Lab Philosophy & Opportunities

What do we value as a lab outside of research?

• Regardless of the specific research questions we are trying to answer, we strive to maintain the highest level of scientific integrity, as well as making our science open and reproducible.

• Diversity, equity and inclusion: the lab should be a safe space in which every member belongs and thrives.

• Mentorship and career support: whatever any lab member wants to achieve beyond their stay in the lab, we help each other and share resources to make it happen!​

• Mental well-being and work-life balance: we all have a life beyond the lab, which we should value and intentionally take time for, whether it’s hobbies, friends, family, sports, traveling or just alone time!

What are opportunities to join the lab?

The lab currently does not have any open full-time/paid position, but read below for some opportunities to get involved and don't hesitate to reach out!

• We will not be recruiting a graduate student in Fall 2025. Stay tuned for potential Fall 2026 opportunities (for general information, we can recruit graduate students through the Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science and through the Department of Psychology - CNS area). 

• Join as a part-time clinical staff. The lab will be looking to hire a part time clinical staff or full-time postdoc with a PhD in clinical psychology or relevant clinical experience (recruitment and assessment of adults with autism), and with a strong interest in further developing their research skills in neuroimaging and/or computational modelling. Specific job posting will come soon, but please do reach out at ccharpen[at]umd[dot]edu if interested!

• Join as an Undergraduate or Master's student - the lab is currently full for Spring/Summer 2024, but feel free to reach out in late Summer/early Fall for 2024-2025 opportunities.

Additional resources and useful information

For graduate school applicants:

• Twitter thread combining a gold mine of information for prospective graduate students and the grad school application process: 

• Check here if you qualify for an application fee waiver at UMD. 

Computer Programming skills:

• The best Python bootcamp, by Justin Bois.

• Twitter thread of resources to learn R as a psychologist.

• Good coding practices: The Good Research Code Handbook, by Patrick Mineault.

Readings and Tutorials on Computational modeling:

• See this document for detailed resources if you are looking to learn about computational modeling, both theoretically and practically.

Funding opportunities:

• Up-to-date repository of early-career funding opportunities (mostly relevant for postdocs)