Undergraduates / RAs

Working in a lab as an undergraduate is a valuable way to gain concrete skills (programming, data analysis, writing skills, etc.), while also preparing for a possible career in research. If you’re interested in pursuing a research-focused graduate degree, this sort of experience is indispensable; you need to find out if you actually enjoy research before committing to a 5+ year PhD! The PCDL could be a great place to do that — if the lab sounds like a good fit for you. Right now is an especially exciting time to join the lab, as you’ll be a part of building something brand new.

One thing to note about our lab is that we do not recruit research assistants just to do busy work. Research assistants in the PCDL are treated like any other member, in the sense that they have an opportunity to be involved of every aspect of the research process, start projects of their own, etc. For standard research assistants: We’ll first help you to learn the ropes by having you get started with some basic research tasks. Usually, during this time, it is best to work on a strictly volunteer basis. (This way, if you quickly find that working out in the lab is not for you, it is easy to step away at any time.) After this initial training phase, we’ll help students to get involved in the capacity that most suits them — including as paid research assistants.

RA positions in the lab are best suited for students who (a) are excited about the kind of work that we do, (b) are passionate about being involved in research, (c) are hoping to gain in-depth, hands-on experience, (d) have plenty of time in their course schedule to devote the expected number of hours, and (e) are strongly considering pursuing some sort of research-focused degree. Certain skills like computer programming (e.g., in python, javascript, etc.) are helpful but not required. However, you should, at a minimum, have some baseline level of computer skills, such that you would feel confident learning new skills as needed. (But don’t worry — you won’t need to figure this all out on your own! We’ll help.)

That said, there are no hard requirements for joining the lab. The most important thing that we look for is students who are highly motivated. Students are sometimes concerned that they are not eligible to join if they are in their first or second year of study — that is not the case! It is never too early to get involved in research.

If you feel excited about the possibility of joining the lab, reach out to Sami directly. In the email, please let us know: (1) What you are studying and when you are planning to graduate, (2) What you’re planning to get out of the research experience, (3) What work (in our lab, or in the field more broadly) most excites you, what questions keep you up at night, and and/or what you would be hoping to study in the lab, (4) Your level of experience with computer programming (or, what your level of comfort is with learning these new skills, with guidance from us), and (5) Whether you are eligible for work study. Or, if you still have questions, you can read even more about what it’s like to be a research assistant in the PCDL.

The lab is not actively recruiting undergraduate students at this time. However, if you have a strong, specific interest in joining the lab, you may still consider reaching out to express that interest.