Undergraduate Research Positions

We are always open to receiving applications from highly motivated research assistants to volunteer with our current research studies. We often have new undergraduate research assistants start each academic semester, including the summer. If you are interested in gaining resesarch experience, feel free to submit your application to chilllab@osu.edu at least two weeks before the next semester begins.

Note: At this time, we are only accepting applications from Psychology and Neuroscience Majors who are actively enrolled at Ohio State University.  Research assistants can gain academic credit towards their majors via registering for Undergraduate Research in Psychology (PSYCH4998) or Undergraduate Research in Neuroscience (NEURO4998).

Responsibilities:

• Community engagement (30%): Assisting with brain health seminars; assisting with tables at health fairs; fostering relationships with faith communities, clinics, and local organizations.

• Research activities (50%): Attending lab meetings; administering cognitive screening measures; assisting with data collection; reading scientific journal articles; contributing to scientific abstracts, presentations, and publications.

• Professional development (30%): Engaging in mentorship activities to prepare for graduate school or medical school; cultivating oral communication skills for scientific and lay audiences.

Time commitment:

• A 1.5-hour lab meeting every other week (in-person)

• Data collection or data entry activities (in-person)

• An assignment to complete outside of the lab meetings (e.g., learning to administer cognitive tests, reviewing a research article, organizing data, contributing to research posters).

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• Active enrollment as an undergraduate student at The Ohio State University as a Psychology or Neuroscience major

• Minimum overall undergraduate GPA = 3.5 or above

• Proficiency with Microsoft software (Outlook, Teams, Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and Google software (Docs, Slides, Sheets)

• An interest in studying Alzheimer’s disease, cardiometabolic disease, and lifestyle interventions to promote brain health.

• An interest in community engagement and providing access to healthcare to underserved populations.

• Availability to volunteer during nonstandard hours (e.g., evenings, weekends, approximately once per month) for community engagement and data collection activities.

Desired Qualifications: 

Competitive applicants will meet many (not necessarily all) of the following qualifications:

• An interest in obtaining research experience to prepare for applying to (a) medical school, or (b) graduate school, particularly Ph.D. programs in clinical psychology (particularly clinical neuropsychology).

• Availability to commit to research activities for at least 6 semesters, including summers.

• Experience with statistical analysis software (e.g., SPSS or R).

• Available to assist with occasional community engagement events in Columbus during the summer.

Application Instructions:

Email the following to  our lab email address: chilllab@osu.edu

a)    A written description (in formal prose, like an essay) answering the following questions:

• What is your class standing (e.g., sophomore, junior, etc.) and expected graduation date (e.g., Spring 2027, Spring 2028, etc.)?

• What do you plan to do after graduation? What are your future career goals?

• Why are you interested in research on Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular health, or lifestyle interventions to promote brain health?

• What experience do you have with community engagement or providing services to underserved populations?

• Are you available to assist with community events in Columbus during the summer? 

• Do you have access to a vehicle, and if so, are you willing to help transport other lab members to local community events? (Not a requirement, but very helpful)

b)    Résumé / curriculum vitae (attached as a PDF file)

c)    Ohio State University Advising Report or Academic Transcript (attached as a PDF file) 

Qualified candidates will be scheduled for a virtual interview with our research coordinator.

At a later date, when an opening in the lab arises, Dr. Grant will meet with you in-person to determine if you are a good fit for the lab.