For all of our lab openings, we strongly encourage women, immigrants, and students from groups historically excluded from science to apply.
We fight for equality, equity, diversity, and inclusion at all levels:
from promoting underrepresented researchers in the classes we teach to
modifying our citation practices and the language we use in everyday life.
We welcome anyone and everyone who would like to join us in this effort.
Undergraduate Researchers
Are you interested in Neuroscience and are a UVA student planning to pursue a PhD after graduation? Then check us out! In our lab, students learn neurophysiology and anatomy of the visual system and are active contributors to everyday work. And yes, we do credit our undergraduate researchers on publications. You can get credits for the research done in our lab (PSYC 3590), and if you are interested email us at ar5pt@virginia.edu. Please introduce yourself, include any relevant coursework, and explain why are you interested in joining our lab. Include how much time per week you can dedicate to lab work (we recommend nothing less than 2 hrs/day). Whenever possible, include references (PIs of other labs you worked in or other professors/TAs). We also recommend taking PSYC 2200/3200 before joining the lab (and getting an A…).
We do not admit students on a classical pre-med path at the moment, but if you are planning to apply for MD/PhD programs, please reach out.
We also admit students through USOAR: USOAR.
For non-UVA students: we admit a limited number of students through UVA STEM initiatives, such as the Leadership Alliance Institute (https://graddiversity.virginia.edu/initiatives/leadership-alliance) and VA-NC Alliance (https://lsamp.virginia.edu/). If you are interested in summer research, please reach out.
Graduate Students
Do you want to mature into a fully independent neuroscientist? Then you’re in the right place! Our laboratory accepts graduate students through the UVA Psychology Graduate Program at the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (Sensory and Behavioral Neuroscience). Our program boasts a diverse student body and focuses on career development in addition to research. The stipend includes health insurance, tuition, and summer salary. Our lab additionally supplements the stipend whenever possible to match the average of leading neuroscience programs in the country. Graduate researchers are expected to be Teaching Assistants for a number of neuroscience courses for at least 2 semesters. Graduate-level classes are taken in Years 1 and 2, and the qualifying exam is held in Year 2. In our lab, the students are expected to develop into independent scientists, and their professional development is guided by the PI and other faculty in and outside of the Department. Our laboratory fully supports all career paths, not just academic ones, and we encourage our lab members to continuously assess their goals and work towards them. Applicants to our lab are encouraged to apply for a number of internal and external fellowships, such as IDFs, EXPAND, NSF GRFP, NIH F31, etc. Some of these are available only to US citizens and permanent residents, but some are available to international students too.
Information on the application process can be found here: Psychology Graduate Programs. Fee Waiver Program is available as well: Fee Waiver. International applicants typically incur additional expenses, such as the translation of transcripts, IELTS/TOEFL, GRE, visa costs, etc. Because most of these are non-refundable, we strongly encourage international applicants to reach out before applying to make sure that our lab is a good fit for them, and to confirm that we have graduate student openings.
The most frequent question we run into is how much laboratory experience does one need before applying for graduate school, and the answer is: not that much (Adema had almost zero lab experience before enrolling in graduate program). We expect the applicants to have had some undergraduate research experience (at least 2 semesters), either in life sciences or in engineering, but we do not require post-bac research experience. We are not screening for mad pipette skillz: we simply need to know that you’ve tried to work as a researcher and liked it enough to consider it as a long-term career prospect. Laboratory research is riddled with difficulties, disappointments and perceived failures (no such thing in our lab!). While finding a good lab helps cope with many of the pitfalls mentioned, motivation for doing science is key in pushing yourself forward. We strongly encourage potential applicants to contact the PI before applying to discuss their application. This way you can learn about requirements specific to our lab, potential projects that are not on the website, and get details about the program and Charlottesville in an informal manner.
The second most frequent question we get is how high should your GPA be to be considered for admission to our graduate program, and the answer is: it depends. We scrutinize each aspect of the application package for people applying for our lab. If your GPA is low, and you have no research experience whatsoever (even as an undergrad), we recommend looking for a (paid) tech job or a post-bac program (our lab and UVA included). The reality is that a high GPA is still considered a mark of excellence, and if you don’t have one (and it’s too late to rectify that), you have to find another way to distinguish yourself. Some students opt for scoring high on GRE tests. Keep in mind that UVA has dropped the GRE requirement. Some students opt to enroll in a Master’s Degree (don’t). Most students look for a technician job (do) or a post-bac position (do). Whatever route you choose, try to learn as much as possible. You will need to work hard, but it will pay off in the long run. We recommend looking for a lab that publishes quickly and gives their techs a chance to author publications (read: junior/assistant professor labs).
Research Technicians
Do you want to get some experience in an in vivo neuroscience lab and develop your project management skills before you start applying for graduate school? Are you experienced in the lab, but want to be more than a “pair of hands” and develop leadership skills outside of a formal PhD program? Look no more and follow this space for our research tech openings. Research techs for our lab will be interviewed by the PI and the entire lab to ensure good fit and matching interests, and are usually hired for a minimum of 2 years due to the complexity of techniques we use and the time it takes to master them. Job openings vary based on funding availability, but (as always) reach out to check if we have are planning to hire in the near future. The same rules as for other positions apply and we encourage applicants to pursue different career paths.
Postdoctoral Scientists
Do you want to do cool science and refine your leadership skills? Then come and work with us! Our postdoctoral openings vary with funding cycles, so watch this space for postings. We encourage you to contact the PI way ahead of the application, especially if you are planning to apply for a fellowship before officially joining the lab-we can help you craft your application to increase your chances of success. We especially encourage unsolicited inquiries. You can find more information about our Department and postdoc life here: UVA Psychology.
The same rules as for other positions apply and we encourage applicants to pursue different career paths.