Become a Member of Our Research Team!

      Thank you for inquiring about available research assistantships in our lab. As a research assistant, you will learn about the nuts and bolts of doing psychological research in a warm and friendly work environment. In addition to working on research projects, you can attend our quarterly potlucks and excursions outside of the lab, to places like Point Reyes and Muir Woods!

      What Will I Do?   As a research assistant, you will be given the opportunity to work closely with other members of the laboratory (including undergraduate and graduate students, visiting scholars, and Professor Tsai) on one or more of our current research projects. Your responsibilities may include: collecting and managing data; transcribing and coding; doing library research; designing studies; maintaining lab equipment; running subjects; preparing stimuli and instruments for projects; screening potential study participants over the phone; and contacting recruitment sites. In addition to the work that research assistants do on specific research projects, they are also required to contribute to the maintenance of the lab (e.g., entry of articles into Endnote, cleaning, copying articles, filing, answering phones, maintaining the web site) and to attend a weekly 2-hour research meeting. During these meetings, we: take care of administrative tasks; talk about conceptual and methodological issues related to cultural psychology and research on emotion; check-in with various projects; listen to and provide feedback on papers and presentations. In addition, each week, a subgroup of research assistants will present its project to the rest of the lab and solicit feedback regarding an aspect of the project. These meetings are usually held on Thursday evenings; research assistants are expected to attend and stay for the entire meeting. Because of the extensive training involved in becoming a research assistant, we request a minimum of a six-hour commitment a week (not including the 2-hour lab meeting), for at least two quarters. We find that research assistants who are the most satisfied with their experience in our lab are the ones who have the most time to become involved in our projects.

      Will I Be Paid or Receive Course Credit?   Currently, all of our research assistant positions are voluntary and, therefore, are not paid. Paid positions, however, may be available in the future. Stanford undergraduates and graduate students may register for course credit (1 credit for 3 hours of work per week).

      What Qualifications Do I Need?   We are looking for research assistants with a range of experiences and qualifications. You do NOT need to be a Stanford student; however, you should have an interest in psychological science and an interest in pursuing graduate studies in psychology. You do NOT need to have previous research experience; however, research assistants will start with responsibilities and duties that match their previous experiences in research. You should be intellectually curious, diligent, and conscientious; be interested in culture and emotion; work well with others; and be able to make the requisite time commitment. Because we use multiple methods in our research, we are also looking for research assistants who have training in computer programming, who speak different languages, and who have backgrounds in anthropology, physiology, or biology.

      How Do I Apply?   To apply to be a research assistant in our lab, please submit a resume and one-page essay about why you are interested in joining our lab to us, via regular mail (Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Bldg. 420 Jordan Hall, Stanford, CA 93405) oremail. After reviewing your materials, we will contact you for an interview.  It may take a few days for us to contact you.

      What If I Have Other Questions?   Please contact us at the above addresses, or by phone (650-724-0534).