Boston College undergraduates only for semester cycles.

Paid assistantship OR class credit (10 hours required for class credit)

5 to 10 hours of weekly, in-person, work

Weekly lab meetings (prep required)

• Applications for the fall semester are usually due in August. Applications for the spring semester are usually due in November. We review all applications immediately after applications close, and typically send interview invites within a week. Final decisions are generally sent within a week of the final interview. We aim to send final decisions before the first week of classes, and lab work begins the second week of classes.

• We are a small team and value close mentorship of our Research Assistants. As such, we do not have space to take students every semester. The best way to know when we are hiring is to join our listserv, which will allow us to contact you directly when we are opening applications.

We are a small lab and are only able to take a small number of students. If you are not accepted in a given application cycle, we encourage you to try again!

Please note that our application and interview cycle is early, with application deadlines in November for the Spring semester, in February for the Summer semester, and in August for the Fall semester. The best way to be kept up to date on application opportunities is by joining our listserv.

Academia is full of rules, expectations, and cultural norms that are difficult to learn if one does not have access to particular resources. This leads to the exclusion of certain groups, particularly low-income, first-generation, or POC students. As a lab that studies the evolution of learning and teaching, we are particularly passionate about increasing accessibility to higher learning. We do this by providing a student-centered approach to mentorship, carefully guiding our students through all aspects of research and academia.

Semester Assistantships

REU Internship: Non-BC Students

The REU summer internship is conducted in collaboration with the Boston College Developmental Psychology program. We are one of three participating labs hosting the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates summer internship*. When applying through REU, you are applying to work with one of the three amazing labs in the BC Developmental Psych program. 

Position Description “Summer interns will gain hands-on experience in all aspects of socio-cognitive developmental psychology research while also participating in professional development meetings and learning computer programming. This is an excellent program for students who want to learn more about research, who may be interested in pursuing graduate school.”

Position Details

• REU internships are reserved for students who are first-generation, veterans, or from historically underrepresented groups. 
• Students must be enrolled in an accredited, American undergraduate program
• Students must be rising sophomores, juniors, or seniors
• HOURS: Full-time for 10 weeks starting in June and continuing through August.
• COMPENSATION: $600 per week
• HOUSING: Fully covered on-campus housing

There are three participating developmental psychology labs. Students will be accepted to primarily work within one of these labs for the duration of the summer.  Learn about our collaborators here: http://www.bccooperationlab.com/reu

**APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED FOR SUMMER 2024**

The REU summer internship is conducted in collaboration with the Boston College Developmental Psychology program. We are one of two participating labs hosting the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates summer internship*. When applying through REU, you are applying to work with one of the two amazing labs in the BC Developmental Psych program. 

Position Description Summer interns will gain hands-on experience in all aspects of socio-cognitive developmental psychology research while also participating in professional development meetings and learning computer programming. This is an excellent program for students who want to learn more about research, who may be interested in pursuing graduate school.”

Position Details

• REU internships are reserved for students who are first-generation, veterans, or from historically underrepresented groups. 
• Students must be enrolled in an accredited, American undergraduate program
• Students must be rising sophomores, juniors, or seniors
• HOURS: Full-time (in-person) for 10 weeks starting June 3rd and continuing through August 9th.
• COMPENSATION: $6000 stipend
• HOUSING: Fully covered on-campus housing

There are two participating developmental psychology labs. Students will be accepted to primarily work within one of these labs for the duration of the summer.  Learn about our collaborators here: http://www.bccooperationlab.com/reu

Click here to apply to our REU program

**APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED FOR SUMMER 2025**

By applying to the Dog Lab summer internship, you are applying to work with our team directly. Students from previous semesters are not auto-enrolled into the summer internship – all who are interested must apply.

 **not applicable for SUMMER 2025; if you are eligible to apply to the REU internship, you may apply to both the REU and the Dog Lab summer programs.**

Position Details

• PAID: Amount determined by lab funds.
• HOURS: up to 40hrs/week starting June 2nd to August 8th.
• In-person: Housing is not provided — you are expected to find housing using your stipend.

TIMELINE

• Application closes Friday, 7th March at 5pm
• Zoom interviews are 15 mins and will be conducted in March
• Final decisions will be sent shortly after all interviews are conducted

Click here to apply to the internal BC Dog Lab internship

Academic curiosity is one of the main things we look for in a potential research assistant. Research requires creativity and a desire to understand what’s going on around you. Experience is not a priority. Excitement about knowledge and exploration is.

Read the work listed on our research page. You may not fully understand everything you read, but that’s okay. Expressing curiosity about the topics that confuse you is an important part of being a scientist. If you get ideas while you read, regardless of whether or not you’re sure it’s a “good” idea, it’s worth presenting those ideas in your application. We want to know what is exciting to you. Generating ideas is a sign of a scientific mind.

We want to understand why you specifically want to work with us. What makes you curious about the research we do? What excites you about dog cognition research? What are your motivations for doing research and why would work with our lab help you in particular?

We want to understand you as a potential teammate and researcher. How do you work with others and what kind of questions do you have?

Remember that your essay is one of the only things we will learn about many of our applicants. Give us the opportunity to get to know you!