Prospective Graduate Students

Dr. Rucker is recruiting graduate students for the 2025-2026 academic year via the Social Psychology Graduate Program at UNC. The deadline for applications, and information about the application process can be found here. Out of a concern for fairness, Dr. Rucker does not plan to have extensive email contact or individual zoom meetings with applicants prior to the review of applications, however, feel free to reach out and contact Dr. Rucker if you have any questions about the application process.

FAQs for Undergraduates

What is research?

As an undergraduate, this may be your first exposure to how research and science are carried out - and that’s exciting! Research is a way to learn about science as a part of a team. Research also gives back to the community by addressing important societal issues and improving our lives. Becoming a research assistant will give you hands-on experience that will open doors to graduate school and future job opportunities, and will also give you access to the resources and mentorship of the UNC Psychology & Neuroscience community. Whether you’re set on a research career or just curious about the world of research, you are welcome in our lab family. All that’s required for this position are commitment and enthusiasm. Keep reading for more details.

Do I need any prior research experience?

No prior research experience is required, as training and certification courses will be provided for those who join.

What kind of research does the Rucker Lab do?

We conduct a variety of research projects, ranging from in person experiments to digital surveys and hybrid projects. In general, we look at topics of inequality—frequently, racial inequality—in a practical context. Some of our past research has focused on exploring people’s perceptions of racial progress, the implications of a structural vs. interpersonal understanding of racism, and responses to evidence of societal racial stratification, among other topics.

What do RAs do?

Research assistants will complete various tasks critical to carrying out our research across all stages of work. The most prominent role RAs have is collecting participant data for in-person studies, with secondary responsibilities timing remote studies, facilitating literature reviews, assisting with questionaries, and more.

This semester, we have a variety of projects in early and transitionary stages; we typically recruit an RA for one primary project to work on, but there are opportunities to work on more projects if they interest you in particular.

What does the lab expect from RAs?

We expect our RA's to be responsible, reliable, communicative, and enthusiastic about the work that we do in the lab. We are looking for RAs that can commit at least 6-10 exclusives hours per week to their research work, and are flexible about the work that they are interested in completing.

Who should apply?

Students of any major can apply to be an RA, but our work is particularly relevant to those studying psychology. You should apply if you are curious about the research process, might incorporate research into your future career, or want to pursue a career in research. Keep in mind that research looks very different across different fields and even within a field, so methodologies and daily duties will vary between labs. There are many wonderful labs at UNC Chapel Hill, so make sure to shop around to see which research methods and topics align with your interests.

It’s also important to be mindful of your time commitment throughout the semester, and preferably the year. Because our research needs are ongoing and the process of organizing the lab requires extensive coordination with other RAs, it is a strong point of consideration if your schedule will be inconsistent.

Can I get paid?

At this time, you can only be paid as an RA via work study. Many of our RAs are volunteers, and we welcome applicants interested in course credit through PSYC 395.

Can I do independent research?

If you'd like to pursue some form of independent research after at least one semester in the lab, there are multiple pathways for doing so. Although the following options require proactivity and independence, you would receive guidance and support from a supervisor in the lab.

• PSYC 395 -

  • If you'd like to receive research course credit, you can apply for the 395 course in your discipline. This course requires 3 hours of lab work per credit hour (usually 9 hours per week), during which you'd carry out your assigned research duties for the lab. This course culminates in a written report, which typically outlines research literature and proposes a new project or expands a current project in the lab. This option is good for those who are curious about the research process, can commit the necessary hours to the lab, want the relative structure of a class, and want to fulfill a course requirement.

• PSYC 693H - Honors Thesis

  • Seniors with a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher can pursue an Honors Thesis, an intense original research project. The final thesis document would analyze and discuss pre-existing or new data. This option is good for those who are interested in pursuing research in their career or want a starting point to publish original work.

• Independent project (with or without academic credit)

  • If you want, you can explore your own research question using already existing data in our lab, find a publicly available dataset, or add a small component to an existing lab project. You can create a research poster and present at the Celebration of Undergraduate Research, were you can showcase your work to the rest of the student body. You do not need to participate in the lab for 395 course credit to pursue this option. This option is good for who want to flexibly carry out the research process on a small scale, from developing a question to communicating your findings.

How do you choose RAs?

We are looking for committed and enthusiastic research assistants that are motivated to participate in our lab’s research. Because we do not require previous research experience, we take a holistic look at applicants' interests and qualities through the written application and interview. Please do not be discouraged if you do not get chosen as an RA for a certain semester. We encourage you to apply again the next semester or seek out opportunities in other labs.