Below are the research assistantships currently available in our department.
Please check back soon as new opportunities are listed on a continuing basis.
You can also apply to labs across a variety of Psychology, Neuroscience, and other STEM fields on the PROPEL website.
If you are a PBS member and would like to post on this page, please complete our Undergraduate Recruitment Form.
Research Assistantships
The FAM Lab is looking to accept research assistants who can serve as mentors at a local youth mentoring program that serves 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students. Mentors will engage with students through activities like basketball, volleyball, weight training, homework help, or simply chatting. Mentors are expected to form meaningful connections with students throughout the semester and promote positive and safe behaviors. Patience, empathy, and respect are all necessary qualities to be a successful mentor. Additionally, RAs/mentors may support data collection efforts within the program, which aim to capture the program’s positive impacts on its students and areas of improvement.
Duties:
- Commit to attending the youth mentoring program at least twice a week (the program
runs Monday-Thursday; 7:00am-8:45am; participation requires being present the entire
time). Transportation will be provided.
- Attend general lab meetings
- Support data collection efforts
- Attend lab outreach events (if lab hours need to be fulfilled)
Prerequisites: Students with mentorship experience and/or experience working with youth are
encouraged to apply.
Time commitments:
- Attending youth mentoring program at least twice a week (7:00am-8:45am)
- Biweekly general lab meetings
- Biweekly check in meetings with mentorship team
- Some outreach events will take place on weekends
Hours per week: 6-9
Credits: 2/3
Sponsoring Faculty Member: Dr. Evelyn Mercado
How to apply: Fill out the application at this link
Position: General Research Assistant Position
The FAM Lab is looking to accept research assistants for the Fall 2025 semester. Research assistants are expected to contribute to the lab's ongoing projects (i.e. Latinx Biobehavioral Family Study, Parent-Youth Physiology Project, Scoping Literature Review), as well as the lab's community outreach efforts. Working on our projects includes becoming familiar with study protocols, collecting data through family interviews and saliva samples, cleaning physiological data using MindWare software, and critically analyzing research articles.
Contributing to our outreach efforts can include attending health resource fairs, creating and implementing workshops for community organizations, and recruiting participants at community events.
We conduct a lot of our work with Spanish-speaking communities. While it is not a requirement, students who are fluent in Spanish are strongly encouraged to apply.
Prerequisites:
Students of any major are welcome to apply.
Time commitments:
Weekly check in meetings with study team
Monthly general lab meetings
Commitment to keeping two weekends per month available, many outreach events and data collections take place on weekends.
Hours per week: 6-9
Credits: 2/3
Sponsoring Faculty Member: Dr. Evelyn Mercado
How to apply: Fill out the application at this link: https://forms.gle/q4tqnPAD5snJfRPV7
We study human reasoning and decision making. Computational modeling is a key component of our research.
You can find further information about the lab and the research assistant (RA) application in PROPEL.
We apply quantitative statistical modeling to study variation in human development from early childhood through adulthood.
You can find further information about the lab and our application here (PROPEL website).
In this lab, we study how fluent reading works: How do we recognize words and interpret sentences so quickly and automatically?
You can find further information about the lab and our application here (PROPEL website).
The goal of this project is to gain an understanding of how social relationships affect the quality of life for autistic adolescents ages 14-22.
You can find further information about the lab and our application here (PROPEL website).
The Somneuro Lab is seeking research assistants to work on a variety of projects studying sleep and memory across the lifespan.
You can find further information about the lab and our application here (PROPEL website).
The LIPS Lab studies how listeners perceive speech from both listening and seeing a talker.
You can find further information about the lab and our application here (PROPEL website).
In the ViTAL Lab we aim to examine the impacts of interpersonal trauma on the health and well-being of young adults and families, especially those from marginalized communities.
You can find further information about the lab and our application here (PROPEL website).
Duties: RAs needed for study entitled ‘Cultural Neuropsychology Articles Published 2021-2024:’ The values of a field are reflected in the science it publishes. The goal of this study is to determine the number and nature of clinical neuropsychology journal articles that include terms that address culture in the context of brain function and behavior (between 2021 and 2024). This project is a follow-up to a similar study of journal titles published between 2010 and 2020 (Ready et al., 2025, Cultural and multicultural topics in Neuropsychology Journal titles from 2010-2020 - PubMed).
Research Assistant Tasks: Research assistants (RAs) are needed to help create databases of title and keywords, developing and testing a coding scheme, and coding the title and keywords. There will be periodic team meetings on zoom. All work for this study is remote. RAs should be able to devote several (5-10 on average) hours per week to this study over the summer and fall of 2025. Work hours are flexible and at the RAs discretion. There are opportunities to build a student project using some of the data we will be collecting. If interested in working on this project, please email Prof. Becky Ready at @email by May 1st if possible (but later inquiries are welcome).
Prerequisites: None
Times Student Must be Available: Variable but need to devote 5-10 hours per week to the study over the summer and fall of 2025.
Hours Per Week: 5-10
Credits: Up to 3-credits per semester in Fall 2025 and Spring 2026
How to Apply: Email Prof. Becky Ready at @email by May 1st if possible (but later inquiries are welcome).
Duties: You will help us test subjects (other students) in experiments testing visual perception and attention. You will help to organize and interpret the results, and to design and implement new experiments. You will attend our lab meetings and contribute to discussions as we design experiments and interpret results.
Times Student Must be Available: You will need to attend our lab meetings on Friday afternoons.
Hours Per Week: Nine hours per week
Credits: Three credits
Sponsoring Faculty Member: Kyle Cave
How to Apply: Email @email with a description of what you hope to do after you graduate. Include a list of courses you have taken that are relevant to Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience. These can include courses in related areas such as Computer Science, Philosophy, and Biology.
Duties: We are searching for motivated students to join our research reading group this fall! This reading group aims to provide a broad introduction to research processes with a specific focus on developmental issues related to adoption and foster care. Weekly reading discussions will be led by the Learning Lab director and Rudd Adoption Research Program Faculty (Dr. McDermott) and senior lab RAs, with the goal of inspiring psychology students to become more deeply engaged with research during their academic journey.
You will be responsible for reading 1-3 articles weekly (which may take 1-2 hours of time weekly outside of reading group) and being prepared to participate in weekly one-hour meetings. The reading group will culminate with a final project at the end of the semester, where students will be expected to present a brief literature review on a topic of their choice.
Note: This reading group will be limited in size to allow enhanced student participation. We hope to offer additional research reading groups in future semesters.
Prerequisites: Pre-requisites: Students without previous lab experience and those who are earlier in their psychology major (e.g. Freshman, Sophomores) may be prioritized, however ALL students are welcome to apply. Applicants are encouraged to share their goals for participating in this research reading group in the application below.
Times Student Must be Available: Final group mtg time TBD - Primary options listed on google application form
Hours Per Week: 3
Credits: 1
Sponsoring Faculty Member: Jen McDermott
How to Apply: If you are interested in this opportunity, please apply by
completing this google form: click here
Any questions regarding the application may be sent to Research Fellow Conor Johnston (@email) or Dr. Jennifer McDermott (@email)
Application Deadline:
Priority May 20th, Rolling applications until September 1st.