The Harvard Cognitive Evolution Laboratory Summer Program offers between ten and fifteen research positions to passionate college students from around the country (and the world!) each summer.

The Harvard CEL Lab is a vibrant, interdisciplinary lab whose research incorporates work in psychology, evolutionary biology, and biological anthropology to ask and answer exciting questions about the cognitive abilities of animals and humans alike. Summer researchers have the opportunity to be an integral part of this research.

Researchers also enjoy lab summer social activities, including weekly lab dinners, volleyball, foosball, BBQs, and trips with friends into Boston.

 

The Cognitive Evolution Lab is currently undergoing a transition from tamarins to canines, to be completed in January 2009. We will be running behavioral and cognitive experiments with domestic dogs, and doing comparative work with wolves at Wolf Hollow and African wild dogs at the Franklin Park Zoo. Summer '09 interns will have the unique opportunity to be involved with this brand-new phase of the CEL, exploring the mind of man's best friend. We will also be continuing our work studying the psychology of human moral judgments.

To apply, please send a CV and a cover letter, including a statement of research interests, via email to Marc Hauser and Natalie Shelton (contact information available on our personnel page). Applicants must also submit three letters of recommendation via email to both Marc and Natalie.

Applications are due March 17, 2009. Late applications will not be reviewed.

Decisions will be made by the end of March or early April.

Questions?

Contact Natalie Shelton at nshelton@wjh.harvard.edu

Some important information:

  • Summer research positions are unpaid; students work on a strictly volunteer basis. Many students, however, concurrently work at other jobs in the Boston/Cambridge area.
  • The program requires a minimum commitment of at least 12hr/week for six, preferably seven weeks. Students are welcome to continue research past the seven week mark if they so choose. We expect that students will be here for most of July.
  • Research projects vary by year (see list below for summer 2008), and while project preference is taken into account, final assignment decisions are made by the PI.
  • Students are responsible for making their own housing arrangements. The lab is unfortunately unable to provide summer housing.

Summer 2008 Research Projects

  • Studies of the perception of fairness in cotton-top tamarins and human children.
  • Human action perception and goal representation in cotton-top tamarins.
  • Processing of artificial grammars in cotton-top tamarins.
  • Studies of the ability of non-human animals to entrain to a rhythmic beat.
  • The psychology of moral judgments in humans.

 

Harvard students should look into applying for HCRP summer research funding. Harvard summer '09 students also need to contact Marc if they plan to apply for a HCRP grant.

Obligatory tower-with-sunset shot.

Visiting research students can learn more about cool things to do in Boston at these websites:

 

International students, click here for an internship guide written by a summer '07 intern from the UK.