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Diversity & Equity

We believe that science benefits from a diverse team of individuals. Lab members’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics make our lab members who they are. We are committed to embracing and valuing these differences among our research team.

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We aspire to build a team of researchers with diverse backgrounds and to advance science that speaks to human behavior across context and that incorporates perspectives of all identities.

Undergraduate Research & Careers in Academia

The most common way to get involved with psychology research as an undergraduate is by pursuing research opportunities in a lab that studies topics of interest to you. These experiences provide exposure to work in a psychology lab, build connections with scholars currently engaged in psychology research, and deepen your understanding of topics that interest you. If you are interested in learning more about the types of undergraduate opportunities available in the DEPENd lab, please visit our general recruitment page.

In order to get the most out of your undergraduate research experience, it is typical to spend between 10 and 20 hours a week on your lab duties. We recognize many students may need additional funding to increase their access to these opportunities. Below, we have gathered several resources for funding opportunities on campus and elsewhere, taking particular care to highlight resources designated for underrepresented groups in psychology. This list is by no means exhaustive, and we additionally encourage you to utilize the University’s Office of Undergraduate Resources funding website to locate resources that will support your work as an aspiring psychologist. Additionally, if you are interested in exploring other research opportunities in UNC psychology that fit your interests, we suggest referring to this page.

The NSF-REU Initiative

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program is a grant program supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), which supports undergraduates on a summer fellowship.

  • See current opportunities and learn more here.

Funding Resources for Undergraduate Scholars

  • The McNair Scholar Program supports scholars from underrepresented backAn image of two Black women who are standing on a stage, about to shake hands, with a Black man standing slightly behind them in the middle. The young woman on the right seems to be accepting an award.grounds.
    • Dr. Hallquist is willing to consider supervising student research projectsfor the McNair program summer internship. Interested students should contact dependlab@unc.edu for more information.
    • Students qualifying for work-study may be able to receive funds in exchange for work in the DEPENd lab.
  • The DEPENd lab is open to accepting RAs in the lab who qualify for work-study via the IRIS initiative for the 2021-2022 school year.
  • The Gil Internship funds psychology students during a year-long internship at a professional work site or laboratory.

Broad Resources for Psychology & Related Fields

  • BlackinNeuro provides funding resources, as well as education about careers in neuroscience, for students from a variety of underrepresented backgrounds.
  • The CASL lab at UNC -Chapel Hill has compiled this google doc of helpful resources for students looking to get involved in academia.