Undergraduate Research Positions

Our research lab is currently full; we anticipate taking on new undergraduate research assistants in Fall 2027.

However, we are always open to receiving applications. We often have new undergraduate research assistants start each academic semester, including the summer. If you are interested in gaining research experience, feel free to submit your application to chilllab@osu.edu.

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:

• The time commitment is highly variable. There are weeks when you may be asked to volunteer up to 10 hours (i.e. during data collection for Black Impact), but most weeks will be 1-4 hours.

• A 1-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

• Overall undergraduate GPA = 3.5 or above

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

• A strong interest in studying Alzheimer’s disease, 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, 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).

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

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

• Available to assist with research activities and 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 prose, not bullet points) answering the following questions:

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

• 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? 

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

• 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 a research coordinator.

When an opening in the lab arises, Dr. Grant will meet with you for an in-person interview.