Throughout the year the Kosslyn Lab offers a number of positions for undergraduates; these fall into three categories:

Research Aide
These positions primarily involve recruiting, scheduling, and testing participants in studies, data entry and processing, and library research, but sometimes incorporate stimulus creation, experiment implementation, and data analysis, depending on the needs of a project and the background of the employee (usually we are looking for sophomores and up). During term-time (September through May), we look for an 8-15 hr/wk commitment for this type of position, and in the summer a 20-35 hr/wk commitment.

Lab Aide
This position is most suitable for someone just starting out in the field (e.g., first-years), and involves filing, photocopying, backing up computers, basic laboratory maintenance, subject recruitment and screening. During the term-time we look for a 5-10 hr/wk commitment, and during the summer a 10-15 hr/wk commitment.

Class credit
Advanced undergraduates (those with a background in cognitive psychology and/or neuroscience as well as statistics, and who demonstrate superior research skills) may be eligible to enroll in Psychology 910r or 2355r (download syllabus for 2355r; 8 hrs/wk work in the lab, plus class participation and time spent reading background literature and writing a paper).

Duties
Generally Research Aides spend most of their time working on assignment for a senior lab member (a fulltime Research Assistant, Postdoc, or Grad Student). Lab Aides will work under the general supervision of the Laboratory Manager, but may be assigned to carry out specific tasks for other lab staff.

Beginner-level tasks include retrieving research articles from online journals or Harvard libraries; designing, printing, and hanging recruitment posters around campus; conducting telephone screening interviews with participants; helping schedule participants for different studies; backing up and updating computers in the lab; keeping the lab forms up to date; and others. Higher-level duties may include testing participants in behavioral studies; assisting in the testing of participants in neuroimaging studies; data entry and processing. Experienced Aides with good computer skills may assist in stimulus creation (using programs such as Adobe Illustrator and/or Adobe Photoshop, or Microsoft Powerpoint) and implementing experiments on the computer (using programs like PsyScope for the Mac or E-Prime for Windows) and data analysis (using programs like Excel or SPSS). Occasionally some Research Aides may become so involved in a project that they assist in the experimental design, interpretation of results, and publication (but the latter is rare and usually the result of three or more years of work in the lab).

Who should apply?
Undergraduate students who are interested in mental imagery, visual perception, problem-solving, deception, visual display design, and ways in which people interact to extend their intellectual and emotional capacities. All projects require interaction with strangers (research participants), so applicants should have good social skills. Research projects will require keeping track of a number of different components and obligations, so applicants should be very organized and reliable. Desirable background for Research Aides would include the following: coursework in cognitive and experimental psychology, basic computer skills, and some previous research experience (even if just a class project). Experience with PsyScope, E-Prime, and/or SPSS a plus. Programming experience in any language a plus.

Exhibiting some knowledge of our research will aid you in your application! Please browse our website, and familiarize yourself with some of our recent publications.

During the academic year, paid positions are open only to Harvard undergraduates.

During the summer, paid positions are open to undergraduates from any college or university in the U.S., but applicants should have a place to stay in Boston or Cambridge. Harvard does not sponsor visas for summer employment, but overseas applicants who already have visas for U.S. employment during the time period may apply. (Rents can be expensive in this area, and Harvard doesn't offer any help finding housing. Here are some potentially useful links: http://realestate.boston.com, http://www.apartments.com, http://www.bostonapartments.com, http://www.bostonrealtyhub.com, http://www.roommatesusa.com, craigslist.org.)

Dates (2008-09)
Summer 2008: Our summer positions have been filled. For information for NEXT summer (2009), please check back around Feb/Mar 2009.

Term-time: Approximately October through May. Please look for our ads in the SEO, or on the Psych. Dept. undergraduate pages.

Pay
Currently $12.15/hr.

To apply
Please submit a CV with a cover letter to Jennifer Shephard, containing all of the following information:

• Name and contact info
• Your current college or university and expected year of graduation and degree
• Relevant Psychology, Biology, Philosophy, Linguistics, and Statistics courses and grades
• A description of any research experience, listing both your specific duties and the overall goals of the project you worked on (what question were you trying to answer with the research?)
• A description of significant employment experience (in any field)
• An explanation of why you want to work in our lab
• Your future plans in the field (do you plan to do a thesis? do you want to go to grad school?)
• The names and contact info (email address and telephone number) for at least one academic and one employment reference
• Any restrictions in your availability during the summer term
• If you are a Harvard student and have work-study, please let us know (work-study is not a requirement, however)

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