Middle & High School Students
We are excited to be launching a Youth Advisory Board! This group of students will provide feedback on our current study findings and help us to identify what pressing issues we should study next. You can have your voice heard by attending a monthly one-hour zoom meeting with other middle and high school students during the school year. This is also an opportunity to get involved in the lab and learn about the research process in psychology. If interested, you can Health Equity in Youth Lab Advisory Board Application. If you would like to receive lab updates and join our listserv, you can complete this form for the Health Equity in Youth Lab Email List.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
We are no longer recruiting for undergraduate research assistants. Research assistants within the lab can expect to learn about collection and management of survey data, biological samples, and potentially interviews. Students must be open to learning and working independently and interested in current projects within the lab. Depending on the status of current projects, laboratory tasks can include in-person data collection, programming messages, and writing code. Undergraduate students who are interested in volunteering with the lab can complete this form and email drahal@ucsc.edu with their resume, transcript, and a paragraph regarding a) why they are interested in the lab and b) the tasks that they are interested in. Students should be able to contribute to the lab for at least two quarters. Students can be involved a) as a work study student through LAEP (pending slot availability), b) for research credit through PSYC194B (15 hours/week required), or c) through volunteering (variable hours required, pending availability). Students who are currently enrolled in Dr. Rahal’s classes should wait until the quarter has finished to apply. Students who have taken PSYC109 and have content knowledge relevant to the lab will be prioritized.
If you want to get a head start, I recommend completing training for ethical research. This is one of the first things that I assign research assistants to work on. Before working in any psychology lab, you should have the Social and Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research training completed for research in social sciences, which covers ethical research conduct with human data.
Here is a resource to help undergraduate students get involved in the psychology department at UCSC.
Students can complete PSYC194 (5 units), PSYC 199F (2 units), and/or PSYC 199G (3 units) to receive course credit for being involved in academic research on campus. Students are expected to work 3 hours in the lab per credit hour (e.g., 15 hours for PSYC194) and will turn in a writing project at the end of the quarter. The content may shift by advisor and by quarter (e.g., a poster, an article critique, a blog post, a research proposal). Information can be found here and research opportunities can be found here. Undergraduates working on an independent project distinct from lab work (and excluding thesis and field study), must complete a Petition for Undergraduate Individual Studies Course.
Graduate Recruitment
I am currently recruiting graduate students for the upcoming application cycle (no need to email me to confirm this). Students trained within the lab can expect to gain experience with psychobiological measures and repeated measures, including following individuals across hours, days, months, or years. Students do not need training in psychobiological systems but must be open to learning about the brain-body connection and internal pathways. An interest in learning advanced statistics is preferred. I suggest that potential applicants email me their CV with a brief description of their research interests, including any relevant projects in the lab. I am happy to answer questions about my lab’s research, and may suggest a video call if that is the best means of answering your question. These calls are for students to gain information and have their questions answered so that they can make an informed decision regarding whether to apply. However, I don’t privilege or prioritize applications from prospective students who have contacted me prior to applying or who have had a video call with me.
My goal as a mentor is to help students achieve their goals while advancing scientific knowledge. Students should graduate with the ability to conduct research, critically evaluate study designs, and contribute to scientific discourse. Interested students can reach out with questions and ideally specify the projects with which they would like to be involved.
Here is the link to apply for graduate school at UCSC.
I also recommend reviewing information about the program and the work of my colleagues prior to applying at this link: https://psychology.ucsc.edu/about/research/research-areas-developmental.html
Postdoctoral Fellowships
Postdoctoral opportunities are available, such as through the UC Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship program, the NIH F32 fellowship, and the SBE NSF Fellowship. Unfortunately, I am not currently able to fund postdoctoral fellows myself.
Please see the FAQ tab to learn about how to apply to graduate school, what responsibilities are expected of students in the lab, and other information about the application process.