Post-Graduation Research Positions
Research jobs in psychology are often difficult to find and not well-publicized. This website is meant to provide a simple, centralized list of the websites and email listservs where these positions are typically posted. While several of the links below list post-doctoral, faculty, and other “advanced” job openings, this website is intended to primarily serve undergraduates and recent graduates looking to embark on or explore a career in research. These positions typically (but not always) appear online around early or mid-spring with summer start dates, last 1-2 years, and serve as excellent preparation for graduate programs as well as other psychology-related career paths.
Guides and programs to help you apply to post-graduation research positions
- Before You Apply to Graduate Programs in Psychology: Knowing When You’re Ready and Gaining Post-Baccalaureate Experiences
- How to find a BA-level Research Assistant position
- STAR Scholars Program (University of Michigan)
Job Boards
General Job Boards
- Social Psychology Network
- Clinical Psychology Jobs
- Psych Job Search Wiki (“Pre-doc” section, at the bottom)
- Other Post-Grad Lab Positions
- HigherEdJobs, Indeed, Glassdoor, & ZipRecruiter
- Try a combination of these search words: “Psychology”, “Neuroscience” (or other field of interest), “Research Assistant”, “Lab Manager/Coordinator/Technician”
University-affiliated Job Boards
- Post-Graduate Psychology Research Jobs (Harvard University)
- Psychology Job & Internship Opportunities (Miami University)
- Post-Graduate Employment Opportunities (University of Pittsburgh)
- Psychology Job & Research Opportunities (Georgetown University)
- Internship & Job Opportunities (Duke University) [“Post-graduation” tab]
- Research and Other Opportunities, Mind Brain Behavior (Harvard University)
Organization Job Boards
- Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology (SSCP)
- Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP)
- Society for Affective Science (SAS)
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Listservs (email groups with occasional job listings)
- Behavioral Insights Student Group (BISG) at Harvard
- Society for Judgment and Decision Making
- Cognitive Development Society
- Cognitive Science Society
- Cognitive Neuroscience Society (membership required)
- Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (membership required)
Other Resources
Funding opportunities
Summer research opportunities for undergraduates
- SPSP Undergraduate Summer Research
- APA Undergraduate Summer Research
- National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
- LearnPsychology – Pre-Professional Experience
- Paid Internships List
- Paid Undergraduate Summer Research Opportunities in Neuroscience
General tips and strategies
Cold emails
- Many post-bacc research positions are never posted at all, so it is likely necessary to cold email faculty whose research interests you. In fact, this is often the single most fruitful strategy for landing a job interview.
- These emails should be short (3-5 sentences), polite, personalized, demonstrate that you have read their work, and include your CV.
- Create a spreadsheet to track your cold emails, and follow up once more with the faculty member or their lab manager after 1-2 weeks if you have not received a reply.
- Professors often advertise their open lab positions (and retweet others!) from their personal and/or lab accounts
Mentorship Help
- If you are fortunate to have faculty and/or graduate student mentors, schedule meetings with them to discuss your research interests and career goals. Ask them to keep an eye out for job openings!
University resources
- Also, don’t forget to check the University’s Career Center.
Page content created by Max Luber
