Volunteer Research Opportunties
Are you a psychology student interested in gaining experience in a research lab? If so, below is a list of volunteer research opportunities available for psychology undergraduate students in labs headed by Psychology Department faculty members. Included is a brief description of the position and contact information. This list will be updated on a regular basis, so if you don't see anything now, check back later.
If you are a faculty member wanting to post for RAs on this site, email Nora Sellers at sellers@psych.utoronto.ca.
For external research opportunities, you can subscribe to the Undergraduate Email Listserv, check out the Psychology Students' Association (PSA) website and/or like us on Facebook.
Lab: Dr. Molly Metz’s Pedagogy and Motivation Lab
Description: Dr. Metz is seeking applications for volunteer research assistant (RA) positions for Winter 2019, with the potential for continuing into the Summer, if interested. RAs will work on studies examining instructors’ beliefs about and students’ responses to the coverage of emotionally charged material in the classroom..
Duties: Research assistants are responsible for scheduling and running participants, data cleaning and management, coding of writing samples,among other tasks.
Requirements: Ideal candidates will be conscientious, motivated, able to work independently as well as in a team, and have excellent communication skills. Hours may range from 6-10 hours a week for the remainder of the term, depending on the scheduling of the studies and the time of the semester, but we will do our best to work with your schedule, especially around holidays and stressful times of the term.
To Apply: Visit the following website to complete an application: (http://tiny.cc/metzlab). Please email metzlab.uoft@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Lab: Dr. Claude Alain’s EEG Lab, Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Hospital
Description: The EEG Lab at Baycrest Hospital is seeking two volunteer research assistants to join our team! You will gain experience in participant recruitment, collecting and analyzing neuroimaging and behavioural data. You will also learn about current research in cognitive neuroscience, attention, and memory in visual and auditory domains. These positions will be at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Hospital(3560 Bathurst St. North York, ON). Hours are flexible.
Requirements: Ability to work independently and in a team; attention to detail; willingness to take initiative
More Information: To learn more about Dr. Alain’s research interests,please visit our lab page here (http://research.baycrest.org/calain)
Contact: To apply, please send cover letter, unofficial transcript, and CV to Ricky Chow at rchow@research.baycrest.org
Lab: Adult Development Lab (ADL), U of T St. George Campus
Position: Volunteer Research Assistants
Description: The Adult Development Lab is seeking applications for volunteer research assistant (RA) positions for Fall/Winter 2018-2019. RAs will work on studies examining person perception, stereotyping, prejudice and stigma. Requirements: A strong academic record (minimum CGPA of 3.5) and a motivation for research are preferred. RA positions require a minimum time commitment of 8 hours per week.
Website: To learn more, please visithttp://www.psych.utoronto.ca/users/chasteen/adl.html
Contact: Please send a cover letter, unofficial transcript, and resume tochasteenlab@gmail.com
HIRING NOW: Position 1
Lab: Social Perception and Cognition Lab
Positions: Research assistant positions on studies examining person perception,non-verbal cues, and personality.
More Information: To learn more and to submit an application, please visit http://psych.utoronto.ca/users/rule/join.html and click on the link to the volunteer application form. Please email spcl.manager@gmail.com with your cover letter, CV, unofficial transcript and a filled out application.
HIRING NOW: Position 2
Lab: Social Perception and Cognition Lab
Positions: Developmental Psychology Research Assistant: We are seeking a research assistant (RA) to begin in the summer. The RA will work on a project investigating children.
Requirements: The applicant must be:
-dedicated, meticulous, and curious
-comfortable recruiting families over the phone
-experienced engaging with children
-available some weekends
More Information: To learn more and to submit an application, please visit http://psych.utoronto.ca/users/rule/join.html and click on the link to the volunteer application form. Please email spcl.manager@gmail.com with your cover letter, CV, unofficial transcript and a filled out application. The RA may have the option to extend the position.
POSTED FEBRUARY 20, 2018
Lab: Dr. Kang Lee's Development Lab is looking for a motivated and hardworking person to join our team!
Description: The Fraud Research team studies scam detection and victimization in participants ages 18-30 and 60-90. These research assistant position is ideal for an undergraduate student in their 2nd or 3rd year of psychology or a related field.
Duties: Research assistants are responsible for recruiting participants for our research studies including making connections with community organizations to find interested participants, advertising our studies, and sharing our findings with community members. You will also run studies with participants (data collection) and complete data entry tasks. This position is ideal for someone who is considering careers both in academic research environments and in more hands-on, community-based settings. You will learn about how research takes place in a university psychology lab, gain necessary research experience, and learn how to communicate effectively about said research.
