Join the lab
Prospective graduate students
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Dr. Kirby supervises PhD students interested in training in Social Psychology. Please see here for more information about Purdue's Social Psychology program and here for more information on the application process. To get a better idea of the lab's recent research focus, you can see recent lab abstracts here. We especially encourage people from underrepresented or marginalized groups to apply. Please check the home page on this website to see whether we are admitting graduate students in the current cycle of applications.
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Undergraduate students
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Research assistantships
Research assistants typically gain experience running participants in experimental lab studies, recruiting research participants, programming surveys, collecting survey data, entering or analyzing data, reviewing relevant psychological literature, and helping to design studies. They also gain experience with software that can be useful for graduate school (e.g., Qualtrics, Zotero, SPSS, R and RStudio).
Research assistants attend research group meetings to discuss projects in the lab and learn more about the research process. Finally, more senior research assistants may have the opportunity to conduct independent research projects and mentor/train more junior assistants.
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PSY390: Students who are interested in helping with research in the Diversity, Identity, & Prejudice Lab can serve as a research assistant through PSY 390. Please see the ads posted each semester to see if the lab is taking new 390 students.
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Volunteering: We also welcome volunteer research assistants. Please contact the lab if you are interested in volunteering.
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Research focused honors program (RHFP)
The RFHP involves a year and a half long research project with a faculty member that culminates in a department-wide presentation and a thesis paper. Applications are due in November of the student's junior year. Generally, we expect students who wish to participate in the RHFP with Dr. Kirby to have spent at least one semester prior to the program in the lab.
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[The programs below aim to "broaden the capacity of undergraduate students, especially from disadvantaged or underrepresented groups, who enter graduate programs in STEM disciplines."]
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Summer Research Opportunities (SROP, via the BIG 10 Alliance)
Undergraduate students at any of the BIG 10 universities can apply to the SROP program, to complete an eight week summer research stay at Purdue. In addition to working on a research project in the lab, SROP students participate in workshops each week related to graduate school applications. Please email Dr. Kirby if you are interested in participating in the SROP program in the lab. Applications are usually due in February-March, but check the SROP website for exact dates.
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Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP for Purdue students)
Also an eight week summer program, students who are accepted to the LSAMP Program would commit to either 20 or 40 hours per week to working on a research project in the lab and will participate in workshops each week related to preparing for graduate school applications. Because of the short timeframe of the program, we usually expect 40 hours per week. Generally, we expect students who wish to participate in the LSAMP program to have spent at least one semester prior to the program in the lab, but we can sometimes make exceptions. Please email Dr. Kirby if you are interested in participating in the LSAMP program in the lab. Applications are usually due in March-April, but check their website for exact dates.
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Social-Personality Undergraduate Research (SPUR) Program
Undergraduates and recent graduates from any external university can apply to the SPUR program to complete an independent project (virtually) from March to December. SPUR trainees complete a poster at the close of the program summarizing the project. Eligible trainees will be from historically underrepresented racial backgrounds who are either currently enrolled in college or recent graduates (within 2 years of college graduation) and intending to apply to PhD programs in social-personality psychology. Please email Dr. Kirby if you are interested in participating in the SPUR program in the lab. Applications are usually due in November, but check the SPUR website for exact dates.