Summer Internships

Summer

Internships

Role Description

The Comparative Cognition Lab is open to motivated, hardworking students or recent graduates that are interested in completing an internship with us. Students contemplating a career in scientific research and development are especially encouraged to apply for a summer research internship at CCL.

Interns will gain experience working on multiple projects at all stages of the research process. Research interns will work with graduate students and research assistant teams on multiple ongoing research projects, and with the lab manager on tasks to organize projects.

Students will assist with:
  • behavioral data coding
  • recruiting and testing child and/or adult participants
  • collecting observational primate data at the zoo and/or testing primates
  • reading, reviewing, and discussing relevant theoretical and empirical papers

Interns will split their time in the lab between 3-5 projects. For some of their projects, they will be a “core member” of a team, for which they will be expected to help with experimental design, complete literature searches are reviews, create experimental documents, materials, and stimuli, collect data, code behavioral data, and eventually analyze data. Interns will also complete more flexible assignments such as behavioral coding, or help with administrative tasks.

This is an unpaid internship. Housing is not provided by the lab.

Qualifications

Required:

  • comfortable working independently
  • good time management skills
  • will treat position in the lab as seriously as a job

Preferred, but not required:

  • prior experience working with children/animals
  • prior experience working in a research lab
  • interested in completing a Senior Thesis that will eventually lead to a project
  • have taken COGS 14A or an equivalent research methods class
Interns are expected to attend lab meetings (class schedule permitting), attend subject recruiting events, turn in assignments on time, and collect data at the zoo or schools.

Please note, a 2 month commitment (25+ hours a week) is required for research interns. Interns should expect to be present in the lab during most of their committed 25 hours to the lab.

If you are interested in working with children, please keep in mind that you will need a minimum of 2 mornings of availability (8am-12pm) for testing at schools.

If you are interested in collecting data at the zoo, (while not required) it will be much more convenient for you if you have a car available during the summer.

How to Apply

Please complete the following application below.

A 1 page resume or CV (PDF) and academic records/unofficial transcripts (PDF) will also be required.
The lab manager will review your application and contact you if the lab is interested in interviewing you for the position (interviews may be conducted over Zoom/Skype).
Students will be notified by the third or fourth week of May.


Application Due Date: April 30th, 11:59pm (PST).


Please email our lab managers at cogsci-cclab@ucsd.edu if you have any additional questions. Please do not contact us about your application. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive an email.