Join the lab
We train undergraduates and graduate students in experimental research from the ground up. No prior experience is required, and the first question we ask is never about your GPA.
Undergraduates
Research assistants help build stimuli, program experiments, run participants, code and clean data, and read the papers behind the study they are working on. Students who stay for more than one semester usually take on a project of their own and present it at a conference.
What we ask for:
- Roughly six to eight hours a week, on a schedule you can actually keep.
- A commitment of at least two semesters, so that the training pays off for you.
- Care with detail. Most of research is doing the same thing correctly many times.
You do not need to have taken statistics yet, and you do not need to know how to code. Both are things you will learn here.
To apply, email Dr. Karaman with three short answers: why this lab, when you are free during the week, and which psychology courses you have finished. Attach a CV or résumé if you have one.
Graduate students
Students join the lab through the MA program in Psychology at Texas A&M University–Kingsville. If our work interests you, write before you apply and say which projects you would want to be part of and what you would want to do afterwards.
Strong fits tend to be students who want training in experimental design and quantitative analysis, and who intend to keep doing research — in a doctoral program, in a clinical or educational setting, or in industry.
Applications and program requirements are handled by the department; the lab decision is separate from admission, so talk to us early.
First-generation and McNair students
We are at a Hispanic-Serving Institution, and a good share of our research assistants are the first in their families to attend university. If you have never set foot in a lab and are not sure whether research is for you, that is a reason to write, not a reason to hold back.
The lab regularly hosts McNair Scholars and supports students preparing graduate applications, conference abstracts and fellowship materials.
Take part in a study
Our studies typically involve listening to short speech recordings, answering questions on a computer, or completing a survey, and most take under an hour. Participation is voluntary and you may stop at any point.
TAMUK students can find currently running studies through the department participant pool. Anyone else who would like to hear about open studies can write to the lab.