*** ACCEPTING NEW PhD STUDENTS FOR FALL OF 2014 ***

Prospective Graduate Students

We work with graduate student colleagues in the DSL to: (1) support students' intellectual and interpersonal development as top-flight social scientists capable of contributing meaningfully to the field(s) of their choice; (2) enable a professional trajectory that closely meets students' personal goals; (3) encourage students' expertise with a developmental psychopathology framework, with a particular emphasis on close study of the interplay between biological and psychosocial factors in development; (4) cultivate familiarity with a variety of advanced quantitative models and issues to be considered when studying change over time; (5) expose students to state-of-the-art research methodologies (experimental, observational, psychophysiological, and environmental); and (6) to help students further their technical writing skills and publication records.

During their first year in the DSL, the goal is to complete a first year project (Masters Thesis) that will be submitted for publication. Typically, students either develop their own data collection projects or utilize existing data sets that are available within the lab. In either instance, it is our goal to help students to develop work that they consider their own. Additionally, most of the graduate student researchers in the DSL are working closely with Drs. Ablow and/or Measelle on grant-funded research or pilot projects aimed at securing extramural funding.

For more information about psychology degree programs (e.g., MA, PhD) at the University of Oregon, go to the Psychology Department website.

Undergraduate RA Opportunities in the DSL

We are currently recruiting RAs! So if you are interested in psychological research, considering graduate school, or fulfilling course requirements, consider becoming a member of our research team!

Thank you for inquiring about available research assistantships in our lab. As a research assistant, you will learn about the nuts and bolts of doing psychological research in a warm and friendly work environment. In addition to working on research projects, you can attend our quarterly potlucks and excursions outside of the lab, and possibly contribute to the authorship of papers that our lab produces.

What Will I Do?

As a research assistant, you will be given the opportunity to work closely with other members of the laboratory (including undergraduate and graduate students, visiting scholars, and Professors Ablow and Measelle) on one or more of our current research projects. Your responsibilities may include: collecting and managing data; transcribing and coding; doing library research; designing studies; maintaining lab equipment; running subjects; preparing stimuli and instruments for projects; screening potential study participants over the phone; and contacting recruitment sites. In addition to the work that research assistants do on specific research projects, they are also required to contribute to the maintenance of the lab (e.g., entry of articles into Endnote, cleaning, copying articles, filing, answering phones, maintaining the web site) and to attend a weekly lab research meeting. During these meetings, we do a number of things, including: take care of administrative tasks; talk about conceptual and methodological issues related to cultural psychology and research on emotion; check-in with various projects; listen to and provide feedback on papers and presentations. In addition, each week, a subgroup of research assistants will present its project to the rest of the lab and solicit feedback regarding an aspect of the project. Because of the extensive training involved in becoming a research assistant, we request a minimum of a six-hour commitment a week (not including the 2-hour lab meeting), for at least two quarters. We find that research assistants who are the most satisfied with their experience in our lab are the ones who have the most time to become involved in our projects.

Will I Be Paid or Receive Course Credit?

Currently, all of our research assistant positions are voluntary and, therefore, are not paid. Paid positions, however, may be available in the future. U of O undergraduates may register for course credit (1 credit for 3 hours of work per week).

What Qualifications Do I Need?

We are looking for research assistants with a range of experiences and qualifications. You do NOT need to be a U of O student; however, you should have an interest in psychological science and an interest in pursuing graduate studies in psychology. You do NOT need to have previous research experience; however, research assistants will start with responsibilities and duties that match their previous experiences in research. You should be intellectually curious, diligent, and conscientious; be interested in culture and emotion; work well with others; and be able to make the requisite time commitment. Because we use multiple methods in our research, we are also looking for research assistants who have training in computer programming, who speak different languages, and who have backgrounds in anthropology, physiology, or biology.

What have previous DSL RAs gone on to do?

DSL RAs (both at Stanford and at the University of Oregon) have had good luck getting into graduate schools. In the past 5 years, DSL alum have gone on to PHD at schools such as Case Western Reserve, Harvard, UCLA, UC Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Illinois, and University of Oregon.

How Do I Apply to be an RA?

To apply to be a research assistant in our lab, please submit a resume and complete our 1-page DSL application form (download pdf application doc), via regular mail (DSL, Department of Psychology, 1227 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1227) or by e-mail (DSLab@uoregon.edu). After reviewing your materials, we will contact you for an interview.

Work-Study Opportunities in the DSL

We regularly hire University of Oregon work-study students to work in the lab.

What Will I Do as a Work-Study Student? As a work-study student, you will work closely with either Dr. Ablow or Dr. Measelle in an administrative assistant capacity, as well as participate fully with the reset of the DSL members (e.g., attend weekly lab meetings, presentations). Typical work-study responsibilities may include: retrieving and copying articles form the library, entering and maintaining the lab's bibliographic data base, management of DSL web site, managing the DSL's e-mail account, and coordinating the project office (e.g., monitoring schedules of lab's data collection rooms, coding stations, data entry and analysis work stations).

HTML and web design skills especially relevant! If you have experience designing and maintain web sites (like our own!), we are particularly interested in your skills!

How Do I Apply for a Work-Study Position? To apply to be a a work-study student in our lab, please submit a resume and complete our 1-page DSL application form (download pdf application doc), via regular mail (DSL, Department of Psychology, 1227 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1227) or by e-mail (DSLab@uoregon.edu). After reviewing your materials, we will contact you for an interview.

What If I Have Other Questions? Please contact us at the above addresses, or by phone (541-346-3500.