Our Commitment to an Inclusive Lab Culture
We believe that developmental science should be open, welcoming, and accessible to students from many different backgrounds. Our lab aims to create a research environment that emphasizes openness, collaboration, and respect. Students play an important role in the day-to-day life of the lab, and we want lab members to feel supported as they learn how research works behind the scenes.
We especially welcome students who are curious about child development, cognition, emotion, and the brain. You do not need previous lab experience to express interest. We are excited to hear from students who are thoughtful, reliable, open to feedback, and interested in learning how developmental research happens.
How to Join Our Lab as an Undergraduate Student
The TAN Lab welcomes motivated undergraduate students who are interested in gaining hands-on experience with developmental research. Undergraduate students help make our studies possible and play an important role in many day-to-day lab activities. Depending on the project, undergraduate students may help with participant recruitment and scheduling, preparing study materials, assisting with child and family visits, entering and checking data, and coding children’s behaviour from video recordings.
This position may be a good fit for you if you are interested in social cognition and developmental cognitive neuroscience. Because much of our work involves young children and families, we especially value students who are warm, dependable, detail-oriented, and comfortable interacting with children. Strong quantitative skills, including experience with statistics or programming in R, Python, or MATLAB, are an asset, but they are not required for all positions. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of our research, we particularly encourage applications from students in Combined Major programs (Biology & Psychology or Psychology & Computer Science), although students from all relevant backgrounds are welcome to apply. Students will have opportunities over time to build skills in research methods, data collection, behavioural coding, analysis, and scientific communication.
Undergraduate students can take on different roles in the lab, including volunteer RAs, Work Study students, Independent Study students, NSERC USRA students, or Honours students, depending on fit, availability, and lab needs. Most positions involve a minimum commitment of 10 hours per week across two semesters. To apply, please email tanlab@uvic.ca with your CV, unofficial transcript, and a writing sample. We appreciate the interest we receive from undergraduate students. Because space in the lab is limited, we are only able to respond to applications when there is an available position that may be a good fit. Thank you for your interest in the TAN Lab and for your understanding.
Prospective Graduate Students
The TAN Lab will be reviewing applications for the Psychology MSc/PhD program at the University of Victoria for the current admissions cycle. This is a fully funded position. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply for external funding (e.g., Tri-Agency scholarships) during the same admissions cycle. Students in the lab have access to dedicated EEG and eye-tracking systems that support a wide range of developmental cognitive neuroscience research.
The University of Victoria is located on southern Vancouver Island in the City of Victoria, consistently recognized as one of the world’s best small cities. Victoria also offers convenient access to major international hubs, with Vancouver and Seattle just a short ferry trip away.
I am particularly interested in mentoring students whose research interests closely align with the lab’s work in developmental cognitive neuroscience. Current research areas include developmental neuroscience, social cognition, emotion, and ensemble processing. Experience with neuroimaging methods (e.g., EEG, MEG), eye tracking, infant and child behavioural paradigms, and computational approaches is considered an asset.
To apply, please send a cover letter, unofficial transcript, CV, and writing sample to endatan@uvic.ca. In your cover letter, please describe how your research interests align with the TAN Lab, the research questions you hope to pursue in graduate school, and how your previous training and research experiences have prepared you for graduate study.
For official information on admission requirements, application deadlines, and funding opportunities, please visit the UVic Psychology graduate admissions website.