Are you interested in gaining research experience by working as a research assistant? Being involved in a research lab is a great way to experience, first-hand, how psychological knowledge is generated. Even if you have not contemplated a career in research or academia, being a research assistant gives you invaluable experience in critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork with faculty members and graduate students.
If you are a research assistant in my lab, you will work closely with myself and a team of graduate students. You will participate in many aspects of research, such as the design and distribution of surveys, conducting experiments, content-analysis/coding, data analysis, literature search/reviews, and more! Most students who work in my lab are work study students, UROP students, or students receiving psychology credit for their research work (e.g., Psychology 326). I do not offer paid research assistant positions.
Here are some criteria I look for in research assistants:
- Commitment to work a minimum of 9 hours a week
- Regular attendance in weekly lab meetings
- Teamwork: Help other lab members solve problems, provide assistance to other lab members’ projects when needed
- Communication skills: Active discussion of research process and ideas in lab meetings, open to feedback, appraise collaborators of progress/problems
- Passion for learning how to do research in social/organizational psychology: Prior research experience is not necessary, but it is important that research assistants have a strong interest in the type of research we are conducting in the lab, and are willing and open to learning different aspects of psychological research
- Careful attention to detail
- Curiosity about research science and psychological questions
- Quick learner of different research skills and tasks
- Reliability: On time for meetings and deadlines, accountability in fulfilling responsibilities
If you are interested, please send me an email (fionalee@umich.edu; with “Interest in Research Assistant Position” in the subject line). Please include the following information in your email:
- Your name and contact information
- Hours you can work
- Your prior work and research experience (if any)
- Your major (or intended major if you have not declared)
- Your transcript
- A brief description of what you want to get out of being a research assistant in my lab
- Read a few of my recent research papers: which one do you find most interesting and why?
