Interested in getting research experience as an Undergraduate Research Assistant?

Our research lab is currently full; we are not onboarding any new undergraduate volunteer research assistants or post-baccalaureate volunteers in Fall 2026 or Spring 2027. 

We will be looking for new volunteer research assistants to start in Summer 2027.  Because many of our community engagement events occur in the summer, we have a preference for students who have the ability to be in the Columbus area or nearby from June 1 to August 14.

Applications for new volunteer research assistants will be due on Thursday, February 18, 2027, at 11:59 pm ET. Interviews will occur in March 2027, with a planned start date on June 1, 2027.

If you are interested in volunteering with the lab, you can submit an application at any time.  

Step 1: Submit your application by email to chilllab@osu.edu (see "Application Instructions" below)

Step 2: Qualified candidates will be scheduled for a virtual interview with a graduate student in the lab that will be recorded.

Step 3: Dr. Grant will schedule an in-person interview with select candidates in March 2027.

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

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

• Be a rising sophomore (class of 2030), rising junior (class of 2029), or rising senior (class of 2028) in summer 2027.

• 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 obtaining research experience to prepare for applying to either:

(a) medical school (particularly good if interested in neurology, psychiatry, geriatrics, or preventative medicine)

(b) doctoral programs in clinical neuropsychology, clinical psychology, or cognitive neuroscience

• A strong interest in studying Alzheimer’s disease, dementia risk reduction, cardiometabolic disease (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes), and lifestyle interventions to promote brain health.

• A strong interest in community engagement and providing healthcare services to underserved populations.

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

  1. • These events occur approximately once per month during the Fall and Spring semesters, and more frequently during the summer semester.

Desired Qualifications: 

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

• Completed the following courses or their equivalents:

  • 1. • PSYCH2220: Data Analysis in Psychology

       • PSYCH2300: Research Methods in Psychology

• Experience with statistical analysis software (SPSS, R, JASP, Graphpad Prism).

  • We primarily use SPSS in our lab, as well as R. If you have experience with JASP or Graphpad Prism, it will be a helpful introduction to using SPSS or R, but we do not use those two software programs in our lab.

• Availability to commit to research activities for 5 semesters, including summers.

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:

• 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.

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

• Professional development (20%): Engaging in mentorship activities to prepare for graduate school or medical school; cultivating oral communication skills for scientific and lay audiences.

Time commitment: 3-10 hours per week

Time commitments with a regular schedule (3 hours per week)

• A 1-hour lab meeting every week (in-person).

• A 2-hour working meeting every week (in-person), where we work together on learning to administer cognitive tests and conducting statistical analyses.

Time commitments with irregular schedules (may occur at various times during the week):

• Conducting cognitive assessments for the Food & Fitness with Medicine (FFWM) study (approximately 30 minutes per assessment, plus up 30 minutes to travel to and from the Martha Morehouse building).

• Approximately one community engagement event per month (3-6 hours) in the Fall and Spring semesters, and 2-3 events per month in the Summer semester

• 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).

Application Instructions:

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

a)    A written description answering the following questions:

• What is your class standing (e.g., sophomore, junior, etc.) and expected graduation date (e.g., Spring 2028, Spring 2029, Spring 2030, etc.)?

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

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

• 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 live in Central Ohio, or are you planning to travel elsewhere during the upcoming summers?

• 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)  Your Ohio State University Advising Report, attached as a PDF file

See this video for instructions on how to run an advising report.

c) Résumé / curriculum vitae (CV) attached as a PDF file.

See below for instructions for creating a CV.