Research Opportunities

Opportunities

Everyone in the lab participants in and supports data collection, data processing and analysis, and writing research research questions they are interested in. This can be for a directed research project, thesis, dissertation, or publications. Projects can involve re-analyzing already collected data to answer a new question of interest or can involve creating a new manageable project.

Time

The time you commit will depend on your goals. For undergraduates interested in directed research, we suggest taking 3 credits – 12-15 hours per week. You will largely set your own hours, but we will ask that you attend the weekly PICAN meeting which is every Thursday from 10:00am-11:00am. You will also be asked to be present at least once a week during project meetings. Participation in the lab for at least two full semesters is requested.

Useful Skills

People who are most successful working in this environment are working towards or have a degree in psychology, neuroscience, computer science, or a related field, aren’t afraid of computers, are willing to learn new tasks, enjoy teamwork, are responsible and interested in research, and own their own emotional states.

Our Commitment to Training

We put a lot of time into training. We will work with you to try to help you become comfortable, competent, and supported in any procedure before you try it alone. We have weekly project and scientific meetings which we all attend. Everyone gets to write. We all have writing projects which will ideally end up as presentations, publications, or other kinds of products. We will work with you to hone them and get them out where people can read them during your time in the lab. We all give presentations to our group at least once every three months to help get us comfortable with speaking to peers and colleagues.

How to get involved.

If you’re interested in being involved in our research, please send us the following information: A statement of why you’re interested in being involved in the lab, a summary of your academic/professional background (a resume or vita would be perfect but not necessary), your GPA in your major, contact info, and when would be best to contact you. Also, please fill out the pican-lab-experience-questionnaire and include it with the above information.

Information can be sent by e-mail to: PICAN@pitt.edu