Research opportunities begin on day one
As an undergraduate, you can begin building your skills and contributing to the research for the team you work with early on. Scientific research requires not only evidence and logic, but also honesty, creativity, patience, and openness to new ideas. It’s an opportunity to challenge yourself, build relationships with senior scientists, and add depth to your university experience. You may find that you do research in your freshman year and continue until graduation.
Getting started
Students may work with faculty members on projects in research areas such as clinical and health psychology, industrial and organizational psychology, psychobiology of addictions, and social psychology.
Step 1: Learn about the research going on in the department and beyond and identify two or three areas that interest you.
- Visit faculty web pages to learn about their fields of interest.
- Talk to your advisor.
- Talk to other students and your TAs about their research.
- Look at the posters in the hallways of the department.
Step 2: Contact two or three faculty members and ask for an appointment to discuss their research and the possibility of an undergrad position on their team. If you don’t hear back within a few weeks, send another email or drop by their office. If that particular professor is not interested or does not have time to mentor you, don’t give up! Try another professor, or ask whether they have a graduate student that may need assistance with a thesis or dissertation project.