Requirements: Excellent communication skills; friendly, outgoing, and upbeat attitude; ability to work independently and in a team; attention to detail; willingness to take initiative; punctual and reliable.
Preferred but not required: SPSS proficiency; experience working with older adults.
Position Start Date: March 12, 2018
Hours Per Week: 10
Schedule Details: Shifts are flexible with your schedule, but one weekend day is preferred (approximately 4 hours). Schedules are set at the beginning of each semester. Our lab expects volunteers to commit to working with us for at least 1 year.Our lab is in the OISE building at 252 Bloor St W, above St George subway station. The research assistant will be trained prior to any work being done independently and will report to a graduate student and the lab manager. The research assistant will gain research experience and a reference will be provided (conditional upon lab performance).
Application Deadline and Procedures: March 4, 2018 11:59 PM.
Send the following documents to rebecca.judges@mail.utoronto.ca:
1. Cover letter
2. Resume
3. Unofficial transcript
4. Weekly schedule including weekends. Provide times of all classes, work, volunteering, or other commitments.
Posting Date: February 20, 2017
Lab: Dr. Kang Lee's Development Lab, Racial Bias Study Volunteer Posting
Job Title: Volunteer Research Assistant, Research & Development
Job Description: Dr. Kang Lee's Development Lab is looking for highly dedicated and enthusiastic students to volunteer with us! The research assistant will be involved in a study examining implicit and explicit racial biases in children and adults. Our goal is to offer volunteers many opportunities to develop their research skills. Thus, as a volunteer, you will:
- Act as the main experimenter in conducting the experimental sessions with children and parents, in multiple locations (e.g.,Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Ontario Science Centre, Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study)
- Collect data from participants through the completion of paper-based and computer-based tasks
- Recruit participants
- Code and record results
- Perform other administrative tasks in the laboratory
Qualifications: This position is ideally suited for students who have just completed their second or third year studying psychology and who are interested in pursuing graduate school in the future. Training on most of the skills needed will be provided.However, volunteers should have a strong background working with children (in particular 2-6 year olds), excellent interpersonal and communication skills,and the ability to multi-task. Experience working with an ethnically diverse group of people would be an asset. Previous experience with data collection,Excel, and SPSS would be considered beneficial.
Duration: Ongoing, minimum 12-month commitment required.
Schedule: Volunteers must have a flexible schedule as participants may be booked in on short notice at any time of the day. We ask for a 8-10 hour/week commitment, but this will fluctuate depending how busy the lab is. We also be sure to provide flexibility in this requirement, especially around holidays and stressful periods such as exams.
Other Requirements: As we are a big lab, volunteers must be able to respond to emails within a 24 hour window.
Application Procedure: Email application to labmanager@kangleelab.com. Include the following application material: Cover Letter, Resume, Unofficial Transcript, Weekly availability,including weekends. Please write 'RacialBias Study Volunteer Research Assistant' in the subject line of your email.
Posting Date: January 25, 2018
Lab: Dr. Kang Lee's Development Lab, Infant Study Volunteer Posting
Job Title: Volunteer Research Assistant, Research & Development
Job Description: Dr. Kang Lee's Development Lab is looking for highly dedicated and enthusiastic students to volunteer with us! You will be involved in a series of studiesexamining the development of face processing from infancy to adulthood. Usingeye-tracking technology, we examine the ways in which infants, children, andadults examine and recognize faces and what factors (e.g., experience)influence such face processing abilities. Neurobehavioral methods (e.g., fNIRS)will also be used to investigate the effects of social and non-socialstimuli/interactions on brain activity in children and adults.You will be involved in recruiting participants,running the experiments, coding data, preparing stimuli, and recording theresults. You will also participate in training sessions to acquire thenecessary skills for the current project.
Requirements:
-Be punctual
-Ability to work independently
-Excellent communication (both written andverbal) skills
-Problem solving skills
-Strong experience working with infants,children, and parents is preferred.
-Strong computer and technical skills is anasset.
-Some evenings and weekends are required.
This position is ideally suited for a 2nd or 3rdyear student studying Psychology and/or Neuroscience and who is interestedin pursuing graduate school in the future. We encourage students going into 2ndand 3rd year to apply.
Duration: Ongoing, minimum 12-month commitment required.
Other Requirements: As we are a big lab, volunteers must beable to respond to emails within a 24 hour window.
Schedule: We ask for a 10 hour/week commitment, but thiswill fluctuate depending how busy the lab is. We also be sure to provideflexibility in this requirement, especially around holidays and stressfulperiods such as exams.
