Get Involved

Thanks for your interest in the EBBL! Postdoc, graduate student, and undergraduate student research assistants (RAs) are crucial to our research.

Postdocs and Graduate Students

I (Heather Urry) will be reviewing applications to Tufts Psychology’s PhD program this year. Applications are due December 1; students who enroll will start the program in the fall semester next year. I’m not currently recruiting postdocs to join the lab.

Who I’m keen to work with

Earning a PhD requires consistent concerted effort on the part of students and their advisors over an extended 5-year period. Finding the right fit is, therefore, paramount. I’m keen to work with graduate students who are interested in understanding performance under stress and encourage potential applicants to read a relevant article. The article represents a program of research to which an incoming graduate student would be expected to contribute in my lab. If, after reading the article, you find yourself inspired by and excited about addressing research questions that follow directly from those studies throughout your time in the program, great! That’s a good sign that it makes sense to apply to work with me. If, on the other hand, the program of research described in that article doesn’t excite or inspire you, great! That’s a good sign that you can allocate your attention to other advisors/PhD programs. Life’s too short to spend 5 years pursuing aims that bore you.

It’s fine not to email me

Please note that there is no need to express your interest in working with me by email. When you apply, all you need to do is select Heather Urry as a potential advisor when prompted in the application portal. I’ll carefully review all applications bearing my name. Everyone who applies thus has the same opportunity to demonstrate their readiness and skills, fit with me and Tufts Psychology’s PhD program, and how their lived experiences demonstrate qualities that are critical to earning the PhD. Also, to ensure that I have enough time available to meet the needs of current students, I’m unable to chat/meet with prospective students.

The research statement

Lastly, I read applicant research statements very closely. In your statement, focus on demonstrating to readers how your prior training experiences have helped you develop skills that position you well to embark on earning a PhD in my lab, how your interests align with mine (including by showing me the sorts of questions you’d want to address in relation to my program of research on performance under stress), and how you have potential to add to the culture of my lab and the program. I encourage you to refer to materials provided by the Application Statement Feedback Program, including their research statement rubric, to help you organize your thoughts. Please also see Tufts Psychology’s page about writing a research statement.

In addition, please write your research statement and other materials without relying on generative AI/LLMs. Generative AI/LLMs are useful and I use them in support of things like coding but they are not fit for this purpose. I want to know what interests YOU and how YOU think and write, not a machine. Use your beautiful brain – it will do the work if you let it.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

We are often looking for RAs who are responsible, motivated, attentive to details, friendly, and fun. We may or may not currently be recruiting new RAs. You can see whether we are currently recruiting new RAs and how to apply, if applicable, in the spreadsheet available through the department’s resources page.

Depending on the studies we’re working on at the time, RAs in the lab are involved in recruiting participants, preparing participants for physiological recordings and collecting data, processing and/or applying behavioral coding schemes to data, searching for and reading relevant articles, and participating in lab meetings.

RAs are scheduled to be in the lab for 8–10 hours per week. Those who are current undergraduates are asked to register for course credit each semester (e.g., PSY 91/92). We encourage RAs to work with us for at least 2 semesters, but we don’t compel that; we recognize that your interests may lead you elsewhere. Any letter of recommendation we end up writing for you will be based on the quality of your work and your dependability.