Center for Government and International Studies (CGIS)
•     Faculty members of FAS social science departments and research centers
•     Faculty members from Harvard's other schools in social science research
•     Sponsored, approved MIT faculty and their research assistants
•     Sponsored visitors

If you are a member of an affiliated group but are pursuing research in a field outside of the social sciences, and are interested in using our services, please contact us. We can work with you to determine whether we can meet your research needs.

RCE accounts are subject to renewal requirements and password strength requirements.

Please contact us if you are interested in obtaining an RCE account.

When you request an RCE account, username will be the University NetID.

RCE account passwords must conform to the following restrictions:

•     At least eight characters in length
•     Not based on any common dictionary word
•     No spaces
•     Contains at least two numbers
•     Contains at least two special (nonalphanumeric) characters

Please contact us for more information.

As required by Harvard security policy, all RCE accounts have a renewal date. Renewal dates are selected based on the estimated end times of users' projects. As a general rule accounts are up for renewal at least once every year. When you see an account renewal message, please respond to it. If you fail to respond, your account will be disabled. HMDC staff need to know whether you will require continued use of your account after the expiration date, and if so, for roughly how long.

Passwords to RCE accounts also have expiration dates, which are separate from the account renewal dates. Passwords expire every six months and must be changed to ensure uninterrupted access. When you see a password expiration message, please use the included link to change your password, or visit this link: HMDC Account Self Service

If you are unable to do so, please contact us and ask that your password be reset.

Extensive documentation is available on the Research Computing Environment (RCE) site.