Application Procedure: Email application to labmanager@kangleelab.com. Include the following application material: Cover Letter, Resume, Unofficial Transcript, Weekly availability,including weekends. Please write ‘InfantStudy Volunteer Research Assistant' in the subject line of your email. This posting will close as soon as suitable candidates are hired.
Posting Date: January 25, 2018
Lab: Social Perception and Cognition Lab
Position: Volunteer Research Assistants
Description: The Social Perception and Cognition Lab is seeking applications for volunteer research assistant positions on studies examining person perception, non-verbal cues, and personality to start in January 2018.
More Information: To learn more and to submit an application, please visit http://psych.utoronto.ca/users/rule/join.html and click on the link to the volunteer application form. Please email spcl.manager@gmail.com with your cover letter, CV, unofficial transcript and a filled out application. We are looking for a minimum CGPA of 3.5.
Posting Date: November 30, 2017
We're hiring!
Lab: Social Perception and Cognition Lab
Position: Developmental Psychology Research Assistant
Description: We are seeking a research assistant (RA) to begin in the Fall 2017. The RA will work on a project investigating children.The applicant must be:
- dedicated, meticulous, and curious
- comfortable recruiting families over the phone
- experience engaging with children
- available some weekends.
The RA may have the option to extend the position.
More Information: To learn more and to submit an application, please visit http://psych.utoronto.ca/users/rule/join.html and click on the link to the volunteer application form. Please email spcl.manager@gmail.com with your cover letter, CV, unofficial transcript and a filled out application.
Posting Date: September 6, 2017
Lab: Social Perception Cognition Lab (SPCL)
Website: http://www.psych.utoronto.ca/users/rule/
Description: The SPCL is seeking applications for research assistant positions on studies examining person perception, non-verbal cues, and personality. Positions to start this summer 2017. The lab is also hiring for developmental research assistant positions. Note - those interested need to be available some weekends, specifically for the developmental RA positions.
More Information: To learn more and to submit an application, please visit http://psych.utoronto.ca/users/rule/join.html and click on the link to the volunteer application form. Please email spcl.manager@gmail.com with your cover letter, CV, unofficial transcript and a filled out application.
Posting Date: April 12, 2017
Lab: Social Perception and Cognition Lab (SPCL)
Description: We're hiring!The SPCL is seeking applications forresearch assistant positions on studies examining person perception,non-verbal cues, and personality to start in January 2017.
Contact: To learn more and to submit an application, please visithttp://psych.utoronto.ca/users/rule/join.html and click on the link to thevolunteer application form. Please email spcl.manager@gmail.com with yourcover letter, CV, unofficial transcript and a filled out application.The deadline to apply is December 14, 2016.
Posting Date: December 2, 2106
Lab: Ryan Lab (Website: http://research.baycrest.org/jryan)
Description: The Ryan Lab is seeking volunteer research assistants to assist with participant recruitment, testing participants (younger and older adults) and data management. Will gain experience using eye tracking technology, neuroimaging and administering cognitive assessments. Please note that the position will be at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest hospital (3560 Bathurst St).
Requirements: Student in 2nd year or higher with a strong academic background and a passion for psychology. Research experience an asset. Highly motivated, reliable and conscientious. 10 hr/ week minimum time commitment.
Contact: To apply, please send unofficial transcript and CV to Arber Kacollja at akacollja@research.baycrest.org
Posting Date: November 15, 2016
Lab: Adult Development Lab, U of T St. George Campus
Description: The ADL is looking for Research Assistants for the Fall/Winter 2016-17 terms. RA positions require a minimum time commitment of 8 hours per week.
Requirements: A strong academic record and a motivation for research are preferred.
Contact: Please send a cover letter, unofficial transcript, and resume to chasteenlab@gmail.com.
Posting Date: August 18, 2016
Lab: The Social Perception and Cognition Lab (SPCL)at U of T
Description: The Social Perception and Cognition Lab is seeking applications for research assistant positions on studies examining person perception, non-verbal cues, and personality to start as soon as possible.
Contact: Please send your application package (cover letter, unofficial transcript, application form (on website: http://psych.utoronto.ca/users/rule/join.html
Posting Date: August 15, 2016
Lab: The Social Perception and Cognition Lab (SPCL)
Description: The SPCL Lab is looking for volunteer research assistants for the summer 2016 semester.
Requirements: Students with strong academic backgrounds and a passion for psychology. Applicants should be prepared to commit at least eight hours per week dedicated to research.
Contact: Please send your application package (cover letter, unofficial transcript, application form to spcl.manager@gmail.com.
Posting Date: April 19, 2016